<p>I'm relieved that Ratner isn't teaching 1B in Spring. However, I did not know whether to pick Persson or Aganagic, so I picked Persson. How was Persson during the Fall semester?</p>
<p>I got an A- in Math 1A but I had the easiest prof possible so I feel nothing for it, actually disappointment since I should have done better. How does Math 1B compare to Borcherd's Math 1A? How was Math 1B and how can you get an A- in the class? Any offer of insight is deeply appreciated.</p>
<p>you get an A by doing as many practice problems as you possibly can and hope for the best.</p>
<p>I had Persson, got an A- (did badly on the second midterm, didn’t study). Do all the homework problems, practice problems from previous math 1b exams, right before you take your exams. </p>
<p>I honestly stopped going to class towards the end because I finally admitted to myself that going to class wasn’t helpful. All you need to succeed in math 1b is doing the problems, not just once, but multiple times until you know them inside and out. So it doesn’t matter which professor you end up having. It seems like the problems are “tricky” at first but if you practice enough, you should be able to see through them.</p>
<p>agree with practicing</p>
<p>I am more comfortable with solving equations than doing proofs. Which professor’s practice midterms did you use since it was Persson’s first semester teaching that class? Should I star during winter break?</p>
<p>nah you should be able to keep up during the semester if you’re okay with solving equations. 1b is really just solving equation after equation and really knowing how to do them. and i don’t mean just the basics either. i’m talking tricky, combination stuff (split a term here, do something before solving to make it easier, etc).
Sequences are just a ***** though. I don’t even know how I got a SD above average when I took the second midterm. Damn first midterm screwed me in the butt with its high average and I ended with a B+. ****.</p>
<p>Basically like blueducky. I didn’t read his post until I posted. Oh wellz. Hey a coin.</p>
<p>^Yea, splitting the terms, turning things into 2, etc, etc. Just a bag of tricks, I did problems from a whole bunch of sources, Persson put up some old tests, which were basically the common ones you can find on other sites. It doesn’t matter which teacher’s you use, because they all pretty much test the basic important concepts. Mastering the problems in the textbook is really important. Heck, a lot of the practice problems’ tricks were not similar to the ones I saw on Persson’s final this semester. Do enough practice with as many problems as possible, repeats do happen though, it’s worth your time, even if it’s not apparent at first.</p>
<p>I don’t recommend starting now either, because the problem isn’t not having familiarity with the material (a lot of people who don’t do well have taken calc bc in high school), but rather taking it to the level college math requires. A lot of people in the class are freshman, etc. But seeing how you survived math 1a, it shouldn’t be too much a hassle. You should know by now the level of understanding math requires at cal.</p>
<p>Borcherds math 1a was a bit too easy…</p>
<p>Borcherds is awesome. You can learn A LOT in his lectures if you really want to do real math but at the same time, the class is easy for grade whores.</p>
<p>We are all grade whores, more or less…</p>
<p>Batman, who did you have? By the way should I switch to Aganagic if her tests are more reasonable? I heard Persson’s 2nd midterm was ridiculous because it didn’t test the main subject that everybody thought it was gonna be on.</p>
<p>blueduck</p>
<p>how did you get an A- when you failed the 2nd midterm? heard u got lke a 40/100
the curve helped out that much?</p>
<p>^lol where did you hear that? i got 13/35, (it was out of 35…) which was flat out average, which is a B- lol</p>
<p>yea the second midterm was really unexpected…</p>
<p>As bad as it sounds, to succeed in Math 1B, it’s all about problem recognition. Even though mathematics is more about understanding concepts in the long run, your grade depends on your ability to “find the trick” in the problems like everyone above is saying. You have to do so many practice problems that you’ve “seen” all of them before, but with different numbers. This is particularly true for integration and the first midterm.</p>
<p>wha…?? easy Math 1a?! I had Agol for my Math 1a, and that class was friggin tough. Agol himself is a nice guy tho (he had jelly beans in his office hours :))</p>
<p>Well I heard Math 1b is tough, but…looks like things have changed so you should be good. There is always 16b which is ridiculously easy in comparison, and Harrington is such a swell guy.</p>
<p>OK I started doing integration by parts. It all went well until I saw take the integral of (e^(2x))(sin(3x))dx… I don’t want to look at the solutions guide yet so what should I do so I’ll learn.</p>
<p>look at the sample problems</p>
<p>I thought Agol was a female teacher?</p>