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Syllabus

Instructor
Prof. David Darmofal


Course Objectives

Students successfully completing 16.901 should have:

  1. A conceptual understanding of computational methods commonly used for analysis and design of aerospace systems.

  2. A working knowledge of computational methods including experience implementing them for model problems drawn from aerospace engineering applications.

  3. A basic foundation in theoretical techniques to analyze the behavior of computational methods.
Homework and Project Policy
Five homework assignments and four programming projects will be assigned this semester. The homework assignments will stress the analysis of numerical algorithms while the projects will focus on applying numerical algorithms to aerospace applications. The programming is highly recommended to be done in MATLAB®. The due dates for the homework and projects are as given below. While discussion of the homework and projects is encouraged among students, the work submitted for grading must represent independent work. Significant help from other students should be noted.
Oral Exams
There will be a mid-term and final oral exam. The mid-term oral exam will be held in the week of Lectures 24-26. The final oral exam will be held in the Final Exam Week following Lecture 37.

Assignment Due Dates

ASSIGNMENTS DUE
Homework 1 Lecture 4
Homework 2 Lecture 7
Project 1 Lecture 12
Homework 3 Lecture 15
Homework 4 Lecture 18
Project 2 Lecture 23
Homework 5 Lecture 27
Project 3 Lecture 30
Project 4 Lecture 37


Grading
The subject total grade will be determined as follows:
  • Homework: 20% of the subject total grade with each homework being worth 4%
  • Projects: 40% of the subject total grade with each project being worth 10%.
  • Mid-term Oral Exam: 15% of the subject total grade.
  • Final Oral Exam: 25% of the subject total grade. Note: the final exam will cover all of the subject material.

For the subject letter grade, I adhere to the M.I.T. grading guidelines which give the following description of the letter grades:

A: Exceptionally good performance demonstrating a superior understanding of the subject matter, a foundation of extensive knowledge, and a skillful use of concepts and/or materials.

B: Good performance demonstrating capacity to use the appropriate concepts, a good understanding of the subject matter, and an ability to handle the problems and materials encountered in the subject.

C: Adequate performance demonstrating an adequate understanding of the subject matter, an ability to handle relatively simple problems, and adequate preparation for moving on to more advanced work in the field.

D: Minimally acceptable performance demonstrating at least partial familiarity with the subject matter and some capacity to deal with relatively simple problems, but also demonstrating deficiencies serious enough to make it inadvisable to proceed further in the field without additional work.

In terms of the percent of the subject total grade, letter grades for 16.901 will be determined as follows: A (90-100%), B (80-90%), C (70-80%), D (60-70%), F (0-60%).

Textbooks
Notes will be distributed. Reference texts will be recommended for specific topics as needed.
Office Hours
Office hours will be held in a two-hour block in an electronic classroom or computer lab where MATLAB® is available.


MATLAB® is a trademark of The MathWorks, Inc.