MATH 115A
Linear Algebra
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours. Requisite: course 33A. Techniques of proof, abstract vector spaces, linear transformations, and matrices; determinants; inner product spaces; eigenvector theory. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Yes, he has an accent. No, it does not hinder your ability to learn the material. However, I found my overall experience in Math 115A with Prof. Liu, frustrating to say the least. He's not really good at teaching the material (understatement) and communicating his ideas across. Even though it's supposed to be an intro to proof-based courses, he never really went over the basics of proofs. He assumed proofs would to come to us naturally, over time... which for me was like towards the end of the course ahaha. So if you can take Math 115A with a different professor, I would definitely recommend it, especially if you're a math major, since I feel as if Prof. Liu doesn't really prepare you for more abstract material. Don't get me wrong, he's not the worst, but yeah, I definitely spent the whole quarter self-learning the material--even the TA was pretty bad at explaining the material. In terms of midterms and the final, the first midterm, the medium if I recall correctly, was 8.5/20, the second 12.5/20 and I don't know the scores for the final since Prof. Liu never posts the scores on myUCLA, only the final grade for the class. The first midterm I think was a bit difficult since it was more proof-based but the second midterm was a lot more manageable and computational. The midterms had 4 questions, 5 points each and the final had 10 questions, which were mostly computational. Trust me, you want the questions to be computational since those are the same topics covered in Math 33A. So if you did well in Math 33A, you'll do well in Prof. Liu's Math 115A course. ;) However, out of the other 4 professors also teaching Math 115A, Prof. Liu had the most students drop out of his class so while it definitely is manageable to get an A, I would be very careful... He's definitely fair and wants students to do well, but everything else about him: his inept "style" of teaching, his unfriendliness in office hours and when you ask him questions (politely mind you), etc. sort of make him lean towards the "not-so-great professors" category.
Yes, he has an accent. No, it does not hinder your ability to learn the material. However, I found my overall experience in Math 115A with Prof. Liu, frustrating to say the least. He's not really good at teaching the material (understatement) and communicating his ideas across. Even though it's supposed to be an intro to proof-based courses, he never really went over the basics of proofs. He assumed proofs would to come to us naturally, over time... which for me was like towards the end of the course ahaha. So if you can take Math 115A with a different professor, I would definitely recommend it, especially if you're a math major, since I feel as if Prof. Liu doesn't really prepare you for more abstract material. Don't get me wrong, he's not the worst, but yeah, I definitely spent the whole quarter self-learning the material--even the TA was pretty bad at explaining the material. In terms of midterms and the final, the first midterm, the medium if I recall correctly, was 8.5/20, the second 12.5/20 and I don't know the scores for the final since Prof. Liu never posts the scores on myUCLA, only the final grade for the class. The first midterm I think was a bit difficult since it was more proof-based but the second midterm was a lot more manageable and computational. The midterms had 4 questions, 5 points each and the final had 10 questions, which were mostly computational. Trust me, you want the questions to be computational since those are the same topics covered in Math 33A. So if you did well in Math 33A, you'll do well in Prof. Liu's Math 115A course. ;) However, out of the other 4 professors also teaching Math 115A, Prof. Liu had the most students drop out of his class so while it definitely is manageable to get an A, I would be very careful... He's definitely fair and wants students to do well, but everything else about him: his inept "style" of teaching, his unfriendliness in office hours and when you ask him questions (politely mind you), etc. sort of make him lean towards the "not-so-great professors" category.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2017 - I took Math 33A with Andy in Spring 2017. I struggled with the material, but that's probably just a me thing. Andy was an okay professor. His lectures were a little dull, but he explained the material pretty well. He assigned a lot of homework. The midterms were fair, and the final was significantly more challenging. I'd take him over most other professors, but he's not the best professor out there.
Spring 2017 - I took Math 33A with Andy in Spring 2017. I struggled with the material, but that's probably just a me thing. Andy was an okay professor. His lectures were a little dull, but he explained the material pretty well. He assigned a lot of homework. The midterms were fair, and the final was significantly more challenging. I'd take him over most other professors, but he's not the best professor out there.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2019 - Professor Manning was a really nice guy and I definitely enjoyed being in his class. He gave clear, concise lectures that went over the material very well. I Perhaps the thing I liked least about his lectures is that sometimes he will ask a very simple question just to check our understanding and no one will say anything because the answer is simply too obvious. Maybe that's our fault and not his but it was kinda funny to see it happen sometimes. Regarding his tests, they were of average difficulty in my opinion. I got reamed by the first midterm and consequently decided I would study much harder for the second one and the final. I did well on both of those. If you prepare for the exams well you should be fine. If you think you know the definition of linearly independent, but you don't know how to prove it, you won't be fine. So yeah if you have the option of taking Manning I certainly think you should (unless its at 8am of course).
Winter 2019 - Professor Manning was a really nice guy and I definitely enjoyed being in his class. He gave clear, concise lectures that went over the material very well. I Perhaps the thing I liked least about his lectures is that sometimes he will ask a very simple question just to check our understanding and no one will say anything because the answer is simply too obvious. Maybe that's our fault and not his but it was kinda funny to see it happen sometimes. Regarding his tests, they were of average difficulty in my opinion. I got reamed by the first midterm and consequently decided I would study much harder for the second one and the final. I did well on both of those. If you prepare for the exams well you should be fine. If you think you know the definition of linearly independent, but you don't know how to prove it, you won't be fine. So yeah if you have the option of taking Manning I certainly think you should (unless its at 8am of course).
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Fall 2019 - Marco’s lectures are nothing more than him jotting down his notes on the board and trying to cram as much in as possible before the end of the class period. He goes so quickly that you can’t comprehend anything, just race to write your notes down. Unless this course is required for your major, don’t take it.
Fall 2019 - Marco’s lectures are nothing more than him jotting down his notes on the board and trying to cram as much in as possible before the end of the class period. He goes so quickly that you can’t comprehend anything, just race to write your notes down. Unless this course is required for your major, don’t take it.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2020 - This review is for math 120A. I'm a senior in pure math, and I've been writing proofs during most of my undergrad years. I lost points in an exam just because I used "=>" in my proof instead of the English word "so," even though she uses "=>" in her lectures as well. This is the most ridiculous thing ever happened on me, lmao. (Btw, I also lost points in ALL exams because of "incomplete sentences" and "lacking explanations" without any comment from Dr. May. I suggest math department open a Writing I for Dr. May to fulfill her dream of being an ENGLISH professor. :))
Fall 2020 - This review is for math 120A. I'm a senior in pure math, and I've been writing proofs during most of my undergrad years. I lost points in an exam just because I used "=>" in my proof instead of the English word "so," even though she uses "=>" in her lectures as well. This is the most ridiculous thing ever happened on me, lmao. (Btw, I also lost points in ALL exams because of "incomplete sentences" and "lacking explanations" without any comment from Dr. May. I suggest math department open a Writing I for Dr. May to fulfill her dream of being an ENGLISH professor. :))
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