MATH 100
Problem Solving
Description: Lecture, three hours. Requisite: course 31A with grade of C- or better. Problem-solving techniques and mathematical topics useful as preparation for Putnam Examination and similar competitions. Continued fractions, inequalities, modular arithmetic, closed form evaluation of sums and products, problems in geometry, rational functions and polynomials, other nonroutine problems. Participants expected to take Putnam Examination. P/NP grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2019 - Rethink taking this class if you are a newbie to math looking for an exposure to advanced topics, like I did. Although math 31A is the only pre-req for this class, if you want to survive it's best to have taken ALL the lower div math classes and gotten an A in all of them. Since I have done all this but still struggled, I would recommend taking an upper-div or two before as well. Each week we do a different topic in math (number theory, analysis, geometry, combinatorics, etc). I don't like the way that the material was introduced. It was incredibly rushed; all we "learn" are "tricks" to solve particular "problems" in each subject. Mathematics is not about memorizing tricks, it's about understanding what you're being asked and how utilizing different methods/theorems will bring you to the solution. This fundamental aspect is completely disregarded in this class. The nice thing about this class is exams aren't terrible, the practice exams are great preparation as the exams have questions word-for-word from the practice ones. Homework is time consuming but interesting. As a lecturer, Sarkar is the personification of chaos. Not very organized, rushes, sloppy penmanship, and always goes overtime which was annoying. Since it goes so fast, you'd be completely lost if you haven't had a previous exposure to these topics before. Class environment was not conductive to collaboration, diversity, and a growth mindset. Students got quite a negative response when sharing a proposal or idea that was "wrong". I got laughed at a couple times when trying to engage, so eventually I just stopped participating all together. And from this class I got to fully experienced the disappointing lack of diversity in mathematics. As someone of minority in the field in multiple aspects, I will just say without giving details that I did not feel like the environment was inclusive towards people of similar backgrounds to me. So if you have experience with competition math, and had an exposure to most of the topics discussed, you will do well. If you're more like me, I don't want to discourage you from taking the course if you're intent on it, but you are in for a wild ride. I barely escaped with that P.
Fall 2019 - Rethink taking this class if you are a newbie to math looking for an exposure to advanced topics, like I did. Although math 31A is the only pre-req for this class, if you want to survive it's best to have taken ALL the lower div math classes and gotten an A in all of them. Since I have done all this but still struggled, I would recommend taking an upper-div or two before as well. Each week we do a different topic in math (number theory, analysis, geometry, combinatorics, etc). I don't like the way that the material was introduced. It was incredibly rushed; all we "learn" are "tricks" to solve particular "problems" in each subject. Mathematics is not about memorizing tricks, it's about understanding what you're being asked and how utilizing different methods/theorems will bring you to the solution. This fundamental aspect is completely disregarded in this class. The nice thing about this class is exams aren't terrible, the practice exams are great preparation as the exams have questions word-for-word from the practice ones. Homework is time consuming but interesting. As a lecturer, Sarkar is the personification of chaos. Not very organized, rushes, sloppy penmanship, and always goes overtime which was annoying. Since it goes so fast, you'd be completely lost if you haven't had a previous exposure to these topics before. Class environment was not conductive to collaboration, diversity, and a growth mindset. Students got quite a negative response when sharing a proposal or idea that was "wrong". I got laughed at a couple times when trying to engage, so eventually I just stopped participating all together. And from this class I got to fully experienced the disappointing lack of diversity in mathematics. As someone of minority in the field in multiple aspects, I will just say without giving details that I did not feel like the environment was inclusive towards people of similar backgrounds to me. So if you have experience with competition math, and had an exposure to most of the topics discussed, you will do well. If you're more like me, I don't want to discourage you from taking the course if you're intent on it, but you are in for a wild ride. I barely escaped with that P.
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