Information for Fall 2025 MAE 107

General information for Fall 2025 MAE 107:

• The course syllabus (in pdf format) contains information on the course objective, content and grading policy.

• Lecture: M/W 5:00-6:15, PODEM 1A20.
• Problem Session: M/W 6:20-6:50, PODEM 1A20.

• The course grade will be obtained as indicated on the syllabus.

  
  

Some very(!) old, but likely even more valid now, motivation can be found here.

Textbook (highly recommended but not required):

• J.F. Epperson, An Introduction to Numerical Methods and Analysis, Third (or Second) Edition, 2021 (2013).

Contact:

• TA: Yifei Zheng

  • Office hour: M 3-4pm, EBU2 305.
  • Office hour: W 4-5pm, EBU2 305 (or contact Mr. Zheng to set up a time).
  • Office: 1601 EBU1.
  • Email: yiz152@ucsd.edu

• Instructor: Prof. William McEneaney

  • Office hour: W 12-1pm, 1809 EBU1 (i.e., in office).
  • Office: 1809 EBU 1.
  • Email: wmceneaney@ucsd.edu

• Piazza:

  • https://piazza.com/ucsd/fall2025/mae107mceneaney/home
  • piazza access code: mae1072025

• N.B. regarding email:

  • It is essential that your email message contain a proper salutation (with correct title/name) and an appropriate closing. Due to the student/faculty-TA ratio, we do not guarantee that all email will receive a response, but we will make our absolutely best effort to respond to all appropriate messages.
  • Please do not email code requesting help from us; you can bring such to office hours. However, we generally will not debug your code for you.

TENTATIVE Quiz Schedule:

For the quizzes:

• You must bring a blue book.
• You may bring a single 8.5x11 inch sheet of HANDWRITTEN notes (both sides). This also CANNOT BE A PRINTER-GENERATED sheet of handwritten notes on an ipad, surface etc.
• Bring a pen (preferably two). Your quiz should be done in pen - not pencil. If it is done in pencil, regrade requests will be denied.
• You must bring your ID.
• No calculators will be allowed on the quizzes.

Final:

• The format of the final is TBD.

Homework Assignments:

• Notes regarding homework:

• See the syllabus regarding due date and time.
• Also note the remark there about the fact that the homework you hand in must be clearly your own.
• Regrade requests on homework and quizzes must be submitted within ten days of their return.
• Your homework must be handed in through gradescope by the indicated deadline.
• The entry code for the course on gradescope is PGVN4P.
• Homework Assignment #1 may be found here in pdf format. Solutions for Homework Assignment #1 may be found here in pdf format.

• Homework Assignment #2 may be found here in pdf format. Solutions for Homework Assignment #2 may be found here in pdf format.

• Homework Assignment #3 may be found here in pdf format. Solutions for Homework Assignment #3 may be found here in pdf format.

• Homework Assignment #4 may be found here in pdf format.

Class Notes:

• TBD.
• Class notes from Sept. 29 may be found here in pdf format.

• Class notes from Oct. 1 may be found here in pdf format.

• Class notes from Oct. 6 may be found here in pdf format.

• Class notes from Oct. 8 may be found here in pdf format.

• Class notes from Oct. 13 may be found here in pdf format.

• Class notes from Oct. 20 may be found here in pdf format.

• Class notes from Oct. 22 may be found here in pdf format.

• Class notes from Oct. 27 may be found here in pdf format.

• Class notes from Oct. 29 may be found here in pdf format.

You can see examples of MATLAB code here.

Approximate ordered list of topics to be covered:

• Taylor polynomials.
• Asymptotic order and (very briefly) computer arithmetic.
• Horner's rule.
• Differencing for derivative approximation.
• ODEs and Euler's method.
• Linear interpolation.
• Numerical integration: Left-hand rectangle and trapezoid rules.
• Corrected trapezoid method.
• Simpson's method.
• Midpoint method.
• Romberg method (might be omitted).
• Tridiagonal linear systems and a trivial PDE problem (two-point boundary value problem).
• Root finding and fixed points (solving equations).
• Bisection.
• Newton's method.
• Secant method.
• Fixed-point method.
• Solving equations in higher dimensions.
• Lagrange interpolation.
• Newton interpolation (divided differences).
• Interpolation error.
• Least squares (might be omitted as you should have seen this elsewhere).
• ODEs: Euler's method (reprise).
• Low-order Runge-Kutta methods.
• Fourth-order Runge-Kutta.
• Monte Carlo method.
• TBD.

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Email me at wmceneaney@ucsd.edu