MATH 61
Introduction to Discrete Structures
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: courses 31A, 31B. Not open for credit to students with credit for course 180 or 184. Discrete structures commonly used in computer science and mathematics, including sets and relations, permutations and combinations, graphs and trees, induction. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Well Bateman was actually a pretty good teacher. The main problem with this course is that if you miss a class or dont understand something the book really does not help that much at all. I had to ask the T.A. a lot for help. Also the homeworks are pretty hard but short, I needed to visit the T.A. a lot about those. The tests are actually really hard, except wasn't too bad but the average on all of them was around 50 so he curves them nicely. I would focus on getting as many questions fully right as possible instead of bullshitting as many answers as possible. So quality over volume kind of deal, not too much partial credit.
Well Bateman was actually a pretty good teacher. The main problem with this course is that if you miss a class or dont understand something the book really does not help that much at all. I had to ask the T.A. a lot for help. Also the homeworks are pretty hard but short, I needed to visit the T.A. a lot about those. The tests are actually really hard, except wasn't too bad but the average on all of them was around 50 so he curves them nicely. I would focus on getting as many questions fully right as possible instead of bullshitting as many answers as possible. So quality over volume kind of deal, not too much partial credit.
Most Helpful Review
I took Math 61 with Professor Butler last quarter (Fall 08)--and I have to say, it was one of the best math classes I have ever taken at UCLA. Professor Butler is very organized in lectures, clearly knows the topic really well, and is really funny in lectures. Sure, sometimes the lectures could get a bit dry, but hey, it's math. If Professor Butler is teaching any of your required courses, I strongly recommend him as your top choice.
I took Math 61 with Professor Butler last quarter (Fall 08)--and I have to say, it was one of the best math classes I have ever taken at UCLA. Professor Butler is very organized in lectures, clearly knows the topic really well, and is really funny in lectures. Sure, sometimes the lectures could get a bit dry, but hey, it's math. If Professor Butler is teaching any of your required courses, I strongly recommend him as your top choice.
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Winter 2019 - Uh this professor doesn't know jack and can only recite definitions from the textbook, but expects us to do proofs... so tldr don't take him unless you understand the material already because the textbook isn't clear and the professor doesn't teach. Also, if your TA is Ben, be ready to ask a question and then have take an hour to work it out with you by asking YOU how to do each step, which you most likely won't know how to do because you're asking the TA the question.... TLDR: don't take this prof and go to another TA other than ben :)
Winter 2019 - Uh this professor doesn't know jack and can only recite definitions from the textbook, but expects us to do proofs... so tldr don't take him unless you understand the material already because the textbook isn't clear and the professor doesn't teach. Also, if your TA is Ben, be ready to ask a question and then have take an hour to work it out with you by asking YOU how to do each step, which you most likely won't know how to do because you're asking the TA the question.... TLDR: don't take this prof and go to another TA other than ben :)
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2025 - Professor Do is a good lecturer, but at times difficult to understand. He goes through proofs and problems very quickly, so the material may seem like a rush. However, he provides lots of examples after teaching concepts, which I found to be extremely helpful. He also solves some challenging homework problems in class, which also helped in my opinion. He is also approachable during office hours and after class, if you have questions about the lecture or homework problems. Tests in his class are the same as the practice midterms he gives, except for changing a couple of questions to make the actual test a little more difficult. The TA for my section was also very helpful in giving practice problems each week which were about the same difficulty as the problems on the test. Homework is ~15-20 problems per week from the textbook plus additional exercises/problems he writes. Take Professor Do if you have some background in mathematical proofs or are strong in math (or data structures/algorithms as the course content aligns with CS 32); if not, the class may seem challenging with the amount of material covered.
Winter 2025 - Professor Do is a good lecturer, but at times difficult to understand. He goes through proofs and problems very quickly, so the material may seem like a rush. However, he provides lots of examples after teaching concepts, which I found to be extremely helpful. He also solves some challenging homework problems in class, which also helped in my opinion. He is also approachable during office hours and after class, if you have questions about the lecture or homework problems. Tests in his class are the same as the practice midterms he gives, except for changing a couple of questions to make the actual test a little more difficult. The TA for my section was also very helpful in giving practice problems each week which were about the same difficulty as the problems on the test. Homework is ~15-20 problems per week from the textbook plus additional exercises/problems he writes. Take Professor Do if you have some background in mathematical proofs or are strong in math (or data structures/algorithms as the course content aligns with CS 32); if not, the class may seem challenging with the amount of material covered.
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