Math 664, Seminar in Applied Mathematics

Distance Learning Sections, 700 and 720

Syllabus

The text is "Introduction to Computation and Modeling for Differential Equations" Lennart Edsberg, John Wiley & Sons, 2008

Students will actually solve a number of science and engineering application examples using the general purpose partial differential equation package PDE2D . Students will learn to write the (ordinary or partial) differential equations, with boundary and initial conditions, for certain applications, for example, diffusion or heat conduction, convection, fluid flow, elasticity or quantum mechanics (Schrodinger equation). Since problems will be solved using "black-box" software, students are not primarily learning about numerical methods, though they may learn something, but rather about modeling real-world applications using differential equations.

Some examples showing typical PDE2D user input and graphical output can be viewed at:

example 1 (3D)

example 2 (2D)

example 3 (1D)

Before classes start, you should:

1. Download the PDE2D GUI and Interactive Driver here and install on your local PC. Unzip the big ZIP file in the TOP level (important) of your C: drive, and a subdirectory C:\PDE2D.ITL will be created with everything in it. Look at the file README.DEMO for further information about installation. (Do NOT purchase PDE2D, just download the free GUI/Interactive Driver "trial version".)
2. Download putty and psftp here .
3. If you can't view PostScript files on your PC, you can download GhostView here.

1. Enter a Command Prompt Window on your PC and work through EITHER a PDE2D GUI session ("pde2d_gui name") or an Interactive Driver session ("pde2d name") on your PC ("name"=is user-chosen, of course). After you have finished answering all questions, a Fortran program "name.FOR" should exist in your working directory. You can make corrections and modifications directly to this program using an editor; I use the old DOS editor ("edit name.FOR"), you probably use something more modern.
2. Using "psftp", upload your program "name.FOR" to mpeg.math.tamu.edu. Type "psftp mpeg.math.tamu.edu" from a Command Prompt Window, you will be prompted for your account and password (which you will be given the week before classes start), then "put name.FOR" or "get name.FOR" to move "name.FOR" to or from mpeg.
3. Using "putty", log on to your account on mpeg.math.tamu.edu. Type "putty mpeg.math.tamu.edu" from a Command Prompt Window, you will again be prompted for your account and password. Change the name of your program from "name.FOR" to "name.f" and execute it using the command "runpde2d name". The machine mpeg.math.tamu.edu is running Unix (Linux); if you are not familiar with Unix, a short introduction can be found here. You may want to change your password using "passwd". (Note: You can actually run an Interactive Driver session (but NOT a GUI session) on mpeg ("pde2d name") and create your program there rather than on your PC, if you prefer.)
4. In the unlikely event that the program runs correctly the first time, simply download (using "psftp") the Postscript plotfile "name.ps" and look at it on your PC, using GhostView.
5. If compilation errors are detected in your program, or you don't get results you are happy with (nothing ever works the first time), you need to modify the Fortran program "name.f". I normally edit it there using the Unix editor "vi", but unless you are already familiar with this editor (or another Unix editor installed on mpeg), you definitely don't want to learn "vi", just download your program "name.f" back to your PC and modify it there, then upload it back and try again.

Appendix A (documentation for PDE2D)

Video

Optional Videos

Chapter 5 Video (5.0-5.4)

Chapter 5 Video (5.5-5.11)