Dr. Tsorng-Whay Pan's Math 4364

Math4364: Intro. to Numerical Analysis in Scientific Computing (Spring, 2026)
Section No.: 12558

Instructor: Dr. Tsorng-Whay Pan

Office: 683 PGH
Phone: (713) 743-3448
Office hours: MW : 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
e-mail: pan@math.uh.edu

TA Office hours: Tuesday: 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. at MUSL.

Prerequisite:
- Math 3321 (Engineering Math) or Math 3331 (Differential Equations).
- Ability to do computer assignments in one of the following programming languages: Matlab, FORTRAN, C, Pascal,
  or Mathematica; or consent of instructor. Preferred one is Matlab.
- Student who does not have the prerequisite should drop this course.
Time: MW: 4PM - 5:30PM. (01/20/2026-05/04/2026)
Room: CBB 110
Reference book: R.L. Burden, J.D. Faires, & A.M. Burden, Numerical Analysis, 10th edition, 2016, Cengage Learning (Chapters 1-6, 8.1, 11.3).
Lecture Notes: Lecture notes are posted on SharePoint.
Slides: slides are posted on SharePoint.
Course Homepage: http://www.math.uh.edu/~pan/Math4364-2026-Spring.html

Grading policy

Homework: Homework problems will be posted on Canvas . Your TA will grade some problems (not all) of each HW assignment.
Lower total score of HW assignments hurts your course letter grade.
You must turn in your homework assignments to the instructor at CBB 110.
Projects: There will be three projects. The due dates are

Project 1: due on Wednesday, 3/9/2026. (It is available now.)
Project 2: due on Wednesday, 4/1/2026. (It is available now.)
Project 3: due on Wednesday, 4/22/2026. (New deadline)

Exams: There will be two exams given. Here are the times and dates for two exams:
- Exam I: 4 PM-5:25 PM, Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at CBB 110.
- Exam II: 4 PM-5:25 PM, Monday, May 4, 2026, at CBB 110.
The total of HWs and quizzes is worth 75 points, each project is worth 12.5 points, and each exam is worth 100 points
Two best project socres are counted. The 3rd project having the lowest score will be counted as extra points by rescaling it to a 6-point scale.
Do not miss too many of HW assignments.

The total score = (HWs & Quizzes) + (2 projects) + 2 Midterm Exams = 75 + 25 +200=300.
*** Lower total score of HWs and projects hurts your course grade. ***

Important Notes and Connections

Do not miss too many HW assignments. Lower total score of HW assignments hurts your course letter grade.
Math Help: You also can get help from your TA.
Syllabus Changes:
Please note that the instructor may need to make modifications to the course syllabus
. Notice of such changes will be announced as quickly as possible through your email account at CougarNet.UH.EDU.
UH Email: Please check and use your Cougarnet email for communications related to this course.
To access this email, login to your Microsoft 365 account with your Cougarnet credentials.
IMPORTANT Note: Your instructor will communicate with you via email and the best way of communication with your instructor
outside of class times is via email. Your instructor may not reply to chat messages via MS TEAMS.
Mental Health and Wellness Resources
The University of Houston has a number of resources to support students’ mental health and overall wellness, including CoogsCARE and the UH Go App . UH Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers 24/7 mental health support for all students, addressing various concerns like stress, college adjustment and sadness. CAPS provides individual and couples counseling, group therapy, workshops and connections to other support services on and off- campus. For assistance visit uh.edu/caps, call 713-743-5454, or visit a Let’s Talk location in-person or virtually. Let’s Talk are daily, informal confidential consultations with CAPS therapists where no appointment or paperwork is needed.

The Student Health Center offers a Psychiatry Clinic for enrolled UH students. Call 713-743-5149 during clinic hours, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. to schedule an appointment.

The A.D. Bruce Religion Center offers spiritual support and a variety of programs centered on well-being. Need Support Now? If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call CAPS crisis support 24/7 at 713-743-5454, or the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, or chat 988lifeline.org.
Academic Honesty Policy
High ethical standards are critical to the integrity of any institution, and bear directly on the ultimate value of conferred degrees.
All UH community members are expected to contribute to an atmosphere of the highest possible ethical standards. Maintaining such an
atmosphere requires that any instances of academic dishonesty be recognized and addressed. The UH Academic Honesty Policy is designed to
handle those instances with fairness to all parties involved: the students, the instructors, and the University itself. All students and
faculty of the University of Houston are responsible for being familiar with this policy.
Title IX/Sexual Misconduct
Per the UHS Sexual Misconduct Policy, your instructor is a “responsible employee” for reporting purposes under Title IX regulations
and state law and must report incidents of sexual misconduct (sexual harassment, non-consensual sexual contact, sexual assault,
sexual exploitation, sexual intimidation, intimate partner violence, or stalking) about which they become aware to the Title IX office.
Please know there are places on campus where you can make a report in confidence. You can find more information about resources on the
Title IX website at https://uh.edu/equal-opportunity/title-ix-sexual-misconduct/resources/.
Reasonable Academic Adjustments/Auxiliary Aids:
The University of Houston complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990,
pertaining to the provision of reasonable academic adjustments/auxiliary aids for disabled students. In accordance with Section 504 and
ADA guidelines, UH strives to provide reasonable academic adjustments/auxiliary aids to students who request and require them. If you
believe that you have a disability requiring an academic adjustments/auxiliary aid, please contact the Justin Dart Jr. Student Accessibility
Center (formerly the Justin Dart, Jr. Center for Students with DisABILITIES).
Excused Absence Policy:
Regular class attendance, participation, and engagement in coursework are important contributors to student success. Absences
may be excused as provided in the University of Houston Undergraduate Excused Absence Policy for reasons including: medical
illness of student or close relative, death of a close family member, legal or government proceeding that a student is obligated
to attend, recognized professional and educational activities where the student is presenting, and University-sponsored activity
or athletic competition. Under these policies, students with excused absences will be provided with an opportunity to make up any quiz,
exam or other work that contributes to the course grade or a satisfactory alternative. Please read the full policy for details regarding
reasons for excused absences, the approval process, and extended absences. Additional policies address absences related to
military service, religious holy days, pregnancy and related conditions, and disability.
Recording of Class:
Students may not record all or part of class, livestream all or part of class, or make/distribute screen captures, without advanced
written consent of the instructor. If you have or think you may have a disability such that you need to record class-related activities,
please contact the Justin Dart, Jr. Student Accessibility Center. If you have an accommodation to record class-related activities,
those recordings may not be shared with any other student, whether in this course or not, or with any other person or on any other
platform. Classes may be recorded by the instructor. Students may use instructor’s recordings for their own studying and notetaking.
Instructor’s recordings are not authorized to be shared with anyone without the prior written approval of the instructor. Failure
to comply with requirements regarding recordings will result in a disciplinary referral to the Dean of Students Office and may result
in disciplinary action.
Resources for Online Learning
The University of Houston is committed to student success, and provides information to optimize the online learning experience through
our Power-On website. Please visit this website for a comprehensive set of resources, tools, and tips including: obtaining access to the
internet, AccessUH, and Canvas; requesting a laptop through the Laptop Loaner Program; using your smartphone as a webcam; and downloading
Microsoft Office 365 at no cost. For questions or assistance contact UHOnline@uh.edu.
Webcams
Access to a webcam is required for students participating remotely in this course. Webcams must be turned on (state when webcams are
required to be on and the academic basis for requiring them to be on). (Example: Webcams must be turned on during exams to ensure the
academic integrity of exam administration.) -->
Security Escorts and Cougar Ride
UHPD continually works with the University community to make the campus a safe place to learn, work, and live. Our Security escort
service is designed for the community members who have safety concerns and would like to have a Security Officer walk with them,
for their safety, as they make their way across campus. Based on availability either a UHPD Security Officer or Police Officer will
escort students, faculty, and staff to locations beginning and ending on campus. If you feel that you need a Security Officer to walk
with you for your safety please call 713-743-3333. Arrangements may be made for special needs. Parking and Transportation Services also offers a late-night, on-demand shuttle service called Cougar Ride that provides rides to
and from all on-campus shuttle stops, as well as the MD Anderson Library, Cougar Village/Moody Towers and the UH Technology Bridge.
Rides can be requested through the UH Go app. Days and hours of operation can be found at https://uh.edu/af-university-services/parking/cougar-ride/.

Syllabus

Chapter 1: Review
Chapter 2: Solutions of Equations in One Variable
- 2.1: Bisection method
- 2.2: Fixed-point iteration method
- 2.3: Newton's method
- 2.4: Order of convergence and modified Newton's method
Project 1 is due on March 9, 2026. Go to Canvas to download it.
Chapter 6: Direct Methods for Solving Linear Systems
- 6.1. Linear systems: Gaussian elimination
- 6.2. Pivoting strategies
- 6.3. Matrix factorization
- 6.4. Crout factorization
- 6.5. Applications: curve fitting
March 11, Wednesday: Exam 1 will be given from 4 PM to 5:25 PM at CBB 110. (Bring calculators and your ID.)
Exam 1 covers Ch 2, Ch 6, and finite digit arithmetic introduced in Ch. 1.
Chapter 3: Interpolation and polynomial approximation
- 3.1. Interpolation and the Lagrange Polynomial
- 3.4. Cubic spline interpolation
Chapter 4: Numerical differentiation and integration
- 4.1. Numerical Differentiation
- 4.3. Numerical Integration
Project 2: due on April 1, 2026. Go to Canvas to download it.
Chapter 5:
- 5.1: The elementary theory of initial-valued problems
- 5.2: Euler's method
- 5.3: High-order Taylor methods
- 5.4: Runge-Kutta methods
- 5.5: Stiff Differential Equations
- 5.6: A finite difference method for two-point boundary value problems
May 4, Monday: Exam 2 will be given from 4 PM to 5:25 PM at CBB 110. (Bring calculators and your ID.)
Exam II covers Chapters 3, 4 and 5.

Department of Mathematics, 651 PGH, Houston, Texas 77204-3008 - Voice: 713-743-3500 - Fax: 713-743-3505

University of Houston

Department of Mathematics

Grading policy

Important Notes and Connections

Syllabus