This course is about computing and about programming in Fortran. This being the case, this course will be graded solely on the basis of homework assignments and possibly occasional quizzes covering the theoretical aspects of scientific computing. There will be no final exam.
I have selected:
· J. Ortega, Introduction to FORTRAN 90 for Scientific Computing, Saunders College Publishing, 1994
as our textbook. This is a classic. While there are a number of places where I tend to somewhat disagree with its content; and some other places here I tend to believe that it is getting a bit outdated in its approach; I do believe that this is a very good textbook overall (and much better than any other textbook involving Fortran 95 and intro to scientific computing). This book is not likely to be available from the OSU bookstore(s). The problem is that it has been promised to be reprinted already a few times and it still is not being reprinted. You should get it from the online bookstores and you better act fast.
As indicated above we may (but rather may not) have a few quizzes covering the theoretical aspects of the course.
Do not take or peak at any quizzes unless you are ready to take them! Once you “peak into” a quiz, you have to take it.
While I do not expect this to be the case this semester, a fair warning is in place. You may encounter two kinds of quizzes, each involving different kinds of questions (requiring different preparation) and different kinds of requirements:
Before you take the quizzes you must read and understand the introduction contained in About the Quizzes)
You should look at the Calendar (accessible from the Home Page) to see the exact deadlines.
Your final grade will depend on: the quizzes (QuizGrade) and homework (programming and essay/report) assignments. Once more, there is no final exam.
The formula for the final grade will be:
5% * Quiz Grade + 95% * Homework Grade