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ChE 2410
Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering
Fall 2014
Course Syllabus


Instructor Information

Instructor: Judith C. Yang
Office: 208 BEH
Office Phone: 412-624-8613
Email: judyyang@pitt.edu
Office Hours: By appointment only

Class Times and Information

Lecture: Tuesday 4:30-7:00 pm 309 Benedum Hall
Course Website: http://courseweb.pitt.edu

Course Purpose and Goals

Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering is an applied mathematics course
designed for first year graduate students in chemical and bio- engineering as well as other
engineering disciplines in which the analysis of chemical, materials, or biochemical
processes is of interest. As an applied mathematic course for engineers the emphasis will
be on the standard trinity of applied mathematics:

Modeling: Translating a physical process and its associated data into a mathematical form,
also known as a mathematical model (a differential equation, a system of equations, etc).
In ChE 2410, often this will be done using simple mass and thermal energy balances on
control volumes.

Solving: Selecting, developing, and applying suitable mathematical methods and
techniques to obtain a solution. A major focus of the course will be on learning to solve
(integrate) ordinary and partial differential equations, along with systems of coupled
equations.

Interpreting: Using the solution to learn something about the physical process.

The material in the course will focus on making students more familiar and comfortable
with thinking mathematically and with recognizing the need for applying mathematical
methods to engineering processes. The course will not focus on formal proofs for many of
the mathematical concepts introduced. Most of the concepts will be taught in the context of
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specific physical processes that will be investigated and worked out as example problems
in the course.

Specific Course Learning Modules

1. First Order Ordinary Differential Equations.
Separable equations; linear equations; exact differentials; integrating factors; substitutions
2. Higher Order Ordinary Differential Equations.
Linear equations; reduction of order; homogeneous equations with constant coefficients;
undetermined coefficients; variation of parameters
3. Series Solutions of Linear Differential Equations.
Ordinary and singular points; power series solutions; Frobenius method; Bessels equation
and functions; Legendre equation and functions
4. Orthogonal Functions and Fourier Series.
Orthogonal functions; Fourier Series; Sturm-Liouville problem; Bessel and Legendre Series.
5. Solutions of Partial Differential Equations.
Classification of PDEs; similarity transforms; separation of variables; Helmholtz equation
6. Systems of Linear Differential Equations.
Vectors and vector spaces; matrix algebra; properties of a matrix; inverse of a matrix;
eigenvalues and eigenvectors; homogeneous linear systems; stability
7. Numerical and Approximate Solutions of Differential Equations.
Finite differences; Euler method; Runge-Kutta; method of residuals; perturbation techniques

Prerequisites

Undergraduate course in ordinary differential equations and linear algebra.


Required and Supplemental Reading

Required Text:

Advanced Engineering Mathematics, 5
th
Edition. D.G. Zill and W.S. Wright. Jones
and Bartlett.

Supplemental Texts:

Advanced Engineering Mathematics, 8
th
Edition. Erwin Kreyszig. John Wiley and
Sons, 1999

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Course Requirements and Grading Scheme

The lecture material will cover most but not all of what you will be required to learn. You
will be responsible for learning all the material covered in lecture, plus some material not
covered in lecture but specifically identified in class or from the homework assignments.

Your evaluation in the course will be based on the following:

Homework: Homework problems will be posted on the web typically on Wednesday and
must be completed and returned in class on Tuesdays of the following week. Homeworks
are not collaborative. Students are expected to work on the problems individually.
Consulting of other students is allowed (How did you begin to approach problem xx?) but
copying parts of another students solution is not (I couldnt get problem xx can I see
yours?)

Homework Grading: Each homework will carry equal weight. However depending on the
problem set individual homework may have different total grade point. All homework will be
normalized at the end of the semester and weighed similarly for evaluating total homework
grade.

Exams will be in-class and will be open book and open notes. There will be a mid-term
exam covering material in the first half of the course and a final exam covering material in
the second half of the course.

Your grade will be determined based on the following distribution:

Homework 20%
Midterm Exam 40%
Final Exam 40%


Course Policies
Missed exams can be made up in cases of extreme circumstances, e.g., illness requiring
medical care, death in family, or travel related to University or work activities (for part-time
students). Requests for make-up exams must consist of 1) an email explaining the reason
for missing the exam, and 2) relevant corroborating documentation (e.g., a doctors note).
If you know you will miss an exam, arrangements must be made at least one week in
advance of the exam. If the missed exam is unanticipated, the email requesting a make-up
exam must be sent within the one-day period after the scheduled exam day.

If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are
encouraged to contact both Dr. Yang and Disability Resources and Services, 140 William
Pitt Union, 412-648-7890 or 412-383-7355 (TTY) as early as possible in the term. DRS
will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.
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Tentative Course Schedule and Outline


Title Contents
1 First Order Ordinary Differential
Equations (ODEs)
Separable equations; linear equations; exact
differentials; integrating factors; substitutions

2 Higher Order Ordinary
Differential Equations
Linear equations; reduction of order;
homogeneous equations with constant
coefficients; undetermined coefficients; variation
of parameters

3 Series Solutions of Linear
Differential Equations
Ordinary and singular points; power series
solutions; Frobenius method; Bessels equation
and functions; Legendre equation and functions

4 Orthogonal Functions and
Fourier Series
Orthogonal functions; Fourier Series; Sturm-
Liouville problem; Bessel and Legendre Series

5 Solution Techniques for Partial
Differential Equations
Classification of PDEs; similarity transforms;
separation of variables; Helmholtz equation

6 Systems of Differential
Equations
Vectors and vector spaces; matrix algebra;
properties of a matrix; inverse of a matrix;
eigenvalues and eigenvectors; homogeneous
linear systems; stability

7 Numerical and Approximate
Solutions to Differential
Equations
Finite differences; Euler method; Runga-Kutta;
method of residuals; perturbation techniques



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Tentative Exam and Other Dates:

Midterm Exam: November 11 (Tuesday)
Final Exam: December 2 (Tuesday)

September 1 (Monday): No class: Labor Day
September 5 (Friday): Last day to drop class without tuition charge.
October 13 (Monday): No class: Fall break
October 14 (Tuesday): Mondays class held (Tuesday class will not meet this week)
November 26 (Wednesday): No class: Thanksgiving holiday (Tuesday class will be
cancelled)