Course Announcements

Summary

This course will focus on the continuous mathematics used in computer science (and EE) with a particular emphasis on the issues associated with designing, implementing and/or using numerical algorithms to solve equations. An underlying theme concerns the approximation issues associated with using floating-point numbers (as opposed to integers) in numerical algorithms.

Staff

• Instructor
  • Ron Fedkiw (fedkiw@cs.stanford.edu)
  • Office: Gates 207
  • Office hours: After class (10:45AM-11:45AM)
• Course Assistant
  • Jon Tomas Gretarsson (jontg@stanford.edu)
  • Office: Gates 210
  • Office hours: Wednesday, 1:00PM - 2:00PM in Gates 200
• Course Assistant
  • Nipun Kwatra (kwatra@stanford.edu)
  • Office: Gates 206
  • Office hours: Wednesday, 5:30PM - 6:30PM in Gates 200

Please refer all questions about course material and practices to the CAs before contacting Professor Fedkiw. If you have a question for the CAs, please make sure that it isn't answered on this webpage before contacting them. Also, please do not show up outside of scheduled office hours without first making an appointment. When emailing the CAs, make sure to include "CS205" somewhere in the subject of your message.

Meeting Times

• Class: Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30AM-10:45AM in Gates B3
• Discussion: Friday, 10:AM-10:50AM in Gates B01

Useful Texts

• Scientific Computing: An Introductory Survey (2nd edn)
  by Michael T. Heath, McGraw-Hill publishing, New York, 2002 (class textbook) (Amazon Link)
• An Introduction to the Conjugate Gradient Method Without the Agonizing Pain (notes)
  by Jonathan R. Shewchuk, August 1994 (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~jrs/jrspapers.html)

Please note that the textbook is not required. However, it is an excellent resource (it was written by a Stanford graduate) and thus highly recommended.

Class Notes

Discussion Session Notes

Tentative Schedule

Assignments

There will be a problem set assigned each week which will be posted on Thursday at 11:59 PM. The homework is due the following Thursday by 11:59 PM, and solutions will be posted promptly at that time. Homework is considered late if it is not in the box at the time the solutions are posted to the webpage, and late homework will receive no credit, with absolutely no exceptions.

Homework will be graded in coarse, half-point increments between 0 and 2 points. A sample midterm will be assigned in lieu of normal problems the week before each midterm and graded coarsely out of 3 points.

You may collaborate on homework assignments provided each student writes up his or her own solutions and clearly lists the names of all the students in the group.

Submission: Homework must be submitted physically in the bin outside Gates 210. If it is after hours and you cannot get onto the second floor of gates you can use your Student ID to get into the basement. There is a dropoff bin inside the Pup cluster. Please only use the bin in the pup cluster if it is after hours. You can also turn in homework the Thursday they are due in class.

No, we do not have a stapler that you can use. Don't even ask.

Homework is available for pickup in Gates 377 in the filing cabinet.

Examinations

There will be two in-class midterm examinations on October 23 (Class 9) and December 6 (Last Class). Additionally there will be an optional cumulative final on December 14th. If you choose not to take the final, your final exam grade will be determined by averaging your two midterm scores.

Grading