Throughout the semester, I'll add materials here for our class. Recordings will only be accessible through the bCourses page, though I'll retain other files here.
Office hours Tu/Th 1PM-3PM. They will be in-person in Evans 840 (on the corner of the hallway cutting through the middle of the floor), or on zoom by appointment.
Important Reminders:
The class will follow David Borthwick's Introduction to Partial Differential Equations (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48936-0) available from the UCB Library Proxy or directly from Springer with access granted by the UC system. Topics will include:
MoWe 12:00-1:59, Wheeler 202;Tu/Th 12:00-12:59, Wheeler 202. Our course will start on Berkeley time, so it will run from 12:10-12:59.
Office Hours: Tu/Th 1-3 PM, and upon appointment.
We will begin Monday June 23rd, and end Thursday August 14th. Note that Friday, July 4th is a university holiday (no office hours), and that is our only holiday for the summer session.
For this course, you will need Math 53 and Math 54. In particular, you should be comfortable with partial differential equation and multivariable/repeated integration. Math 104 will be useful, but is not required. There are some points in the course that require a small amount of analysis (such as with Math 104), but I will do my best to treat them in a way that may be understood without having seen the concepts before. Our first week will also tackle some of these concepts.
Weeks 1-5 will focus on the 3 major "basic" PDEs and methods surrounding them. These weeks are foundational to the understanding of PDEs, as these big 3 equations represent prototypes for many other PDEs. Weeks 6,7 and 8 will focus on developing some more nuanced ideas about function spaces and how they can apply to give the celebrated maximum principles for these three equations.
We will use David Borthwick's Introduction to Partial Differential Equations (2016, Springer DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48936-0) available from the UCB Library Proxy. Homework problems will be taken from the text.
Other useful texts include Walter Strauss' Partial Differential Equations: An Introduction (1992, Wiley ISBN: 978-0-470-05456-7). An advanced student (who has taken a course or two in analysis) may also find interesting L.C. Evans' Partial Differential Equations, which lines up with Math 222A and 222B as taught in the 2024-2025 school year.
The final grade for the course will be divided as follows: 40% homework, 30% midterm, 30% final exam.
There will be weekly homework assignments. Excluding the first week, and the week of the exams, this amounts to 5 assignments over our 8 weeks. The lowest homework score will be dropped. These assignments will be due Thursdays at 11:59 PM on Gradescope. You may (and are encouraged to) collaborate with other students on assignments. However, you should note your collaborators on each assignment you work with them and any work presented should be in your own words as a solution you understand fully. AI may not be used to solve problems, and may only be used for formatting or typesetting.
No late work will be accepted. If you have approved accomodations pertaining to deadlines, please reach out to me as soon as possible.
There will be one midterm exam on Monday, July 14th and a final exam on Thursday, August 14th. The final will be cumulative, but will focus on material from the second half of the course. The exams will be during our normal class time in our normal class location. If you have time or reduced distraction accomodations, you need to schedule proctoring with the DSP center. Please reach out to me as soon as possible
Attendance is not mandatory, but highly encouraged.
You are a member of an academic community at one of the world’s leading research universities. Universities like Berkeley create knowledge that has a lasting impact in the world of ideas and on the lives of others; such knowledge can come from an undergraduate paper as well as the lab of an internationally known professor. One of the most important values of an academic community is the balance between the free flow of ideas and the respect for the intellectual property of others. Researchers don't use one another's research without permission; scholars and students always use proper citations in papers; professors may not circulate or publish student papers without the writer's permission; and students may not circulate or post materials (handouts, exams, syllabi--any class materials) from their classes without the written permission of the instructor.
Any test, paper or report submitted by you and that bears your name is presumed to be your own original work that has not previously been submitted for credit in another course unless you obtain prior written approval to do so from your instructor. In all of your assignments, including your homework or drafts of papers, you may use words or ideas written by other individuals in publications, web sites, or other sources, but only with proper attribution. If you are not clear about the expectations for completing an assignment or taking a test or examination, be sure to seek clarification from your instructor or GSI beforehand. Finally, you should keep in mind that as a member of the campus community, you are expected to demonstrate integrity in all of your academic endeavors and will be evaluated on your own merits. The consequences of cheating and academic dishonesty—including a formal discipline file, possible loss of future internship, scholarship, or employment opportunities, and denial of admission to graduate school—are simply not worth it.
Anyone caught cheating on a quiz or exam will receive a failing grade and will also be reported to the University Office of Student Conduct. In order to guarantee that you are not suspected of cheating, please keep your eyes on your own materials and do not converse with others during the quizzes and exams.
Collaboration is allowed on homework assignments as noted above, with collaborators noted on the assignment. However, copying answers directly will not be tolerated.
If you need disability-related accommodations in this class, if you have emergency medical information you wish to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please inform me as soon as possible.
The purpose of academic accommodations is to ensure that all students have a fair chance at academic success. If you have Letters of Accommodations from the Disabled Students’ Program or another authorized office, please share them with me as soon as possible, and we will work out the necessary arrangements. While individual circumstances can vary, requests for accommodations often fall into the categories listed on the Academic Calendar and Accommodations website. The campus has well-developed processes in place for students to request accommodations, and you are encouraged to contact the relevant campus offices listed on the Academic Accommodations Hub. These offices, some of which are confidential, can offer support, answer questions about your eligibility and rights, and request accommodations on your behalf, while maintaining your privacy.