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Jack Baskin School of EngineeringUC Santa Cruz

CMPS 80B - Systems and Simulation - Fall 2007

General Class Information

 
  • Instructor: Professor Robert Levinson, [levinson AT soe.ucsc.edu], x2087
  • Grader: Foaad Khosmood [foaad AT ucsc.edu] (please use “80B” in subject line)
  • Lectures: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12-1:45PM, Social Science I, room 161
  • Formal Labs: (You must register for one and attend it weekly)
    • Monday 9:30-11:30am Baskin Engineering 109
    • Wednesday 6-8pm Baskin Engineering 109
    • Friday 2-4pm Baskin Engineering 109
  • Office Hours: Wed. 4-6PM, after class, or by appt. Engineering II-255
  • Newsgroup: ucsc.class.cmp80b
  • [Syllabus] [WebCT] [Material] [Labs]
  • [Calendar: includes reading and assignment due dates.]
  • [WebCT: use for class discussions and lecture notes]

Class Material

(FST)

 

(MTE)

 

(STB)

 

 Required Reading:
  • Functions, Statistics, and Trigonometry by Sharon L. Senk, Steven S. Viktora, Zalman Usiskin, and Nils P. Ahbel et al. Publisher: Scott Foresman & Co; 2nd edition (January 1998) ISBN: 0673459268 Note: THIS BOOK IS ON MATHEMATICS and MODELING. We will cover chapters 1-7, and 10 (Call it "FST")
  • Modeling the Environment: An Introduction to System Dynamic Modeling of Environmental Systems, Andrew Ford, Island Press, 1999. ISBN 1-55963-601-7  (Call it “MTE”)
  • Lab exercises. Lab 1 handed out in class, the rest are from the MTE book.
  • Modeling and Simulation using Stella [PDF], Chapter 2 and Appendix C of MTE also contain introductions to Stella.

Optional but Recommended Reading (key excerpts provided):

  • Systems Thinking Basics: From Concepts to Causal Loops, Virginia Anderson and Laura Johnson, Pegasus Publishing 1997. ISBN 1-883823-12-9 (call it "STB")
  • Logistic Map and Mandelbrot Set from Wolfram MathWorld

Totally Optional Reading:

  • Explorations in Scientific Thinking: A Systems Theoretic Approach, Robert Levinson, A R Goodwin, (2 chapter draft in progress). Download the 2 chapters from here: [PDF]

Online Tools:


 

 

Evaluation and Performance:


Responsibility % of grade number of items
Written Homeworks 25 4
Lab Reports 35 5
Quizzes 20 4, 30 minutes each
Final 20 1, 180 minutes

Guaranteed grade levels: (these levels may be lowered and definitely will not be raised)
90.0% A-
82.5% B-
75.0% C-
65.0% D

Class Policies:

  • Homework (not labs or exams) may be done with 1-3 other students in the class. If done in a group, the collaborators should be listed on the same paper when the assignment is turned in.
  • It is fine and encouraged to discuss homework problems with other students – BUT CHEATING or ACADEMIC DISHONESTY on any course item (such as direct verbatim copying from a member outside your group or during an exam) will result in not passing the course and other undesirable consequences. What you turn in must reflect you or your group’s own understanding in you or your group’s own words.
  • Homework is due as announced. Except for medical excuses , homework is late if it is not in the reader's hands by the time he/she grades the assignment. The grading schedule will not be changed to accommodate late submissions. Late homework receives 15% off for each school day (M-F) it is late.
  • There will be no makeup examinations and no incompletes for the course.
  • No work may be turned in after Dec. 10, 3PM. No exceptions.
  • 100% work will be considered that level at which only 5% of students have done equal to or better than. Thus, it is possible to score more than 100% on any graded item.
  • All labs, quizzes, homework will be weighted EQUAL - regardless of the length. However, your weakest quiz, lab and homework will be ignored!!!
  • A score of at least 50% work on EACH of the four basic course components, homework, labs, quizzes and final is required for being considered for passing the course.

 

Lab Assignments


Lab 1: Handed out in class: introduction to Stella and modeling. (due Thursday Oct. 11)
Lab 2: Chapter 6: Exercises 1-6. (due Thursday Oct. 25th)
Lab 3: Chapter 10: Exercises 3-5, Chapter 11: 1-3. (due Thursday, Nov. 8)
Lab 4: Chapter 17: Exercises 1-8. (due Tuesday Nov. 27)
Lab 5: Chapter 18: 1-9. (due Monday Dec. 10, 3PM)

For each lab report, please answer these three questions in paragraph form.

1. What is the most useful or interesting thing you learned about STELLA from this lab? Explain.
2. What is the most useful or interesting thing you learned about mathematics or systems or science from this lab? Explain.
3. Please write an original word problem similar to one of the lab exercises, except with an original scenario in your own language and discuss the solution.

Basic Stella Manual
 

Calendar

Lecture Reading Homework Labs Quizzes and Exams
I. INTRODUCTION TO SYSTEMS THINKING
and DYNAMIC MODELING
 

Thurs. September 27

 Read: Chapter 1 in MTE.
Read: Pages 9 and 38 from STB (in handout)
Read: Chapter 1 in FST
 		 W1: pp.59-60 exercises 10-18 in FST and Appendix A, problems 1-5 in MTE (thus 14 exercises in all)
 		    
Tues. October 2     SCHEDULED LABS BEGIN on Monday October 1!!  
Thurs. October 4   W1 is due.(solutions)    
II. GENERAL MODELING METHODS and CLASSICAL MODELS


Tues. October 9		 Read: MTE Chapters 2-4
Read: STB Section 4 (pages 51-64 in handout)
Read: Chapters 2-3 in FST		 W2: pg 94-95 14-16,
pg 117 9-13,
pg 126 12,
pg 140 13 in FST and
Chapter 2, 1-7 in MTE.
(thus 17 exercises in all)		    
Thurs. October 11      Lab 1 is due.(key) Quiz 1.
Tues. October 16        
Thurs. October 18   W2 is due.    
III. FURTHER MODEL VARIATIONS


Tues. October 23
 		 Read: MTE Chapters 5-7
Read: Appendix D from STB
Read: Chapters 4-5 in FST		 W3: pg 290-291 exercises 9-13,
pg 338-339 exercises 23-24,
pg 343 exercises 15-16 in FST and Appendix B, 1-13 odd in MTE.
(thus 16 exercises in all)		    
Thurs. October 25 

 		     Lab 2 is due. (key) Quiz 2.
IV. APPLICATIONS and ADVANCED TOPICS

Tues . October 30		      
Thurs. November 1


 		 Read: FST Chapters 6-7
Read: MTE Chapters 8-10,17,18 		W3 is due.

W4: pg 438-439 exercises 13-19,
pg 455 exercises 8-13.
(thus 13 exercises in all)

    
Tues. November 6
 		        
Thurs. November 8     Lab 3 is due.(key) Quiz 3.
Tues. November 13        
Thurs. November 15        
Tues. November 20        
Thurs. November 22. NO CLASS. Holiday.        
Tues. November 27     Lab 4 is due.  
Thurs. November 29    W4 is due.   Quiz 4.
Tues. December 4        
Thurs. December 6        
Mon. December 10)      Lab5 is due. Final Exam Noon-3PM in Regular Class Room: Soc Sci I 161
The final exam (in class and cumulative) will come from material in the lectures, readings, homework and programming problems, but the large majority come from lecture.