Mathematics/ Applied Science and Statistics

ThisCouldBeHeavn
Sat, 14 Jul 2012 03:09:10 +0000

(Some questions I can’t respond to accurately - answers are intentionally omitted)



3. Never have done a computer science class and with either math I would need to do 10a. How hard is it to a beginner? Any books/ programs/ online sites I should study from to help with the class?



I think most math majors have a pretty easy time with PIC 10A. It goes at a fairly gentle pace, and it doesn’t get too bogged down with details - the main thing you need is the ability to understand logic. Of course if you haven’t programmed before, it will be very unfamiliar at first, but it’s not something to be afraid of.

The book, Big C++, is decent. There are tons of resources to learn online. [C++ Language Tutorial - C++ Documentation](http://cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/) is what I have found to be most useful.



4. Same question as number 3 but for upper division math, anyone have any good books/ programs etc that prepared them for upper division math proofs or upper division stats?



There’s a book about proofs by Velleman that I’ve seen recommended a lot. I’ve never used it personally though. There’s another book called How to Solve It by Polya that covers problem solving (most of the skills required are the same as with proofs). There are also a lot of online resources, though I can’t name any off the top of my head. There are basically just a few techniques that you’ll need to be exposed to: direct proof, contradiction, contrapositive (basically the same as contradiction) and induction (which is the most complicated).

Upper division stats classes are pretty similar to what you get in lower division math classes.



5. For any stats or math people, how are the exams? Do they follow what they assign for hw and class examples or do you truly have to read the book forward and backward to get a good grasp? I know it is dependent on teachers but there must be a more narrow answer.



It really does basically just depend on the professor. Sometimes the exam problems are exactly like the hw, sometimes they’re totally different. Carefully reading the book is generally useful for math classes. Most stats classes here don’t use a textbook. For both types of classes you’ll want to do a decent number of practice problems.



6. From what I have read the stats classes overall are SLIGHTLY easier than doing math, any truth to this?



They’re definitely easier.