Linear Algebra

[Hacp]

3rd day and I'm already lost... I feel like dropping the class already even though I won't. Why does this subject even exist!

 

[Barfo]

This class is not necessary for your Liberal Arts degree, why did you take it?

 

[SunnyD]

I'd happily trade you my discrete class for your linear algebra class.

Too bad I took it some 8 years ago.

 

[Cogman]

Originally posted by: SunnyD
I'd happily trade you my discrete class for your linear algebra class.

Too bad I took it some 8 years ago.

discrete math, oh the joy! I still haven't taken linear algebra, but discrete math wasn't THAT bad (And the RSA stuff that we did was pretty fun IMO)

 

[Gibson486]

I hated that class.

 

[PottedMeat]

Linear Algebra is 10x more fun when your professor sounds like he just got off the plane from Sweden and was told 'you're teaching linear algebra' by the math dept. He knew how to read english, speak a little, and how to copy the example problems out of the book onto the chalk board.

I learned more about Linear Algebra from my EE classes. I should have taken Discrete Math.

 

[TruePaige]

Achtung! Darn math scaring people.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: PottedMeat
Linear Algebra is 10x more fun when your professor sounds like he just got off the plane from Sweden and was told 'you're teaching linear algebra' by the math dept. He knew how to read english, speak a little, and how to copy the example problems out of the book onto the chalk board.

I learned more about Linear Algebra from my EE classes. I should have taken Discrete Math.

Discrete sucked also....

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: Barfo


This class is not necessary for your Liberal Arts degree, why did you take it?

probably saw the algebra part...lots of people are fooled by this.

 

[Leros]

linear algebra was the easiest class I've taken in college.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: Leros
linear algebra was the easiest class I've taken in college.

you wanna cookie?

 

[her209]

LOL... try some Number Theory.

 

[PottedMeat]

Originally posted by: Gibson486

Originally posted by: PottedMeat
Linear Algebra is 10x more fun when your professor sounds like he just got off the plane from Sweden and was told 'you're teaching linear algebra' by the math dept. He knew how to read english, speak a little, and how to copy the example problems out of the book onto the chalk board.

I learned more about Linear Algebra from my EE classes. I should have taken Discrete Math.

Discrete sucked also....

At least it would be something new. And whoever was teaching that was guaranteed to be more competent. Somehow I made it out of there with a B.

 

[alevasseur14]

I LOVED linear algebra. It was the one math subject I actually got and enjoyed. I dove off the deep end with calculus though!

 

[her209]

Originally posted by: alevasseur14
I LOVED linear algebra. It was the one math subject I actually got and enjoyed. I dove off the deep end with calculus though!

Are you serious? Calculus was fun!

 

[Daishiki]

Eigenwhat?

 

[DrPizza]

Someone asked for a course description for linear algebra in a thread a couple weeks ago. I'll see if I can find it. It was amazing how many people agreed with the course description.

 

[Possessed Freak]

For whatever reason I loved linear algebra. Discrete mathematics was alright too. Multi-variable calculus can suck it though!

 

[WraithETC]

derive me an orthogonal baisis for these vectors now bitch nowwww!!!!!

 

[DrPizza]

Found it.

It's a course that during the first week, you'll say to yourself "this is fucking easy!! I'm going to ace this course!"

The following week, you'll be saying "eigen-what?"

And, thess quotes might be particularly important in the thread:

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
It depends on what level you take it....

Undergrad: Easy. Mostly calculation and a few theorems you have to know. Very application-oriented
Graduate: Kill yourself. It starts out easy, but then you get into vector spaces, dual spaces, orthonormal matrices, linear functionals, eigenvectors/eigenvalues, decomposition methods, and all other sorts of stuff that will make you want to take a flying leap instead of proving from first principles.

In light of this:

Originally posted by: Leros
linear algebra was the easiest class I've taken in college.

If linear algebra was the easiest class he's ever taken in college, then he must have gone to the same Mickey Mouse go really slow, not cover much material college that Moving Target went to. The rest of us took "Kill yourself. It starts out easy, but then you get into vector spaces,..."

I majored in applied mathematics. 4.0 in my major. There's no way in hell that I'd claim linear algebra was the easiest class I've ever taken. Discrete was probably the easiest math class I ever took, followed by Calc II. Or maybe reverse that order. Abstract algebra was the hardest course I took, but that's only because I skipped 3 days in a row as a sort of experiment. I don't know how I got an A in that course. The 2nd time I went through the book from the beginning (after graduating), it all made sense.

 

[acheron]

I didn't take to linear algebra very well.

Really discrete was the only college-level math class I did well at. Given that I started at what our school called "Calc 3", which was mostly series, parametric curves, etc. I took that, Calc 4 (which was mostly multivariable things), statistics, discrete math, and linear algebra.

I rocked high school AP calculus though. (which was I got to start at Calc 3 when I went to college.)

 

[BoomerD]

That's all in the category of "fuzzy math" to me...I'm fine with numbers and "basic math," but as soon as you start putting letters and squiggly lines in it...it may as well be some abstact Chinese dialect spoken by only 3 people in the world...and I ain't one of them.

 

[Stuxnet]

I really enjoyed Linear Algebra, but when I took it, I had been doing some 3D programming and had already had multivariable calculus. From that perspective, I found LA to be quite useful. I'm teaching an introductory Operations Research course right now, and LA is VERY helpful (critical, actually) there, as well.

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Kill yourself. It starts out easy, but then you get into vector spaces,..."

What was hard about vector spaces was how abstract the concept was. Despite sound like something tangible, it really isn't. I thought the hardest part was orthonormalization... just way too much crap to keep track of. Systems could get out of control pretty quickly.

The hardest course I took was actually a probability course. I did great in statistics, but intricate probabilities eluded me. Hated it. Mustered an A- by the skin of my teeth. Not sure how.

 

[Arcadio]

Linear Algebra was pretty bad for me... I really wasn't into it. Discrete Math was the best math class I took in college. Actually, the astronomy class with Michio Kaku was incredibly interesting. That was probably the best class I took.