Skip to main content
Module Search
A street in Durham, with old buildings and people walking down the street
 

GEOL1081: Further Mathematics for Geoscientists

Please ensure you check the module availability box for each module outline, as not all modules will run in each academic year. Each module description relates to the year indicated in the module availability box, and this may change from year to year, due to, for example: changing staff expertise, disciplinary developments, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Current modules are subject to change in light of the ongoing disruption caused by Covid-19.

Type Tied
Level 1
Credits 20
Availability Available in 2023/24
Module Cap
Location Durham
Department Earth Sciences

Prerequisites

  • Mathematics A level at grade B or above, or a comparable qualification in Mathematics.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • NOT available to students who are taking any Level 1 module in Mathematics.

Aims

  • To ensure that Level 1 students on degree programmes in Earth Sciences, and especially Geophysics, have an adequate background in mathematics and can apply their mathematical knowledge to the solution of problems in geosciences.

Content

  • Differential and integral calculus;
  • Linear differential equations of first and second order;
  • Elementary partial differential equations;
  • Vector products;
  • Line, surface and volume integrals;
  • Spherical polar coordinates;
  • Taylor's series and Maclaurin's series;
  • Fourier series;
  • Matrices.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Students should acquire ability in the basic mathematical techniques required for to tackle applications of mathematics taught on degree programmes in Earth Sciences at Levels 2 and 3.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • These applications involve differention and integration, solution of differential equations, manipulation of vectors, transformation between Cartesian and spherical polar coordinates, solution of simultaneous equations, and spectral analysis.

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 lectures .
  • Summative assessment is 100% based on a 2-hour written examination.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures/labs201 per week3 hour60Yes
Preparation and Reading140 
Total200 
 

Summative Assessment

Component: ExaminationComponent Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Unseen written examination2 hours100 

Formative Assessment

Class tests.

More information

If you have a question about Durham's modular degree programmes, please visit our FAQ webpages, Help page or our glossary of terms. If you have a question about modular programmes that is not covered by the FAQ, or a query about the on-line Undergraduate Module Handbook, please contact us.

Prospective Students: If you have a query about a specific module or degree programme, please Ask Us.

Current Students: Please contact your department.