MATH 134
Linear and Nonlinear Systems of Differential Equations
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: course 33B. Dynamical systems analysis of nonlinear systems of differential equations. One- and two- dimensional flows. Fixed points, limit cycles, and stability analysis. Bifurcations and normal forms. Elementary geometrical and topological results. Applications to problems in biology, chemistry, physics, and other fields. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
3 of 5
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Spring 2020 - I wanna start out saying I took this class during the COVID-19 Pandemic so this may not be reflective of the actual course in class. With that said, I found the material of Math 134 interesting but did not like this course, despite its difficulty. I had a two year break between Math 33B and Math 134 and it was not a problem. Professor Mou is a VERY slow lecturer. We did not finish all the material covered in the Math Department's outline and between the first and second midterm, 4 sections were covered (literally in the same chapter). In general, this was a very easy course and required very little studying. His tests were pretty easy and was very similar to the homework and in some cases EXACTLY the homework. Overall the breakdown for the course was as follows: 50% HW (9 assignments - Lowest two dropped) 12.5% Midterm 1 12.5% Midterm 2 25% Final OR 55% HW (9 assignments - Lowest two dropped) 15% Midterm 1 or Midterm 2 30% Final Overall, he was a really nice professor and genuinely great person. However, his lectures were very hard to follow and I would honestly watch the Cornell equivalent youtube series instead. He pretty much reads the textbook and does not offer too much more information on top of it. His homework assignment were pretty easy and did not take too much time. The midterms and final, like stated above, was pretty easy and fair and he does not reverse curve. He grades things pretty fast too. There was on average a one week return on assessments and homework (the final was graded and returned in 5 days). In terms of Office Hours, he was somewhat helpful but overall, I was still confused by his explanations. Our TA was absolutely amazing (shoutout to Ryan) and knew what he was talking about. During discussion he clearly explained everything and during office hours he was more than happy to help. Overall, I would recommend this class if you want an easy A but it is going to be slow and boring sometimes.
Spring 2020 - I wanna start out saying I took this class during the COVID-19 Pandemic so this may not be reflective of the actual course in class. With that said, I found the material of Math 134 interesting but did not like this course, despite its difficulty. I had a two year break between Math 33B and Math 134 and it was not a problem. Professor Mou is a VERY slow lecturer. We did not finish all the material covered in the Math Department's outline and between the first and second midterm, 4 sections were covered (literally in the same chapter). In general, this was a very easy course and required very little studying. His tests were pretty easy and was very similar to the homework and in some cases EXACTLY the homework. Overall the breakdown for the course was as follows: 50% HW (9 assignments - Lowest two dropped) 12.5% Midterm 1 12.5% Midterm 2 25% Final OR 55% HW (9 assignments - Lowest two dropped) 15% Midterm 1 or Midterm 2 30% Final Overall, he was a really nice professor and genuinely great person. However, his lectures were very hard to follow and I would honestly watch the Cornell equivalent youtube series instead. He pretty much reads the textbook and does not offer too much more information on top of it. His homework assignment were pretty easy and did not take too much time. The midterms and final, like stated above, was pretty easy and fair and he does not reverse curve. He grades things pretty fast too. There was on average a one week return on assessments and homework (the final was graded and returned in 5 days). In terms of Office Hours, he was somewhat helpful but overall, I was still confused by his explanations. Our TA was absolutely amazing (shoutout to Ryan) and knew what he was talking about. During discussion he clearly explained everything and during office hours he was more than happy to help. Overall, I would recommend this class if you want an easy A but it is going to be slow and boring sometimes.
Most Helpful Review
honestly, the man should not be teaching upper division courses, i am a math major taking my upper divs and he clearly does not know how to teach upper div math courses, he goes straight from the book which is something a 3a, 3b, 3c or 31a, 31b, 32a... professor should do. hes a nice guy though. oh and his teasts are wayyy harder than his homewokr assignments and notes.
honestly, the man should not be teaching upper division courses, i am a math major taking my upper divs and he clearly does not know how to teach upper div math courses, he goes straight from the book which is something a 3a, 3b, 3c or 31a, 31b, 32a... professor should do. hes a nice guy though. oh and his teasts are wayyy harder than his homewokr assignments and notes.
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Most Helpful Review
Summer 2017 - Taking this class with Professor Petersen was a very positive experience. Math 134 is a relatively easy upper division math course due to the fact that qualitative behavior is emphasized instead of pure mathematical rigor. As for Professor Petersen himself, you can already tell how easygoing and casual he is with the way he dresses and with the way he teaches the course. Though he does have a bit of a European accent, his lectures are still very clear and understandable. His weekly homeworks come straight from the book and do not take too long to finish. In fact, the two lowest out of five homework scores are dropped, so it is not too difficult to get the full 20% of the total grade. His exams are definitely on the easier side, and there is plenty of time since there are 5-6 questions for two hours. He gives sufficient study materials, including past/sample exams; plus he gives a review including solutions to practice exams before the exam. Discussions are probably not necessary, as the content is not too difficult and there are plenty of other resources such as office hours and the textbook. All in all, I would recommend Professor Petersen for this class.
Summer 2017 - Taking this class with Professor Petersen was a very positive experience. Math 134 is a relatively easy upper division math course due to the fact that qualitative behavior is emphasized instead of pure mathematical rigor. As for Professor Petersen himself, you can already tell how easygoing and casual he is with the way he dresses and with the way he teaches the course. Though he does have a bit of a European accent, his lectures are still very clear and understandable. His weekly homeworks come straight from the book and do not take too long to finish. In fact, the two lowest out of five homework scores are dropped, so it is not too difficult to get the full 20% of the total grade. His exams are definitely on the easier side, and there is plenty of time since there are 5-6 questions for two hours. He gives sufficient study materials, including past/sample exams; plus he gives a review including solutions to practice exams before the exam. Discussions are probably not necessary, as the content is not too difficult and there are plenty of other resources such as office hours and the textbook. All in all, I would recommend Professor Petersen for this class.
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