At the May 19th meeting of the full faculty of the college, final approval was granted for a change in the math major and minor. A new Discrete Dynamical Systems course, MCS-357, will replace MCS-353 in all roles within the major and minor. The new course will be offered in fall of even years, starting with fall of 2006. Preliminary planning is underway for adding another new applied math elective for the fall of odd years, starting in fall of 2007. The catalog description for MCS-357 follows:
A study of discrete dynamical systems and their applications. Discrete dynamical systems in one and two variables will be studied. Topics will include stability of fixed and periodic points, bifurcation theory, topological and symbolic dynamics, chaos, and fractals. Applications in biology, physics, and other disciplines will be discussed to motivate the mathematical concepts presented.