<p>
I find that highly unlikely.</p>
<p>Both of the people I know who took Math 55 (one even returned to tutor for the class) had to work on problems even when they DIDN'T have a free second.</p>
<p>isnt math 55's class list just like usamo champs and imo participants</p>
<p>I know of someone in Math 55, physics 16, Chem 20 or 30 I think</p>
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[quote]
What types of courses do people take while taking Math 55? I would hope no other maths/hard science.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>physics 16 is the most common, i think</p>
<p>You don't have to be IMO/USAMO to take 55 since 55 has nothing at all to do with contest math.</p>
<p>"You don't have to be IMO/USAMO to take 55 since 55 has nothing at all to do with contest math."</p>
<p>Yeah, this poster has it absolutely correct. Contests are great, and some participants who do well are really smart people, but some pure mathematicians, myself included, dislike those kinds of problems [and, admittedly, aren't very talented at them]. My professor who didn't take 55, as it happens, also didn't do competitions, and now studies quite incomparably abstract objects, and is where top math majors at top undergrad schools can generally only dream to be. Then again, I also have another professor who was a Putnam Fellow. And I know of a few professors who basically were Putnam Fellows every one of their years of undergrad. And, I certainly know a professor who did take Math 55, but did not math competitions.</p>
<p>All combos are possible, is the point. 55 is about taking a rigorous math course. Being a top mathematician is about research math, a different thing. And contests are contests. Classes, contests, and research are 3 different things, though of course many have interests in all 3 or 2 of 3 areas.</p>
<p>Just to make it very clear for those who plan on considering such rigorous courses.</p>
<p>I just read the descriptions again, and I would probably take 23 or 25. Obviously the placement exam might make a difference, and what my Diff Eq's class is like now should too.</p>
<p>I don't suppose anyone happens to have an old Math 55 diagnostic test?</p>
<p>What do you mean by diagnostic test?</p>
<p>theres no math 55 diagnostic test
everyone writes the math placement test and even that's pretty general like
"you are eligible to take any course in the 20's or above"</p>
<p>
[quote]
Choosing which class to take is not an irreversible decision. If you opt to try a more challenging class, you can always drop to another one after a few weeks, or even after first semester. The proof-based classes are coordinated to run similarly over the first few weeks to give students the opportunity to change classes if necessary. Moreover, Math 55 gives a 'diagnostic' exam right at the beginning that will allow you to judge whether you have the necessary experience to benefit from the course.
[/quote]
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<p>Harvard</a> Mathematics Department : 21, 23, 25, or 55?</p>
<p>I think goldenratiophi means like a pre-test or something of the sorts to see if one is ready for the intensity of Math 55.</p>
<p>oh wait, tokenadult, you're on AoPS!</p>
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tokenadult, you're on AoPS
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</p>
<p>Yep. That's where I picked up this screenname, where there are fewer adult participants on the forums. Here on CC the screenname doesn't fit as well, but I don't like to pile up lots of screennames.</p>
<p>I don't know about content of the diagnostic test mentioned in the link goldenratiophi found, but I know from having seen some previous Math 55 problem sets that having had a "transitions" course (post-calculus course to prepare for study of upper-division math) might be even better preparation for Math 55 than, for example, Red MOP. </p>
<p>The funniest story I've ever heard about Math 55, which I learned from a MOPper on AoPS who did study at Harvard, but who chose to take Math 25, is that one student from some country in eastern Europe came to Harvard with an IMO medal but no particular previous study of calculus. He learned to integrate, so the story goes, by learning Lebesgue integration as it is taught in little Rudin. That's a rather unusual kind of first exposure to integration.</p>
<p>Math</a> 55a</p>
<p>go nuts.</p>
<p>@thecount: Marry me.</p>
<p>^ LOOOLLLL, Does anyone else LOOOVE how it's called "Naive Set theory"?</p>
<p>Like, THAT's actually what they decided to call it, just because it isn't as formal as it could be.</p>
<p>Thanks, thecount.</p>
<p>@thecount: Marry me.</p>
<p>okay</p>
<p>Looks like Math 55 is sort of like the honors "first upper division" courses taught at some schools.</p>