Homework Assignments

MATH 4581 Spring 2026

Here is a list of topics covered and all written assignments for the course as well as a dynamic listing of what was actually planned and covered in the lecture. Remember: Your work on assignments should be neatly presented---if you can't write legibly, then figure out a way to type it---and submitted on Canvas.


   Date    Chapter.Section/Topics   or   Page/Problems

M   Jan 12  Lecture 1  Introduction/Review of ODE
             Assignment 1  DUE Wednesday January 28, 2026
W    14     Lecture 2  series solutions and the initial value problem
             Assignment 2  DUE Wednesday February 4, 2026
M    19     Holiday (MLK)
             Assignment 3  DUE Wednesday February 11, 2026

W    21     Lecture 3  series solutions and the two point boundary value problem

M    26     Lecture 4  Sturm-Liouville problems/Sturm-Liouville theory (snow day)
             notes  

W    28     Lecture 5  Fourier series
             Assignment 4  DUE Wednesday February 25, 2026
	     Assignment 5  DUE Wednesday March 4, 2026

M  Feb 2    Lecture 6  Fourier series and Sturm-Liouville problems	    
W    4      Lecture 7  Integration and finding Fourier coefficients
M    9      Lecture 8  some solutions of the heat equation
                       physical principles of heat conduction	     
W   11      Lecture 9  derivation of the heat equation
M   16      Lecture 10 separated variables solutions
W   18      Lecture 11 solving the heat equation using separation of variables
M   23      Lecture 12 non-homogeneous boundary values, forcing and higher dimensions
W   25      Lecture 13  Laplace's equation and non-homogeneous boundary conditions
	     Assignment 6  DUE Wednesday March 18, 2026
M  Mar 2    Lecture 14  The maximum principles (not)
                        polar coordinates:  Laplace's equation on a disk




	    
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W  Apr 1    Lecture 21 


	    
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M  27       Last class meeting

	    
W  May 6    (scheduled final exam time 11:20 AM - 2:10 PM)
             Final Assignment  DUE Wednesday May 6, 2026