arminstraub.com

Fall 2026: Numerical Analysis (Math 436/565)

Overview

Instructor
Dr. Armin Straub
MSPB 313
straub@southalabama.edu
(251) 460-7262 (please use e-mail whenever possible)
Office hours
MWF 10-11am, 1:30-2:30pm, or by appointment
Lecture
MWF 2:30-3:20pm, in MSPB 235
Midterm exams
The tentative dates for our two midterm exams are:
Monday, September 28
Wednesday, November 11
Final exam
Monday, December 7 — 3:30-5:30pm
Online grades
Syllabus

Lecture sketches and homework

To help you study for this class, I am posting lecture sketches. These are not a substitute for your personal lecture notes or coming to class (for instance, lots of details and motivation are not included in the sketches). I hope that they are useful to you for revisiting the material and for preparing for exams.

Date Sketch Homework
08/19 lecture01.pdf Homework Set 1: Problems 1-3 (due 8/31)
08/21 lecture02.pdf Homework Set 1: Problems 4-5 (due 8/31)
08/24 lecture03.pdf Homework Set 1: Problems 6-8 (due 8/31)
08/26 lecture04.pdf Homework Set 2: Problem 1 (due 9/9)
08/28 lecture05.pdf Homework Set 2: Problems 2-5 (due 9/9)
08/31 lecture06.pdf Homework Set 2: Problems 6-7 (due 9/9)
09/02 lecture07.pdf Homework Set 3: Problems 1-2 (due 9/13)
09/04 lecture08.pdf Homework Set 3: Problems 3-6 (due 9/13)
lectures-all.pdf (all lecture sketches in one big file)
Overview of all homework problems

About the homework

  • Homework problems are posted after most classes. Homework is submitted online, and you have an unlimited number of attempts. Only the best score is used for your grade.

    Most problems have a random component (which allows you to continue practicing throughout the semester without putting your scores at risk).

  • Aim to complete the problems well before the posted due date.

    A 15% penalty applies if homework is submitted late.

  • Collect a bonus point for each mathematical typo you find in the lecture notes (that is not yet fixed online), or by reporting mistakes in the homework. Each bonus point is worth 1% towards a midterm exam.

    The homework system is written by myself in the hope that you find it beneficial. Please help make it as useful as possible by letting me know about any issues!

Python

If you just want to run a handful quick computations (without saving your work), you can use the text box below. However, keep in mind that the code entered in this box is run as a Python script. That means that we need to use print(...) if we want to see any output.

One convenient option for interactively running Python code in the cloud is Colab by Google Research. You can sign in with any Google account (since Google is managing university email, you can use your university account). Perform your first computation by entering something like "1+2" and pressing Shift+Enter.