Courses Preparation Numerical Methods Course

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To prepare for a numerical methods course while having a background in mathematics and programming, focus on familiarizing yourself with MATLAB syntax, as it will be essential for the programming aspects of the course. Key mathematical topics to review include estimation of error, numeric integration, data fitting, and solving ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and partial differential equations (PDEs). A solid understanding of Taylor Series will aid in error estimation, while knowledge of matrices and Gaussian elimination techniques will be beneficial for solving equations. Additionally, brushing up on linear algebra and basic probability concepts will enhance your grasp of the course material. Utilizing MATLAB resources, such as textbooks that include practical examples, can further aid in your preparation.
Max.Planck
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Hi,

Next year I will be a numerical methods course as part of my Mathematics minor (CS major).
I want to prepare for this course in the summer. How can I best prepare for this class considering I have never used Matlab before?
 
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Have you ever programmed before?
 
Angry Citizen said:
Have you ever programmed before?
A lot. I also do a lot of algorithmic challenges such as ICPC, TopCoder, CodeJam etc.
 
Then all you need to do is brush up on MATLAB's syntax, at least for the programming aspect. As for the math, well, I suppose it depends greatly on the topics being discussed.
 
Angry Citizen said:
Then all you need to do is brush up on MATLAB's syntax, at least for the programming aspect. As for the math, well, I suppose it depends greatly on the topics being discussed.

Topics discussed are the following:
- Estimation of error
- Numeric Integration
- Data fitting
- Numerically solving ODE
- Boundry Value problems
- PDE
- Solving equations

Note: I have done Calc I&II and Linear Algebra.
 
Estimation of Error: Brush up on Taylor Series.
Solving equations: Brush up on matrices. Gaussian elimination techniques are useful to know here.

'fraid I can't comment on the rest, I'm in the midst of my own numerical methods course.
 
Well, in addition to what Angry Citizen said, since the course covers solutions to ODEs and PDEs you may want to brush up on the theory of those topics. Some linear algebra and maybe a little bit of basic probability will help too.

You can get a Matlab book and start going through it yourself if you want to (I can't recommend any, sorry).
 
I have the book: "Linear Algebra and its applications" by Lay. It contains some examples in Matlab I think, will that suffice?
 

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