MATH 31A
Differential and Integral Calculus
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Preparation: at least three and one half years of high school mathematics (including some coordinate geometry and trigonometry). Requisite: successful completion of Mathematics Diagnostic Test or course 1 with grade of C- or better. Differential calculus and applications; introduction to integration. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Fall 2018 - I would not recommend Hempel for 31A, especially for anyone who did not take AP Calculus in high school. The class has two midterms and a cumulative final. The first midterm had errors in two questions, one of which made the problem unsolvable. She kind of adjusted our grades, but her main solution was saying that we could have corrected the problem by changing one of the numbers and solved it like that (which almost no one did because of how the problem was written). The second midterm did not have any errors but was also quite difficult. The final was far easier than the midterms. I got an A on the final but the midterms brought me down to a B+. This was after having taken IB Math SL which my teacher taught the same as AP Calc. Hempel does allow cheat sheets on all the tests for equations you need to know. In lecture, she would often start out concepts by showing the proofs, which took time away from learning how to do example problems. To me, the proofs were irrelevant for this math class because there were no proofs on the exams, and the lack of example problems make it much harder to do the homework and understand the material. Homework is assigned, but you don't have to turn it in. I highly recommend doing the homework and also additional practice problems. If you're a total math whiz, this class will probably be easy for you, but it may be challenging even for people who thought they were great at calculus in high school. I would really avoid this professor if you have no background in calculus.
Fall 2018 - I would not recommend Hempel for 31A, especially for anyone who did not take AP Calculus in high school. The class has two midterms and a cumulative final. The first midterm had errors in two questions, one of which made the problem unsolvable. She kind of adjusted our grades, but her main solution was saying that we could have corrected the problem by changing one of the numbers and solved it like that (which almost no one did because of how the problem was written). The second midterm did not have any errors but was also quite difficult. The final was far easier than the midterms. I got an A on the final but the midterms brought me down to a B+. This was after having taken IB Math SL which my teacher taught the same as AP Calc. Hempel does allow cheat sheets on all the tests for equations you need to know. In lecture, she would often start out concepts by showing the proofs, which took time away from learning how to do example problems. To me, the proofs were irrelevant for this math class because there were no proofs on the exams, and the lack of example problems make it much harder to do the homework and understand the material. Homework is assigned, but you don't have to turn it in. I highly recommend doing the homework and also additional practice problems. If you're a total math whiz, this class will probably be easy for you, but it may be challenging even for people who thought they were great at calculus in high school. I would really avoid this professor if you have no background in calculus.
Most Helpful Review
Houdayer knows what he's talking about, but he's the only one: his English is unintelligible, embarrassingly so in office hours. If you listen really closely to everything he says, you can pick it up, but in the process you don't pick up the actual mathematical concepts being discussed. It's really easy to zone out in lecture because you don't hear words, only some sort of babbling. He seems concerned about student learning but he doesn't appear to be a teacher by trade.
Houdayer knows what he's talking about, but he's the only one: his English is unintelligible, embarrassingly so in office hours. If you listen really closely to everything he says, you can pick it up, but in the process you don't pick up the actual mathematical concepts being discussed. It's really easy to zone out in lecture because you don't hear words, only some sort of babbling. He seems concerned about student learning but he doesn't appear to be a teacher by trade.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2019 - I love Dr. Hsu, but here class is unreasonably difficult. I genuinely enjoyed going to her class, even though I dislike math and it was an 8 AM class. She is really nice, sweet, and helpful. Sometimes, she's funny too. The homework is harder than the class, but that helps me learn. The only problem with this class is the fact that the tests are really hard and she doesn't curve. Our first midterm had an 82 average, which was great. But the final and midterm 2 were around 72%, I don't remember exactly, and she didn't curve the tests. The final was by far the hardest test I've ever taken, and without the curve I went from having a B+ in the class before the final to a C+. If you really want to learn take Dr. Hsu, if math isn't your strong suit and you just care about the grade take an easier professor.
Fall 2019 - I love Dr. Hsu, but here class is unreasonably difficult. I genuinely enjoyed going to her class, even though I dislike math and it was an 8 AM class. She is really nice, sweet, and helpful. Sometimes, she's funny too. The homework is harder than the class, but that helps me learn. The only problem with this class is the fact that the tests are really hard and she doesn't curve. Our first midterm had an 82 average, which was great. But the final and midterm 2 were around 72%, I don't remember exactly, and she didn't curve the tests. The final was by far the hardest test I've ever taken, and without the curve I went from having a B+ in the class before the final to a C+. If you really want to learn take Dr. Hsu, if math isn't your strong suit and you just care about the grade take an easier professor.
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Winter 2024 - If Jukka needed a kidney, I would sacrifice mine for him. If you took calc AB in high school this class should be doable. The homework is an absolute pain in the ass. He gives 30-50 homework problems a week and although they are graded on completion, I've gotten points off because I bs the answers a little to much. The syllabus says "a decent attempt needs to be made on the homework for full points" Grading scheme is 35% final, best 2 of 3, 20% midterm1/ 20% midterm2/ 20% homework, 5% participation and 20% discussion quizzes (lowest 2 are dropped), so you can still get 100% in the class if you didn't do any homework or if you got 0% on a midterm. The midterms are very fair and super similar to the practice midterm he gives, so its in your best interest to do them. He gives you all the materials you need to do well on the midterm and final (list of homework questions) but its literally so much I didn't bother looking at them and just focused on the practice midterm instead. Weekly quizzes should be free points because you have 72 hours to think about your answers if you have your discussion on Tuesday since the answers aren't due until Thursday, so make sure you have your discussion on Tuesday. As a lecturer, Jukka is not the best since he is naturally good at math (his undergrad is from Princeton and Masters is from Cambridge) and has a philosophy background. He explains things in a very theoretical way which is not the most useful for basic calc. You're going to have to watch organic chemistry tutor to brush up on some topics even if you took it in high school. Also he gave us a chance to get back full points on our lowest scoring problem on midterm1, but only because the average was low (68%). Jukka won't fail you, but the class is not a free A. Just make sure you study well in advance for the midterm and final and go to the review sessions.
Winter 2024 - If Jukka needed a kidney, I would sacrifice mine for him. If you took calc AB in high school this class should be doable. The homework is an absolute pain in the ass. He gives 30-50 homework problems a week and although they are graded on completion, I've gotten points off because I bs the answers a little to much. The syllabus says "a decent attempt needs to be made on the homework for full points" Grading scheme is 35% final, best 2 of 3, 20% midterm1/ 20% midterm2/ 20% homework, 5% participation and 20% discussion quizzes (lowest 2 are dropped), so you can still get 100% in the class if you didn't do any homework or if you got 0% on a midterm. The midterms are very fair and super similar to the practice midterm he gives, so its in your best interest to do them. He gives you all the materials you need to do well on the midterm and final (list of homework questions) but its literally so much I didn't bother looking at them and just focused on the practice midterm instead. Weekly quizzes should be free points because you have 72 hours to think about your answers if you have your discussion on Tuesday since the answers aren't due until Thursday, so make sure you have your discussion on Tuesday. As a lecturer, Jukka is not the best since he is naturally good at math (his undergrad is from Princeton and Masters is from Cambridge) and has a philosophy background. He explains things in a very theoretical way which is not the most useful for basic calc. You're going to have to watch organic chemistry tutor to brush up on some topics even if you took it in high school. Also he gave us a chance to get back full points on our lowest scoring problem on midterm1, but only because the average was low (68%). Jukka won't fail you, but the class is not a free A. Just make sure you study well in advance for the midterm and final and go to the review sessions.
Most Helpful Review
Summer 2021 - Harris is so nice. Always willing to help, emails back quickly, has plenty of time to meet, cares about his students. He is really good at breaking things down into simpler terms. He would often write out general steps for solving problems which I found really helpful. I did take calculus in high school, but I definitely think even if you had never seen calc before, you would be able to do well with Harris as your prof. I would 100% take a class with Harris again!!
Summer 2021 - Harris is so nice. Always willing to help, emails back quickly, has plenty of time to meet, cares about his students. He is really good at breaking things down into simpler terms. He would often write out general steps for solving problems which I found really helpful. I did take calculus in high school, but I definitely think even if you had never seen calc before, you would be able to do well with Harris as your prof. I would 100% take a class with Harris again!!
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