This course in ordinary differential equations builds on the knowledge acquired in the previous core courses and provides a very important way of solving problems that arise from mathematical modelling.

By the end of the second year, students have a good understanding of calculus and they understand derivatives and integrals as products of limiting processes. A differential equation is an equation which involves a function and its derivatives. In deterministic mathematical modelling, we are often led to either a single or system of equations, where the function of interest may depend on single or multiple variables and the derivatives may be ordinary or partial. In this course, we study ordinary differential equations (ODE), specifically linear ODE’s. We restrict ourselves to the study of first and second order linear ODE’s through graphical, analytical techniques and numerical methods. All these methods complement each other and help the students get the big picture.