Instructor: Mikhail "Misha" Shvartsman
Email: mmshvartsman@stthomas.edu
Phone: (651) 962-5527
Spring
2026 Office Hours:
MWF
11:00 AM - 12:15 PM, Office: OSS 213
or by appointment (office or zoom)
Introduction to Differential
Equations and Systems - MATH 210-01 and 210-02
Spring
Semester - 2026
Section 01, CRN ##'s 21387, 08:15 AM - 09:20 AM, MWF, OWS LL54
Section 02, CRN ##'s 21388, 09:35 AM - 10:40 PM, MWF,
OWS LL54
Text:
Differential Equations, Fourth Edition, by Blanchard,
Devaney, and Hall, Brooks/Cole Cengage (2011), ISBN-13:
9781133109037
Website for the textbook is here
Additional reference to read
about Differential Equations and their applications in depth
is Applied Differential Equations by
David Logan, 3rd edition, 2015
Course
Contents -
Sections in Blanchard et al.:
1.1 - 1.4, 7.1 - 7.3, 1.5 - 1.9, 2.1 - 2.4,
2.7, 3.1 - 3.3, App. C, 3.4 - 3.6, 3.8, 4.1 -
4.3, 5.1 - 5.4, 6.1 - 6.4
Topics:
Mathematical Modeling
First-Order Differential Equations
Numerical Methods
First Order Systems
Complex Arithmetic
Linear Systems
Second-Order Differential Equations
Forcing and Resonance
Nonlinear Systems
Laplace Transform
How you
will be evaluated:
Online Homework
100 points
Quizzes
(16)
320 (20 points
each)
Three 60 minutes
Tests:
300
(100 points each)
120 minutes
Final
200 points
Total
Points:
920 points
The letter grade cutoffs are:
| A |
A- | B+ | B | B- |
C+ | C | C- | D+ | D | D- |
| 93% |
90% | 85% | 80% | 78% | 73% | 70% | 67% | 61% | 55% | 50% |
Important
dates for the semester, including the refund plan, can be
found here
IMPORTANT: WE HAVE 2
CATEGORIES OF HOMEWORK IN THIS CLASS
CATEGORY 1: Homework to
prepare you for the tests and quizzes. That
homework will not
be collected and/or graded but it is VERY
IMPORTANT to complete as these questions prepare
you for the TESTS and QUIZZES. It is available here.
CATEGORY 2: Online Homework.
It is graded and it has to be completed by the due date.
It
is available via
WeBWork and is
available (ONLY)
through Canvas here.
The online
questions that appear online can be found here.
In
case we need to review your personal work to improve
your grade or decide what skills you need to
work on, before completing the answers online, write
your solutions clearly and neatly and keep all
your completed homework well organized. And, keep all
your class notes and quizzes and tests with
your notes on reworking the problems.
WRITTEN HOMEWORK SETS WILL NOT BE COLLECTED AND/OR
GRADED SINCE
YOU SUBMIT YOUR WORK ONLINE, BUT WRITING OUT
SOLUTIONS CAREFULLY
IS A CRUCIAL COMPONENT OF THE LEARNING PROCESS.
It
will force you to learn the material and will ensure
you do well on the tests and quizzes. Quizzes and
tests will reflect material covered in class and the
material from your homework. It may so happen that
some of the quizzes will be on topics not yet covered
in class but in that case you will be given clear
instructions on what sections you have to read and
what homework questions you have to work out.
I encourage you to discuss the homework with your
fellow students. Even if you collaborate on homework,
please learn to write your own solutions as it is
crucial to be prepared for quizzes and tests. You must
strictly adhere to the UST policy of academic
integrity, see the details here
Selected Notes
and Mathematica
Notebooks will be put on Canvas
Mathematica is a helpful tool and is available (free of
charge for UST students) for download on your personal
computer. Please
follow the instructions here
Quizzes: 02/06, 02/11, 02/16,
02/20, 02/25, 03/06, 03/11, 03/16, 03/20, 03/25, 04/13, 04/17,
04/22, 04/27, 05/01,
05/11
Midterm Tests: 03/02, 04/08, 05/06
Missing a quiz/exam: Do
not, if you can at all help it! If your ability to take an
examination is in doubt for any reason,
please consult me as early as possible. Contact me IN ADVANCE for absence due to sponsored
programs or illness
or emergency. Make-up exams and quizzes are not
given. For excused absences an
alternative grade computation
will be used; for unexcused absences the
quiz/exam score will be ZERO.
Comprehensive Final: During the Common MATH Final Exams Time:
MATH 210-01 and MATH 210-02: Thursday, 05/21,
01:30 PM - 03:30 PM, MHC 201
You are
strongly encouraged to read carefully sections to be covered in
class in advance.
It will greatly facilitate your work and it will save you time.
Note that not all the required material can be
covered
during the class meetings. It is your responsibility to fill up
the gaps if something is not clear to you.
You are welcome to come and see me during the office hours.
You should expect to work at least 3 hours outside the classroom for every hour in class.
Success can be
achieved only through combination of all three activities: Getting your guidance from
lectures,
reading the text, and, most importantly, working out the problems
by yourself, lots and lots of problems.
Some students complain that the text and/or lectures do not
prepare them to solve the problems on the test. It is,
indeed, the case. You will be prepared for the
tests and quizzes only if you do the homework
problems and
acquire skills of doing mathematics on your own. The
class lectures and presentations
are designed to give you guidance for your own work. Attending the
class and reading the text is necessary
but not sufficient to do well on the tests and
quizzes.
Tentative Schedule (subject to change):
| Monday |
Wednesday |
Friday
|
|
| Week 1 02/02 - 02/06 |
Intro, 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3, Q#1 |
| Week 2 02/09 - 02/13 | 1.4 | 7.1, Q#2 | 7.2 |
| Week 3 02/16 - 02/20 |
7.3, Q#3 | 1.5 - 1.7 | 1.8, Q#4 |
| Week 4 02/23 - 02/27 |
1.9 |
2.1, Q#5 | 2.2 |
| Week 5 03/02 - 03/06 |
T # 1 |
2.3, 2.4 | 2.7, Q#6 |
| Week 6 03/09 - 03/13 |
3.1 | 3.2, Q#7 | 3.3 |
| Week 7 03/16 - 03/20 |
App. C, Q#8 | 3.4 | 3.5, Q#9 |
| Week 8 03/23 - 03/27 |
3.6 | 3.8, Q#10 | 4.1 |
| Week 9 03/30 -
04/03 |
Break | Break | Break |
| Week 10 04/06 - 04/10 |
Break | T # 2 | 4.2 |
| Week
11 04/13 - 04/17 |
4.3, Q#11 | 5.1 |
5.1, Q#12 |
| Week 12 04/20 - 04/24 |
5.2 |
5.2, Q#13 | 5.3 |
| Week 13 04/27 - 05/01 |
5.4, Q#14 | 6.1 |
6.2, Q#15 |
| Week 14 05/04 - 05/08 |
6.3 |
T # 3 |
6.4 |
| Week 15
05/11 - 05/15 |
6.4, Q#16 |
Review
|
Review
|
| Week 16 (Final Exam) |
Final Exam - Common: | Thursday, 05/21 |