CSCI 1210A: Introduction to Computing for Engineers and Scientists, SPRING 2016

Section AMW 12:45--2:00 (Goodwyn 205),   Course ID (CRN #):  2690

 

INSTRUCTOR

Yi Wang, Ph.D., Professor
Auburn University Montgomery

Department of Mathematics

School of Sciences

Room 310R, Goodwyn Hall

Email:  ywang2@aum.edu

Homepage: http://sciences-srv.aum.edu/~ywang

Phone: 334.244.3318

Office Hours: MW:2:10pm--3:10pm, or by appointment.

TA: MS. Nomula Palguna Priya

           

 PREREQUISITES: MATH 1150 grade C or higher (Precalculus and trigonometry)

 

TEXT: Moore, Holly. 2015. Matlab for Engineers, 4th ed. . Prentice Hall. ISBN-10: 0133485978 • ISBN-13: 9780133485974.

  

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Computer programming in a high-level language, with emphasis on the use of the computer as a tool for engineering or science.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1. Given a software requirements specification and a software design, the student will successfully translate that design into source code using MATLAB and run the program

2. Given source code written in MATLAB, the student will correctly answer questions about the source code's purpose and about the syntax, semantics, and run-time results of the code.

Topics Covered: (specify number of meetings/hours on each)

1. Computers and computing fundamentals (1 hour)

2. MATLAB program structure, 5 programming steps, and commenting code (4 hours)

3. MATLAB environment (1 hour)

4. The basics of MATLAB - variables, arithmetic operations, math functions, and input/output (6 hours)

5. Functions (2 hours )

6. Beginning decision making and loops (5 hours)

7. Vectors and matrices (3 hours)

8. Reading and writing to files (3 hours)

9. Cell and Structures arrays (3 hours)

10. Exams (75-minute midterm exam and 150-minute final)                         

Total: 31.75 hours


Laboratory Projects (Total 15 weeks):

Note: Skills introduced in an assignment are repeated in subsequent assignments. 

 1.      MATLAB environment, command window and diary file (1.5 weeks)

2.      Interactive I/O and computation (1 week)

3.      Input validation and selection (1 week)

4.      Sequence and decision (1 week)

5.      More repetition, selection, and output formatting (1 week)

6.      Debugging Techniques ( 0.5 week)

7.      Data file I/O (1 week)

8.      User defined functions (1.5 weeks)

9.      Vectors (1 week)

10.   Parallel arrays (vectors), columnar output with header and summary footer (1 week)

11.   Spreadsheet input and matrices (1 week)

12.   Spreadsheet I/O and plotting (1.5 weeks)

13.   Cells (1 week)

14.   Structures (1 week)

 

Oral and Written Communications:

Students are taught how to document source code.  This includes file preface blocks, function preface blocks, and inline comments.

Social and Ethical Issues:

None.

Theoretical Content:

Students are introduced to the software engineering principles of abstraction, stepwise refinement, and reuse

Problem Analysis and Solution Design:

Students are introduced software development

 This course will use Blackboard http://bb9.aum.edu. Syllabus, Class announcements, homework assignments, weekly schedule and updated grades will be posted on Blackboard. On-line quizzes within BlackBoard may be offered. Students are required to register this course in their BlackBoard accounts. It is the students’ responsibility to check the information posted on BlackBoard . I will also post from time to time some studying resources such as old exams on BlackBoard .

 

HOMEWORK/QUIZZES/WORKSHEETS:  It is imperative that you do the homework. If you have trouble with the assigned problems (or any others in your book) then see me ASAP. Please work as many problems as you can (even beyond the assigned list if possible). The bottom line is that if you want to learn some programming, the only way to do this is by “getting your hands dirty” working problems.  The collected Homework/Quizzes/worksheets will be averaged for part of your final grade. Sometimes in-class Quiz will be given without notice in advance. The submission time for homework will be announced in-class.

EXAMS: There will one in-class mid-term test and one final.   Being absent from the Final Exam results in a grade of FA. You must prove to the instructor’s satisfaction that your absence was unavoidable, in order to take a makeup Final Exam.

 

GRADES: Here is a breakdown of the points of Homework/quizzes/worksheets/tests/final:

                                        Programming Assignments…500

                                        Midterm Test………..........…200

                                        Final………........................…300

                                        Total points:                            1000
          

To pass this course at least 300 points (60% credit)   is required out of the programming assignments.            

 If you get the following percentage and at least 300 points out of the programming assignments you will receive

                                                        >=90…….................…A

                                                        >=80 and <90………..B

                                                        >=70 and <80………..C

                                                        >=60 and <70………..D

                                                        <60................................F   

Grades in the course will reflect students’ demonstrated attainment of course objectives. I reserve the right to adjust these ranges downward or make appropriate scaling if necessary due to excessive difficulty of assignments or tests. Borderline cases  will be considered according to the attendance, grades of all  mid-exams and grade of the final by the sole discretion of the instructor.   

 

STUDYING RESOURCES:

  • There are 30 class meetings (each of 100 minutes) , plus the final exam period .

  • FREE TUTORING HELP: Students can go to the Learning Center, 325 Moore Hall, 244-3470, for free tutoring help for this course by appointment.   Additional tutoring services are available in the Instructional Support Lab, 203 Goodwyn Hall, 244-3265.                                                      

SOME IMPORTANT POLICIES IN THIS CLASS: 

  1. ATTENDANCE is critical for this class. I will take attendance at every class.   However no grades will be given toward attendance. You must be present to take all exams.    Leaving the class earlier without the permission of the instructor is considered as an absence. The attendance record may be used as one of the factors to determine borderline grades. 

  2.  
  3. There is absolutely no make-up for the homework/quizzes/worksheets. Late work passing the given deadline is not accepted. Missing test/exam: No make-up test/exam is allowed. A missing test/exam receives a grade of zero. No exam will be given earlier than the scheduled time. 

  4. A reasonable excuse commonly  refers to an institutional excuse, a doctor-signed excuse, or an excuse signed by some authorized people. 

  5. Exceptions only are made at the sole decision of the instructor. 

          I do NOT give any extra credits whatsoever.  Every student in the class are evaluated by the above  grading policy.

HOW TO SUCCEED THIS COURSE?

In addition to my effort, your efforts are indispensable. 

(1) Except extreme cases, attending class only is far less sufficient to succeed (pass? ) the course. Let alone occasionally attending class.

 

I would suggest you to write down your objective grade for this course, and commit your effort to this milestone of your life goal. Again, I wish you succeed.

My objective grade for this course is                         . I will commit         hours for each lecture hour to study the course materials. 

 

GUIDELINES OF HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR FINAL GRADE:

  1. All raw scores are converted to percentage to participate in calculating and comparison. The maximum percentage is 100% for any given assignment or exam.
  2. A quiz in this syllabus refers to an in-class quiz, an attendance-taken, a collected homework, or a collected worksheet.
  3. A missed quiz is scored as 0 for that quiz.   Finally, the average percentage of all the quizzes are calculated for the points of the quiz part. 

APPEALS: After final course grades have been submitted, you may appeal your final grade. As a first step, you would make a written appeal to the instructor of the course.

CLASS ATTENDANCE AND ENVIRONMENT: Perfect or near-perfect class attendance is important for students to gain and demonstrate competency in course concepts and skills. Students are expected to accept responsibility for class attendance and to complete in-class work assignments and examinations as scheduled by the instructor.

            Please be courteous to your fellow students and the instructor at all times. For example, do not converse with other students, read the newspaper, or sleep during the lecture. Do not pack up earlier than scheduled dismissing time.

Cell phones have to be set to silent (or preferably be turned off). If you have to answer a cell phone call during class, please quietly leave the classroom and move to a location where your conversation does not disrupt any class in progress.

Children should not be brought to class, except in emergency circumstances and only with the permission of the instructor.

Food, drinks, or gum should not be brought into the classroom.

AUM prohibits smoking in campus buildings. If you smoke, you may only do so outside the buildings.

PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism or cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. You can discuss solutions with classmates, but cannot copy (totally or partially) someone else’s solution or allow someone else to copy your solution.  A warning will be issued to both parties if  two highly similar or identical codes are found at the discretion of the instructor and the grade zero will be assigned to both parties for that project/homework. A second time violation of this rule will be referred to the office and a "F" will be assigned to both parties.

DISCIPLINE AND ACADEMIC HONESTY. The policies of the Student Discipline Code apply. You are advised to familiarize yourself with these policies, which can be found in the current edition of the AUMANAC.  Please, adhere to the standards of academic integrity stated in the AUM Catalog.

SPECIAL SERVICES.
It is the policy of Auburn University Montgomery to accommodate individuals with disabilities pursuant to federal law and the University’s commitment to equal educational opportunities. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor of any necessary accommodations at the beginning of the course. If you qualify for this service, please contact either the AUM’s Center for Disability Services (CDS) located in Library Tower, Room 706 (Phone: 334-244-3632, Fax:334-244-3907, TDD: 344-244-3754) or me for the corresponding referral.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Material presented in this course may be protected by copyright law.    

MATLAB student version (most recent) is available for purchasing at $99 at the mathworks webside: www.mathworks.com. It includes 10 add-ons that are not available in the classroom computer lab. Students are encouraged to purchase their own personal copies.

 

Disclaimer: The right of interpreting  this syllabus exclusively belongs to the instructor.

            

Weekly Schedule for CSCI 1210-Introduction to Computing for Engineers and Scientists: SPRING 2016

Office Hours: MW:02:10pm--03:10pm, or by appointment.
Note: This is only a guide as how the course should proceed. Changes might occur.

Section with an asterisk (*) is optional.

Week 1

1. 1/11: ch1, ch2
2.
1/13:  ch2
  • Homework:  2.21 (D=0:10:180), 2.22(solving 2.19)
    always start your script by clc, clear all; close all; Only use this at the begining of each Homework.
  • always suppress intermediate results and only display the final results by appending a semicolon ; at the end.
    start each problem with a cell mode by
    %% problem # (double percentage sign followed by a space then texts.
    display('problem 12.15');
    at the beginning of each problem or each separated question (if necessary).
    Use the script
    figure('name','problem #') to open a new figure window.
    submission format
    : one single m-script file. The same for each chapter unless otherwise indicated.

Week 2

    1/18:  Jan. 18, 19 Martin Luther King Day & Student Holiday.
3.
1/20:  ch3
  • Homework:  3.9, 3.17, 3.21, Use the script
    figure('name','problem #') to open a new figure window.

Week 3

4. 1/25:  ch3   
5.
1/27:  ch4
  • Homework: 4.8(Use T=100:100:1000 and P=[100:100:1000] and meshgrid, 4.13

Week 4

6. 02/01:  ch5
7. 02/03: ch5 
  • Homework: 5.4, 5.20 (use T=300:50:1000;), 5.21, 5.27, 5.28, 5.30
    Create one figure for each problem by using `subplot' to include several plots into one figure window. Use the script
    figure('name','problem #') to open a new figure window.

Week 5

8. 02/08:   ch6
9.
02/10:  ch6 
  • Homework: 6.8, 6.13, 6.15 (a) Use 0:25:200; (b) (c) use 0:10:100 
    (submission format: either 1) a compressed folder containing one main m-script file and several files of primary functions that may include subfunctions  or 2) use a single file that includes a primary function with no input and output and several subfunctions and once the primary function is called, it outputs all the required results. This format is illustrated in figures 6.13, 6.14 on pages 230-231.)

Week 6
 

10: 02/15:   ch7
11: 02/17:  ch7 
  • Homework:  7.13 (a)(b)(c); 
    7.17(a)(b)use 0:100:400000 for the miles  and annotate x,y axes and title. Choose the pair of Camry and Camry hybrid. (c)(d). Submit one single M-script file.

Week 7

12. 02/22:  ch8
13:
02/24:  ch8  
  • Homework:  8.17 (optional, no credit given, just for fun), 8.14,  8.18 
    Submission format: You may submit one single M-script file or a compressed file containing a M-script file and files of your user-defined functions .

Week 8

14. 02/29:  ch9
15:
03/02:  ch9 
  • Homework: 8.8 ((data file lake_powell.dat or lake_powell.xls. you might need a for loop to have a more elegant program), 9.16. Submission format: one m-script file.

Week 9

16: 03/07: review 
17:
03/09:  Midterm  
March 11:
Mid-semester Grades Due

Week 10

03/14--03/18: Spring break, no classes.

Week 11

18. 03/21:  ch10
19.
03/23:  ch10

  • Homework: 
  • 1)10.6, 10.7(b), 10.12, 10.14, 10.15, 10.18(c)
  • 2)Create a m-function using the definition of matrix multiplication and for loops to compute the product of two matrices. Your function should accept two input matrices, and output the product. Your function should first check if the dimensions of the two matrices match. If not, indicate the dimensions of the matrices do not match and terminate the program. If the dimensions match, output the product. Then write a script to test your function by using two matrices and compare the result to that by using the built-in matrix multiplication operator (*) via taking the difference of the results.
  • 2) compare the run time of your function and the built-in matrix multiplication operator (*) with a matrix of  size anywhere between 10~200 and report the runtimes of each and the ratio of the  runtimes. You may generate the test matrix by using rand(n), randn(n), or some other types of test matrices.  
  • Submission format: one m-script file and one function file.
  • Last day to drop/resign classes: Wed., 03/23

Week 12

20: 03/28:  ch11
21: 03/30:  ch11
       Homework:  11.9, 11.12, 11.17, 11.18, 11.19, 11.20
data file for 11.9:  test_results.mat   
data file for 11.12: thermocouple.dat
submission format: one-m-script file.

Submission format: one m-script file.
 

Week 13

22: 04/04:  ch14
23:
04/06: ch14
  • Homework:  14.5--7 (use pause; every time when you change a property of the plot or figure window for each question),14.11 (use a=0:pi/10:8*pi;). 
  • submit format: one m-script file. Use pause; at the beginning of each problem.

Week 14

24. 04/11:  ch12* 
25.
04/13:  ch12* (12.4*, 12.5*, 12.6*) 
Homework: 12.15, 12,20, 12.24(e), 12.25,12.26, 12.27, 12.28, 12.31,12.34, 12.36
 
 

Week 15

26: 04/18:  ch13
27:
04/20:  ch13 (13.4*, 13.5*, 13.6*)
  • Homework: 13.4, 13.12, 13.16, 13.17 (Omit the comparison with the symbolic integration int) , 13.21, 13.22*(optional)
  • Submission format: one m-script file and one function file.

Week 16

28: 04/25: ch15
29: 04/27  ch15 
  • Homework: follow the book to create the GUI ready_aim_fire as shown in Figure 15.23 page 599.
  • 15.3
  • submission format: submit two m-files, one for each problem.

Week 17

30: 05/02:   ch16*
       Homework:
16.10. submit the .mdl file.
  • Last day of class:  Mon., May 02, 2015 for Monday/Wednesday classes.                            
    Tuesday, May 03  for Tuesday/Thursday classes.
  • Final week begins on Thursday, May 05

Week 18

  • Final week
  • Final Exam time: Monday, May 09, 2015, at 10:45--01:15pm
  • GOOD LUCK ON THE FINAL AND HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!!

Last updated: 01/11/2016