1. Teaching Differential Equations
Roger D. Demaree

2. Audience: Which students are ready?
Students who have finished Calculus BC
Students taking Calculus BC concurrently, after a 4 or 5 on Calculus AB
Note: Calc BC and Diff Eq should be coordinated so that Diff Eq does not start series until Calc BC finishes series.
Generally appropriate for future math, science, or engineering majors

3. The book
Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, 9th edition (RHHS uses 8th edition, but 9th has better resources)
By Boyce and DiPrima
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. First Order Linear
3. Second Order Linear
4. Higher Order Linear
5. Series Solutions
6. The Laplace Transform
7. Systems of First Order
8. Numerical Methods
9. Nonlinear
10. Partial Differential Equations
11. Boundary Value Problems

4. Resources
Online solutions to ALL problems provide significant detail. Problems from book: 1. 2. 4. 6. 8. 9.
Online solutions:

5. Resources Tough problems have solutions extending more than a page.
Extra detail is included for new types of problems.
Powerpoint explanations for each section, with examples
All support files are pdf or ppt and can be saved to your computer
PDE Online solution:

6. Slide from Online Powerpoint: 8.1 Euler’s Method
We will concentrate on the first order initial value problem
Recall that if f and f /y are continuous, then this IVP has a unique solution y = (t) in some interval about t0.
In Chapter 2.7, Euler’s method was formulated as
where fn = f (tn, yn). For a uniform step size h = tn – tn-1, Euler’s method becomes

7. Benefits of offering Diff Eq
Challenge our top students
Offer another math class to advanced Collins/Krummel students who will soon need four math credits
Not yet an AP course but Howard County Differential Equations students have received college credit at numerous schools

8. Other
My homework assignments are online
Having students in this class with Calculus BC may raise AP scores
We have 180 days (slightly less for seniors) to cover what colleges teach in 45 days
Possible to incorporate MIT’s Open Courseware into homework /VideoLectures/index.htm
Covering the College Park curriculum in 180 days is quite manageable.