MATH 115A
Linear Algebra
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours. Requisite: course 33A. Techniques of proof, abstract vector spaces, linear transformations, and matrices; determinants; inner product spaces; eigenvector theory. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2021 - Professor Gonzalez was not necessarily a mean professor but her class had a bad pacing. Math 115A is commonly one of the first courses where students are exposed to proofs. Thus, it makes sense that the course design should be challenging, but fair, so that students can confidently develop the skills required to tackle upper division mathematics. This class failed to do that. It felt like the class was blatantly a weeder course. The average on the first midterm was a 32% for reference. The final was the most difficult exam I have ever taken. I was quite disappointed that this class seemed to just haphazardly dump a bunch of information on the students rather than meaningfully introduce them to sophisticated mathematics. I would recommend avoiding this teacher.
Fall 2021 - Professor Gonzalez was not necessarily a mean professor but her class had a bad pacing. Math 115A is commonly one of the first courses where students are exposed to proofs. Thus, it makes sense that the course design should be challenging, but fair, so that students can confidently develop the skills required to tackle upper division mathematics. This class failed to do that. It felt like the class was blatantly a weeder course. The average on the first midterm was a 32% for reference. The final was the most difficult exam I have ever taken. I was quite disappointed that this class seemed to just haphazardly dump a bunch of information on the students rather than meaningfully introduce them to sophisticated mathematics. I would recommend avoiding this teacher.
Most Helpful Review
Prof. Scheaffer is a wonderful lecturer. He is clear, concise, asks the class if we have questions, and is even comedic at times (very rare for a math professor :P). The homework assignments were challenging, and were graded for correctness and it was hard to get 100%. The two midterms and the final exam were fair, with averages in the low 80s. He told us exactly which proofs and theorems we did and did not need to know, and even repeated some homework questions on the exams. He holds regular office hours, which I found helpful. Still, 115A is a difficult class, and I cannot imagine how miserable I would have been if I had taken it with anyone else. He did not curve the class this quarter, and you do need the textbook (not necessarily the UCLA edition though). Good luck!
Prof. Scheaffer is a wonderful lecturer. He is clear, concise, asks the class if we have questions, and is even comedic at times (very rare for a math professor :P). The homework assignments were challenging, and were graded for correctness and it was hard to get 100%. The two midterms and the final exam were fair, with averages in the low 80s. He told us exactly which proofs and theorems we did and did not need to know, and even repeated some homework questions on the exams. He holds regular office hours, which I found helpful. Still, 115A is a difficult class, and I cannot imagine how miserable I would have been if I had taken it with anyone else. He did not curve the class this quarter, and you do need the textbook (not necessarily the UCLA edition though). Good luck!
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