Life science students who enjoy math and have taken (or are taking) MA 231 can consider taking MA 331 in the fall. Students should talk to their advisor to determine if this course should be considered.
MA 331 Differential Equations for the Life Sciences 3.
Prerequisites: MA 231 or MA 241
Credit cannot be given for both MA 341 and MA 331.
This course provides students with an understanding of how mathematics and life sciences can stimulate and enrich each other. The course topics include first order differential equations, separable equations, second order systems, vector and matrix systems, eigenvectors/eigenvalues, graphical and qualitative methods. The methods are motivated with examples from the biological sciences (growth models, kinetics and compartmental models, epidemic models, predator-prey, etc). Computational modeling will be carried out using SimBiology, a MATLAB toolbox based graphical user interface, which automates and simplifies the process of modeling biological systems.