Associate Professor of Mathematics
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

If interested in the following course, see Prof. Finn in G212 or email david.finn@rose-hulman.edu

MA 490 Tensor Calculus 2 credits
Prerequisites: Instructor Permission
Students should have had MA330 and MA371 to get the most benefit from the course.
Course Description
This special topics course is an introduction to Tensor Calculus and related structures such as differential forms. Tensors are the extension of matrices to specify mappings from Rn x Rn x ... x Rn to R. Such mappings form the basis of many physical laws such as Einstein's theory of General Relativity, Continuum Mechanics (elasticity and plasticity), Electrodynamics, some Hydrodyamics. Mathematically, tensors are used throughout modern applied mathematics and pure mathematics when studying dynamical systems (differential equations), modern differential geometry, and differential topology (the structure of manifolds and the shape of spaces).

Tensor Field Visualization from
University of California - Davis
Visualization and Graphics Research Group
Course Covers
  1. Spaces and Tensors
  2. Riemannian Spaces
  3. Curvature in Spaces
  4. Applications
  5. Other Topics - Derived from Student Interests

Grade: Determined by Homework plus Attendance and Participation