I’m a mathematics major and I was wondering what exactly I should do for my 2017 schedule. I already got my summer and fall semesters for this year filled out so I thought I’d skip ahead and jot down what I would take if I ended up passing and not withdrawing any of my classes.
So far my schedule for Spring of 2017 is Calculus II, Intro to French, and Intro to Ecology (Lab). I just need one more class to make it full time, so I’m thinking about putting in some of my other required math classes just to help fit the bill a bit better. The only classes I’ll have left are Calculus III for Fall 2017 (because taking that in summer sounds like suicide), Intro to Mathematical Proof, and Elementary Statistics.
I’ve heard that Statistics is really easy, but I’ve also heard that it’s difficult to balance that on top of other math classes, like Calc II. From what I’ve seen in Mathematical Proof, it seems relatively easy and interesting. So I need some advice, what classes should I take with Calc 2? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Mathematical Proof is necessary for a math major.
You should go for it. Only few people would think proofs are easy. You will find that the proofs are not as easy as calculus proofs.
@BenjiBro taking a proof-based class is a good idea as a math major, since later math classes will very likely ask you to construct proofs, which is very hard if you haven’t had practice writing good proofs.
Thanks again, guys! But do you think that Proof would work well while I’m doing Calc 2, French, and Ecology? Since Proof is difficult would I be able to balance it with Calc 2?
Doesn’t your math department offer some sort of sequencing document for you to decide when to take what course? Proofs can be doable with Calc 2, but so much depends on your strength as a math major, and how the department teaches the course.Are you in high school now , and planning your freshman year , or are you a freshman now and planning your sophomore year?
@BenjiBro Most introductory proof classes I’ve seen don’t require knowledge beyond, say, single-variable calculus, because the purpose of it is to show you how to properly construct and write a proof (which is very useful as a math major, and I can attest to that!). So you could even take it next semester, if it fits your schedule and if you are allowed to take it.
A simple example: Let n be an integer. Prove that n is divisible by 3 if and only if n^2 + 2 is not divisible by 3.
Many students who aren’t used to proving theorems might just try random multiples of 3 and call it a proof (which isn’t valid!). Some might go a step further and show that if n = 3k for an integer k, then n^2 + 2 = 9k^2 + 2 = 3(3k^2) + 2 which is not divisible by 3. While the algebra and steps are correct, the proof is still incomplete.
Talk to your adviser in the department. Usually math majors are taking calculus at least by Spring of freshman year, so the fact you are in College Algebra now suggests that your math background may not be strong coming from high school. But the people in your department would be better judges of this than strangers on the Internet - even it’s a math professor like me!
Yeah, I was really lazy with math in high school. The only reason I’m taking College Algebra now is because all the seats were taken in my first semester and because I was a few points off of the SAT from being able to take Pre-Calc right off the bat. I’ve actually been thinking about retaking the SAT and taking other standardized tests since I’m aiming higher academically