MATH 3C
Ordinary Differential Equations with Linear Algebra for Life Sciences Students
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: course 3B with grade of C- or better. Multivariable modeling, matrices and vectors, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, linear and nonlinear systems of differential equations, probabilistic applications of integration. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
She is very difficult, and her midterms are very hard. You have to memorize proofs and definitions as well as know how to apply the concepts learned. There is never any time to finish the midterm, but since the midterms are so hard, the curve is very low (around 60%). Also, if you decide to take Barbaro, make sure you get Josh as your TA. He's great! Overall, I don't think her teaching is terrible. I think she's better than Oberlin, and she's very nice.
She is very difficult, and her midterms are very hard. You have to memorize proofs and definitions as well as know how to apply the concepts learned. There is never any time to finish the midterm, but since the midterms are so hard, the curve is very low (around 60%). Also, if you decide to take Barbaro, make sure you get Josh as your TA. He's great! Overall, I don't think her teaching is terrible. I think she's better than Oberlin, and she's very nice.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2019 - Honestly, I was initially worried about this class because I hadn't done anything calculus-related in a year, but you really only need to know basic derivation and integration for this class. March's lectures are very organized and he posts a concise summary of each lecture on CCLE after class. He is also very clear about his expectations, which I really, really appreciated. For every quiz and exam, he will give you an outline of exactly what each question will be about and how many points it will be worth so you know exactly what to study. There are no surprises and the tests are all very fair, so as long as you do the work you should be able to succeed in this class. It is 10% homework, 20% quizzes, 20% first midterm, 20% second midterm, and 30% final. Overall, I had a very enjoyable experience in this class and I would 100% take it again. Also, if Ben ever TAs for this class again ENROLL IN HIS SECTION. He is so, so helpful.
Fall 2019 - Honestly, I was initially worried about this class because I hadn't done anything calculus-related in a year, but you really only need to know basic derivation and integration for this class. March's lectures are very organized and he posts a concise summary of each lecture on CCLE after class. He is also very clear about his expectations, which I really, really appreciated. For every quiz and exam, he will give you an outline of exactly what each question will be about and how many points it will be worth so you know exactly what to study. There are no surprises and the tests are all very fair, so as long as you do the work you should be able to succeed in this class. It is 10% homework, 20% quizzes, 20% first midterm, 20% second midterm, and 30% final. Overall, I had a very enjoyable experience in this class and I would 100% take it again. Also, if Ben ever TAs for this class again ENROLL IN HIS SECTION. He is so, so helpful.
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Most Helpful Review
I thought Professor Caputo was a good teacher overall. He really is knowledgeable--it's just that the subject is not that easy to grasp at first. I'm not sure if he's still continuing to teach at UCLA or if he's going back to Italy but if he does teach 3C again, I would definitely recommend him. The key to Caputo's style of teaching is to do the homework problems and not overthink the concepts. Probability is all logic but the concepts that try to explain it are sometimes confusing. His tests were not hard at all; the only reason you wouldn't do so well is because of overthinking. He and the TAs really are generous with partial credit and the final exam was not bad at all. Caputo doesn't give you more than you can take; my other friends in Professor Weisbart's class covered stuff we didn't even talk about. If you really do the homework problems on time and keep on practicing (homework is collected and graded but doesn't count towards the final grade), then you should be fine. Definitely take Caputo if he is still teaching.
I thought Professor Caputo was a good teacher overall. He really is knowledgeable--it's just that the subject is not that easy to grasp at first. I'm not sure if he's still continuing to teach at UCLA or if he's going back to Italy but if he does teach 3C again, I would definitely recommend him. The key to Caputo's style of teaching is to do the homework problems and not overthink the concepts. Probability is all logic but the concepts that try to explain it are sometimes confusing. His tests were not hard at all; the only reason you wouldn't do so well is because of overthinking. He and the TAs really are generous with partial credit and the final exam was not bad at all. Caputo doesn't give you more than you can take; my other friends in Professor Weisbart's class covered stuff we didn't even talk about. If you really do the homework problems on time and keep on practicing (homework is collected and graded but doesn't count towards the final grade), then you should be fine. Definitely take Caputo if he is still teaching.
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2016 - Professor Cucuringu is a very nice guy, but his teaching is not very good. He gives the driest and least engaging lectures ever, and it is often very hard to read his writing. My class consisted of homework, 2 midterms, 3 quizzes and a final. Although his lack of teaching skills makes the class tough, he still makes it nearly impossible to not pass. He drops 2 homework assignments, one midterm, and one quiz. He also curves the tests, on my first midterm it was changed from 60 points to 52. He also gives any overall grade greater than 50% a C.
Spring 2016 - Professor Cucuringu is a very nice guy, but his teaching is not very good. He gives the driest and least engaging lectures ever, and it is often very hard to read his writing. My class consisted of homework, 2 midterms, 3 quizzes and a final. Although his lack of teaching skills makes the class tough, he still makes it nearly impossible to not pass. He drops 2 homework assignments, one midterm, and one quiz. He also curves the tests, on my first midterm it was changed from 60 points to 52. He also gives any overall grade greater than 50% a C.
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Most Helpful Review
I liked him a lot, his lectures go a bit slow, but thats good because you don't feel overwhelmed. he always includes an example with every new topic that is easy to understand. If you really understand the topics, the midterms are easy. Just make sure you read the question right, sometimes the wording can be confusing. Enderton is really smart and such a nice guy, and you should use voh if you have any questions, he always answers within a day. He actually works out the problem you ask about himself, because the textbook answers are wrong a lot, which is nice because he puts in time to make sure students know what answer is right and wrong. If you want a class that isn't too stressful and you do end up learning useful stuff, take him!
I liked him a lot, his lectures go a bit slow, but thats good because you don't feel overwhelmed. he always includes an example with every new topic that is easy to understand. If you really understand the topics, the midterms are easy. Just make sure you read the question right, sometimes the wording can be confusing. Enderton is really smart and such a nice guy, and you should use voh if you have any questions, he always answers within a day. He actually works out the problem you ask about himself, because the textbook answers are wrong a lot, which is nice because he puts in time to make sure students know what answer is right and wrong. If you want a class that isn't too stressful and you do end up learning useful stuff, take him!
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