MATH 31B
Integration and Infinite Series
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: course 31A with grade of C- or better. Not open for credit to students with credit for course 3B. Transcendental functions; methods and applications of integration; sequences and series. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2017 - Easy class, confusing lectures. I had to teach myself most of the course material because Professor Tang had a very roundabout, complicated teaching style. (To be fair, it was his first time teaching, and he definitely improved over the course of the quarter.) One thing I did appreciate were the timed in-class examples we did, because I would already have some kind of idea of how to approach problems for the homework we had. We had about four homework assignments the whole quarter, and the midterm and final were both very straightforward and simple.
Fall 2017 - Easy class, confusing lectures. I had to teach myself most of the course material because Professor Tang had a very roundabout, complicated teaching style. (To be fair, it was his first time teaching, and he definitely improved over the course of the quarter.) One thing I did appreciate were the timed in-class examples we did, because I would already have some kind of idea of how to approach problems for the homework we had. We had about four homework assignments the whole quarter, and the midterm and final were both very straightforward and simple.
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Most Helpful Review
He is a fair professor and grader. He does make the occasional mistake during his lectures but he knows what he is talking about. Some other people mentioned that he focuses heavily on memorizing formulas but that's not true. He allowed us to use a note card on the final so that we could focus more on problem solving as opposed to straight memorization. Math 31B is not the most enjoyable class but Professor Taylor definitely makes it better.
He is a fair professor and grader. He does make the occasional mistake during his lectures but he knows what he is talking about. Some other people mentioned that he focuses heavily on memorizing formulas but that's not true. He allowed us to use a note card on the final so that we could focus more on problem solving as opposed to straight memorization. Math 31B is not the most enjoyable class but Professor Taylor definitely makes it better.
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2023 - Professor Tong is by far the worst math professor I have ever had. The content of this class is actually manageable but it felt so difficult because the professor was horrible at explaining concepts and merely read off from the textbook. The only reason I did well was because I had an amazing TA (Eric) who would go the extra mile to help us out. Professor Tong was so bad at explaining concepts even when you asked her questions directly. She also did not give any midterm or final practise papers and we went into these exams not even knowing the format of the paper. Would not recommend this class to anyone unless you're willing to go to the math center almost every day for help or if you're lucky enough to get a good TA.
Spring 2023 - Professor Tong is by far the worst math professor I have ever had. The content of this class is actually manageable but it felt so difficult because the professor was horrible at explaining concepts and merely read off from the textbook. The only reason I did well was because I had an amazing TA (Eric) who would go the extra mile to help us out. Professor Tong was so bad at explaining concepts even when you asked her questions directly. She also did not give any midterm or final practise papers and we went into these exams not even knowing the format of the paper. Would not recommend this class to anyone unless you're willing to go to the math center almost every day for help or if you're lucky enough to get a good TA.
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Winter 2016 - If you are not a mathematics major, taking 31B with Wake is a terrible decision. He teaches the class in an extremely conceptual manner, making it very hard to actually apply what you learn in lecture to the tests and quizzes. Though the curves are generous, the averages are quite low (60% range), practically making it impossible to succeed without one. The lack of graded homework is disappointing, as that usually provides a nice cushion on your grade. In Wake's 31B, there are weekly quizzes in discussion worth 10% of your total grade (each quiz worth 1%). This just adds difficulty, as depending on your TA, you will not receive that nice grade cushion. Wake himself is extremely soft-spoken and somewhat awkward, speaking in a quiet voice that is often difficult to understand. He will ask questions about how to proceed even when we haven't even touched on the material in question, leaving awkward 15 second gaps until some brave soul ventures a guess at the answer he is looking for. Overall, Wake is a nice guy but should stick to teaching higher level math, as us non-Math majors are set up to fail in his class.
Winter 2016 - If you are not a mathematics major, taking 31B with Wake is a terrible decision. He teaches the class in an extremely conceptual manner, making it very hard to actually apply what you learn in lecture to the tests and quizzes. Though the curves are generous, the averages are quite low (60% range), practically making it impossible to succeed without one. The lack of graded homework is disappointing, as that usually provides a nice cushion on your grade. In Wake's 31B, there are weekly quizzes in discussion worth 10% of your total grade (each quiz worth 1%). This just adds difficulty, as depending on your TA, you will not receive that nice grade cushion. Wake himself is extremely soft-spoken and somewhat awkward, speaking in a quiet voice that is often difficult to understand. He will ask questions about how to proceed even when we haven't even touched on the material in question, leaving awkward 15 second gaps until some brave soul ventures a guess at the answer he is looking for. Overall, Wake is a nice guy but should stick to teaching higher level math, as us non-Math majors are set up to fail in his class.
Most Helpful Review
Watson was pretty douchey, but after having taken some other math classes in comparison he was ok. The homework was difficult and often involved concepts not discussed in lecture, but his tests were very fair. Although they definitely were a bit of a time crunch, if you understood the material there was no reason not to do well. I got an 84 on midterm 1, a 90 on midterm 2, and a 92 on the final and got an A overall so his grading was pretty fair.
Watson was pretty douchey, but after having taken some other math classes in comparison he was ok. The homework was difficult and often involved concepts not discussed in lecture, but his tests were very fair. Although they definitely were a bit of a time crunch, if you understood the material there was no reason not to do well. I got an 84 on midterm 1, a 90 on midterm 2, and a 92 on the final and got an A overall so his grading was pretty fair.
Most Helpful Review
David is probably one of the best math professors that will ever be. He teaches very well in class. He emphasizes not remembering formulas, but actually understanding concepts. His tests are straightforward, and he gives you practice exams that are almost identical to the exams you will take. He also doesn't curve down. He truly wants as many students to get As as possible. For our class, it is 20% for each midterm, 20% for quizzes, and 40% for the final. (Or the 100% final option if your score is that good.) Easy first midterm, semi-harder second midterm, and pretty fair final. Plus, there's an extra credit project that can boost your grade even more.
David is probably one of the best math professors that will ever be. He teaches very well in class. He emphasizes not remembering formulas, but actually understanding concepts. His tests are straightforward, and he gives you practice exams that are almost identical to the exams you will take. He also doesn't curve down. He truly wants as many students to get As as possible. For our class, it is 20% for each midterm, 20% for quizzes, and 40% for the final. (Or the 100% final option if your score is that good.) Easy first midterm, semi-harder second midterm, and pretty fair final. Plus, there's an extra credit project that can boost your grade even more.
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2017 - I really liked Professor White. I'm terrible at Calculus and despise it as a subject but he made it very bearable. His tests were tough but got easier throughout the quarter. Doing lots of practice problems from the textbook will be extremely helpful for doing decently on the exams. He was funny, engaging, and had an australian accent.
Spring 2017 - I really liked Professor White. I'm terrible at Calculus and despise it as a subject but he made it very bearable. His tests were tough but got easier throughout the quarter. Doing lots of practice problems from the textbook will be extremely helpful for doing decently on the exams. He was funny, engaging, and had an australian accent.
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