This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Undergraduate Handbook 2010-2011 (archived)
Module GEOL1061: MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN GEOSCIENCES
Department: Earth Sciences
GEOL1061: MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN GEOSCIENCES
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tied | 1 | 20 | Available in 2010/2011 | None. | Durham |
Tied To
- CFG0: Natural Sciences
- F600: Geology
- F630: Environmental Geosciences
- F641: Earth Sciences
- F642: Geoscience
- F662: Geophysics with Geology
Pre-requisites
- NOT available to students who have passed Mathematics AS level at grade B or above, or who have a comparable qualification in Mathematics.
Corequisites
- None.
Excluded Combinations
- NOT available to students who have passed Mathematics AS level at grade B or above, or who have a comparable qualification in Mathematics.
Aims
- To ensure that students on degree programmes in geosciences have an adequate background in mathematics and can apply their mathematical knowledge to the solution of problems in geosciences.
Content
- Manipulation and solution of algebraic equations that relate geological variables.
- Applications of trigonometry to geological problems.
- Vectors.
- Sketching graphs of simple functions.
- Differentiation and integration of elementary functions of a single variable with geological applications.
- Plotting data.
- Basic statistical concepts: sampling, variance, random and systematic errors, best-fit straight lines.
- Estimation of errors in functions of one or more variables.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- Students should be able to tackle applications of mathematics in the geosciences involving algebra, trigonometry, basic differential and integral calculus, plotting data, sampling and estimation of errors.
Subject-specific Skills
Key Skills
- Solve numerical problems using computer or non-computer techniques.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- The module is delivered through a mix of lectures and tutorials.
- The tutorials are allocated to dealing with students' difficulties in tackling the problems.
- Summative assessment is 85% based on a 3-hour written examination and 15% based on continual assessment.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 40 | 2 per week | 1 Hour | 40 | Yes |
| Tutorials | 21 | Weekly | 1 Hour | 21 | Yes |
| Preparation and Reading | 139 | ||||
| Total | 200 |
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | 60% | Unseen written examination | 2 hours | 100% | |
| Continual Assessment | 40% | Class Tests | 1 hour each | 100% |
Formative Assessment
Weekly problem sheets. Collections not required.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.