OC 515, Oregon Coast Math Camp, 3 Credits


Official Course Description

Selected topics from differential calculus, integral calculus, ordinary and partial differential equations, statistics, linear algebra and vector calculus. Two-week course taught at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon, before fall term begins. 3 credits. Graded P/N

Prerequisites: courses on differential and integral calculus and linear algebra, or consent of the instructor

Instructor: Kipp Shearman (kipp.shearman at oregonstate.edu)

Math Camp was designed by Dudley Chelton, who wrote the textbook for the class, as a refresher for incoming graduate students who, in general, may not have been exposed to a mathematics-specific course earlier in their undergraduate career. The aim of the course is to reinforce the foundation of mathematical tools required for graduate-level CEOAS classes, so the content of those classes may focus on science and not spend time reviewing mathematics.

The course is broken down by subject, and apart from a couple of field trips and guest lecturers, there will be 2x two-hour lectures per day and homework for each lecture. Group study and working together on homework is encouraged, however, homework needs to be completed and will be evaluated on an individual basis. Office hours will be available to answer questions.

Course Topics (subject to change)

  1. Geometry and Trigonometry
  2. Univariate Calculus Part 1: Derivatives, Composite Functions, Chain Rule, Implicit Differentiation, Higher Order Derivatives
  3. Univariate Calculus Part 2: Taylor Series and Finite Difference Methods
  4.  Univariate Calculus Part 3: Integrals, Integration by Substitution, Integration by Parts, Numerical Approximations
  5. Univariate Calculus Part 4: Intro to Differential Equations, Exponential Functions, Complex Exponential Functions, Hyperbolic Functions.
  6. Univariate Calculus Part 5: Natural Logarithms, Logarithms to Other Bases
  7. Exponential and Trigonometric Solutions to ODEs
  8. Multivariate Calculus Part 1: Intro to Partial Differential Equations (PDEs), Solutions of PDEs by Partial Integration
  9. Multivariate Calculus Part 2: Solutions of PDEs by Separation of Variables, Fourier Series Solutions to PDEs, The Gibbs Phenomenon
  10. Linear Algebra Part 1: Vectors, Matrices, and Regression Analysis
  11. Linear Algebra Part 2: Eigenvalue Problems
  12. Statistics: Complexity in Nature, Statistics in Data Analysis and Theory, Probability Density Functions (PDFs), Linear Regression
  13. Vector Calculus: The Gradient, Divergence, Curl, The Laplacian
  14. Time Series Analysis: Univariate Analysis in the Time Domain
  15. Time Series Analysis:  Univariate Analysis in the Frequency Domain
  16. Time Series Analysis: Multivariate Analysis in the Time Domain
  17. Time Series Analysis: Multivariate Analysis in the Frequency Domain

A Typical Daily Schedule

  • Morning: hand in previous day’s homework, 1.5- 2 hour math lecture
  • Afternoon: guest lecture, field trip, or second math lecture
  • Evening: homework session for following day’s homework

*Sample* syllabus (not the actual syllabus for this term)

Facilities associated with the camp