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MATH 214 (intro to Linear) was the least enjoyable class during my undergraduate at Umich. This seems like a better intro.
MATH 214 (intro to Linear) was the least enjoyable class during my undergraduate at Umich. This seems like a better intro.
For engineering we had to pick either multivariate calculus or linear algebra for more upper level math courses. I picked multivariate, and I'll say it was also my least enjoyable there. I look back wondering what would have gone different if I picked linear algebra instead, but who knows, maybe I'd have just as blech of an experience with that. Lot of great classes in the EECS department though.
Couldn’t agree more, Jack! Great times during 482… tranquil compared to the 470 slog that started immediately after every night :)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
For engineering we had to pick either multivariate calculus or linear algebra for more upper level math courses. I picked multivariate, and I'll say it was also my least enjoyable there. I look back wondering what would have gone different if I picked linear algebra instead, but who knows, maybe I'd have just as blech of an experience with that. Lot of great classes in the EECS department though.
> Lot of great classes in the EECS department though. Couldn’t agree more, Jack! Great times during 482… tranquil compared to the 470 slog that started immediately after every night :)
Great times. And I really liked how we did it all in C++ (other than computer vision 442 that was in matlab) rather than Python which some places do. Having that lower level understanding of languages in school makes understanding code so much easier, and something I didn't have to learn on my own.
Man this would have been nice when I was in school. For some reason linear algebra still isn't part of standard Mechanical Engineering course load (Calc 1, 2, 3, DiffEq) which made life extremely difficult in some of the later classes. I remember spending weeks brute forcing a lot of things that would have been trivial with a little bit of matrix math. I took a superficially similar class as a 400 level elective but…
Wow. In my undergrad all engineering majors had to take linear algebra (calc 3 was optional for computer engineering).
Man this would have been nice when I was in school. For some reason linear algebra still isn't part of standard Mechanical Engineering course load (Calc 1, 2, 3, DiffEq) which made life extremely difficult in some of the later classes. I remember spending weeks brute forcing a lot of things that would have been trivial with a little bit of matrix math. I took a superficially similar class as a 400 level elective but…
> For some reason linear algebra still isn't part of standard Mechanical Engineering course load (Calc 1, 2, 3, DiffEq) Wow. In my undergrad all engineering majors had to take linear algebra (calc 3 was optional for computer engineering).
Michigan doesn't seem to require it as the College of Engineering core classes or as part of the BSME (checked because they're who this course is through):
https://me.engin.umich.edu/academics/undergrad/handbook/bach...
And my alma mater has a very similar progression.
Man this would have been nice when I was in school. For some reason linear algebra still isn't part of standard Mechanical Engineering course load (Calc 1, 2, 3, DiffEq) which made life extremely difficult in some of the later classes. I remember spending weeks brute forcing a lot of things that would have been trivial with a little bit of matrix math. I took a superficially similar class as a 400 level elective but…
I don't think this has changed much (but absolutely should). I've watched in real time as Micron representatives reject mechanical engineers and prefer résumés from industrial engineers for design roles due to their superior grasp on linear algebra and statistics. I'm paraphrasing but "it's easier to teach an IE how to do FEA than it is to teach a mechanical engineer DOE and Weibull analysis".
Man this would have been nice when I was in school. For some reason linear algebra still isn't part of standard Mechanical Engineering course load (Calc 1, 2, 3, DiffEq) which made life extremely difficult in some of the later classes. I remember spending weeks brute forcing a lot of things that would have been trivial with a little bit of matrix math. I took a superficially similar class as a 400 level elective but…
Yes back in 2005 when I first went to undergrad as a mech engineering major, linear algebra was not a requirement. Our mechanics professors were highly irritated by this. I don't think this has changed much (but absolutely should). I've watched in real time as Micron representatives reject mechanical engineers and prefer résumés from industrial engineers for design roles due to their superior grasp on linear algebra…
Thankfully the companies I've worked for have done a really good job with advanced stats training.
I took this course 3 years ago. I found it fast-moving, and it focused a lot more on applications than fundamentals, which meant it was more wide than it was deep. This didn't turn out so well when I decided to study ML later and needed stronger linear algebra fundamentals, but it was a fun course. There were a couple interesting course projects, one of which was using linear algebra to balance a (simulated) 2D robot…
What would you recommend for building a strong linear algebra foundation?
Man this would have been nice when I was in school. For some reason linear algebra still isn't part of standard Mechanical Engineering course load (Calc 1, 2, 3, DiffEq) which made life extremely difficult in some of the later classes. I remember spending weeks brute forcing a lot of things that would have been trivial with a little bit of matrix math. I took a superficially similar class as a 400 level elective but…
> For some reason linear algebra still isn't part of standard Mechanical Engineering course load (Calc 1, 2, 3, DiffEq) Wow. In my undergrad all engineering majors had to take linear algebra (calc 3 was optional for computer engineering).
It's not that I can't do calculus, I took it in high school, and then again in my first go-round in CS. It's that I hate calculus. Not the subject itself, just the grinding away at problem sets.
I did a refresher in pre-calc, calc I, calc II & discrete mathematics during COVID at the local community college (was planning to finish the few credits I need for an actual CS BS) & I started calc III twice (but dropped both times). I even got a 4.0 on my first calc III exam (and this was an in-person class, so no online shenanigans).
I just have some kind of weird aversion to 3 dimensional calculus. I have convinced myself that I'm simply not smart enough to actually do the work. I understand it, I just get clammy with it.
Truth be told, maths are my kryptonite. Despite working with numbers all day every day for 30+ years, and writing a lot of software over the years (and not just CRUD, but games of all things), I am absolutely ashamed that I just can't seem to grok math with any rigor.
I have all the Stewart textbooks on my shelf, many textbooks from libgen (ones I've seen recommended on HN from people who went to much better universities than I attended), and I even work through problems a few hours per week. I just can't seem to make that leap from a guy who's "good with numbers" (from a layperson's perspective) to a guy who's good at math.
Maybe I need to break open one of my physics textbooks and actually use the calculus in an applied context and that will break whatever mental barrier I have (I've even watched all of the 3 blue 1 brown videos, countless youtube lectures, etc).
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> For some reason linear algebra still isn't part of standard Mechanical Engineering course load (Calc 1, 2, 3, DiffEq) Wow. In my undergrad all engineering majors had to take linear algebra (calc 3 was optional for computer engineering).
Maybe some schools do but it's baffling to me its not a universal requirement. It'd be dramatically more useful than Calc3 for most engineers. Michigan doesn't seem to require it as the College of Engineering core classes or as part of the BSME (checked because they're who this course is through): https://me.engin.umich.edu/academics/undergrad/handbook/bach... And my alma mater has a very similar progression.
And some upper level courses have a prerequisite.
But indeed it does seem a avoidable for many MechE majors.
Funny thread about UM engineering students avoiding taking UM math classes. https://www.reddit.com/r/uofm/comments/15w18gv/reminder_you_...