MATH341 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
James Conway MATH341 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/05/2024	Just to preface, he is an amazing professor: very intelligent, explains things excellently, challenges students but not ridiculously, and is generally very nice and respectful to all students. Pros: - Again, Conway is a very nice, respectful, and kind teacher who will take the time to help you as long as you show an effort and desire to learn - He entertains any question, no matter how silly or how far-fetched, and will give his best answer (which is usually a great response) - No big ego, so he genuinely enjoys being called out on mistakes and encourages students to do so - At least for MATH341, holds office hours a lot and will make sure you are helped - Gives extra practice problems on HW, which are usually pulled as that week's quiz question - Regarding quizzes, they are usually reasonable and are related to the crux of that week's material - For exams, usually gives problems that are either quiz, HW, or extra practice problems (making them easy to prepare for) - Goes through several examples so we can understand how things work out from Theorems and such - During office hours, he will answer questions without merely giving away answers Cons: - The only bad thing is that there are times when he can go quite fast, but this might be just because of the course MATH341 Ultimately, there are only really good things to say about James Conway and how he teaches MATH341, not only would I recommend taking him for this class, and just in general, but also that you should look forward to it because he will make the class intriguing, if you are looking for a bit of a math challenge, and will also assure that no part of it is necessarily unreasonably hard.
Thomas Haines MATH341 Expecting an A Anonymous 08/15/2023	Thomas Haines talks, walks, and acts like a mathematician. Though he won't kiss your ass, you can ask him any question about the material, and he will usually give a good answer. This class was tough, for sure. The first 4 weeks were basically a proof-based speedrun of basic linear algebra + Jordan canonical form, so make sure you have your notes handy from 340. Much of the rest of the class was proving and utilizing ODE solving methods. Conceptually, it was probably a little easier than 340, especially since we were more familiar with proofs. I would say the exam problems were generally easier, too. The workload was heavier, though, partly because I often decided to read the full textbook chapters in addition to attending lectures and taking notes. Overall, I enjoyed the class. The best parts of the semester were the fun examples: proving the math behind one of the early Google PageRank algorithms, deriving the formula for Fibonacci numbers via matrices, modeling fish populations with DEs (+ proving that fishing can sometimes increase the fish population), and some more.
Niranjan Ramachandran MATH341 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 08/02/2023	One of the nicest professors I’ve had — Prof. Ramachandran always makes himself available and clearly cares about students’ understanding of the material. He is great at spreading his enthusiasm for math, and always strives to improve his teaching (I distinctly remember after one in-class proof where I got lost, he actually noticed and asked me after class how he could have explained it better). Highly recommended!
Thomas Haines MATH341 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/21/2023	Cool class and professor. Haines gives good explanations in class, very responsive to emails, and is fair with grading. For me, differential equations was the most computation-based math course I have taken. Expect lots of proofs as well. Haines goes into some interesting asides besides the standard 341 content, such as fibonacci numbers via linear algebra, an easy proof for the fundamental theorem of algebra, Google's page-rank algorithms via linear algebra, and predator-prey models via qualitative theory of DEs.
Thomas Haines MATH341 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/17/2023	If you're worried about this class because of the other 341 review, don't be: this class no longer makes you suffer. Haines has told us that he's read that review and doesn't want us to feel that way, and he's changed the class to make sure that the homework is reasonable. He's very receptive to feedback, and is willing to provide resources that the class asks for, like formula sheets for Laplace transforms or a list of topics that will be covered on midterms. He's more approachable than he seems, and he definitely lightened up as the semester went on. Exams are entirely reasonable, with mostly computational problems and a few proofs. He tends to post the homework late which may be an issue for you; homework was supposed to be posted on Mondays but it usually ended up being posted on Tuesday or Wednesday. He posted it Thursday afternoon once, but he agreed to give the class an extension on it to make up for it. Overall, I'd definitely recommend taking him, especially if you and your classmates are willing to speak up if you need something.
Thomas Haines MATH341 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/16/2023	I LOVE MATH341 WITH THOMAS HAINES. IT IS ALWAYS SUCH A BLAST. If math is what ur into then definitely try out this course with Thomas Haines if he’s ever an option. He’s so very kind and caring to ALL of his students and the work he assigns is always fair. His lectures are so fun and interesting that they become the highlight of my day EVERY Monday Wednesday and Friday.
Thomas Haines MATH341 Anonymous 05/10/2023	He's a good math professor. Go to lectures and take notes and you'll be fine. MATH341 is easier than MATH340, so if you're here, you should be smooth sailing.
Thomas Haines MATH341 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/09/2023	Haines makes sure he motivates and thoroughly proves the material. He will answer any question in great detail and seems to have a motivation to present the material in completeness. However, he sometimes goes too fast or too slow (he probably doesn't teach undergrads too often); make sure to help him gather a sense of what you do and don't know. He is a nice guy but isn't too social. If you find a lecture of his on youtube you can get a sense for his teaching style (although don't expect to know any of the words he says). 341 should be equally difficult to 340. I had already taken diffeq in high school so it was certainly much easier than if I hadn't. If you're the type to skip class and read the book, I bet it's plausible but I think going to class is far better. He drops 3 homeworks which is a lifesaver. Exams were fair but definitely study the homework. If you can find Ebrahimian's notes online those are super helpful too. Overall the difficulty of this class should really help prepare you for upper math classes as it is likely similar to an average 400-level course. I would recommend the 340-341 track to any math major or proof enthusiast but if you're an engineer or cs major and not into proofs it's probably not worth your time.
Niranjan Ramachandran MATH341 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/01/2023	lectures are a lil disorganized but he gives out extra credit like candy
Niranjan Ramachandran MATH341 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/30/2021	He is the definition of a truly dedicated professor who is really invested in student success. Even though the class does cover a lot of material and the HWs are pretty difficult the first time around, he is just really helpful during office hours and really makes his lectures accessible to everyone, regardless of how much prior background you have in Multi/Linear/DiffiQ. Even amidst the challenges of the online world, he really made this class a fun/accessible introduction to undergraduate proof-based mathematics that will set you up for success in the 400 levels. He also values student interaction and questions, so don't be afraid to just ask! Personally, you can tell that he is very genuine, down-to-earth, and has a real passion/enthusiasm for math that he wants his students to gain as much as possible. Highly recommend!
Roohollah Ebrahimian MATH341 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/22/2019	I don't think MATH341 is that hard. But take that with a grain of salt. if you put in the same amount of work that you did in MATH340 then expect to get a higher grade in MATH341. As taught, the content is definitely conceptually easier for many people to grasp and the computational nature of the course suits many of the "honors" kids who are very good at doing that type of stuff. Conceptually nothing in this course is very difficult if you bother to remember some of the concepts that you absorbed in MATH340. There are a lot of theorems which will have to be black boxed (some of the existence-uniqueness theorems require difficult real analysis). As a lecturer I think Ebrahimian is okay. He covers the content with plenty of examples and if you have questions he will usually have a good explanation. There are plenty of professors in the department who are just awful lecturers, and Ebahimian is NOT one of them. He is a little more demanding than the average professor, however. Do make sure you keep up with the material. Doing homeworks last minute does not count. If you do that the weekly quizzes he gives will probably tank your grade hard.
Wiseley Wong MATH341 Expecting an A Anonymous 10/17/2018	Wiseley is an awesome professor. He is excellent at explaining things clearly in class and is very helpful in office hours as well. For MATH341, he assigned projects that were interesting and actually helpful for learning concepts and how to use MATLAB and Mathematica. Not that it matters, but it's also insane how quick this man grades exams - he usually posted grades within 1 day of giving the exam. His assignments and exams are always very fair, though not always a cakewalk.
Roohollah Ebrahimian MATH341 Expecting an A- tomorrow 05/10/2018	A great sense of humor and extremely knowledgeable. If he doesn't know the answer to question, he'll tell you and may come back with answer next class. Entertains students' questions and concerns, going so far as to sending out a survey on his performance halfway through the semester.
Matei Machedon MATH341 Expecting an A- Anonymous 03/29/2018	He is an average profession with average expectations. He does want the best for his students, but lectures can be boring. Some topics he does not explain in depth enough for students who are new to certain topics.
Thomas Haines MATH341 Anonymous 05/21/2015	Haines' MATH 341 class was the toughest course I have ever taken, bar none. Unlike most 341 profs, he spent significant time on linear algebra (which is closer to his expertise) [6 weeks] before spending the last nine weeks on differential equations. To put it bluntly, you will probably not have a life if you do all of the HWK for this class. I went through a whole legal pad reviewing for the second final. Our class covered everything 246 covered and went slightly beyond 240 into some additional applications. The tests are tough, but he occasionally includes book problems, so if you have done all of the problems you'll see familiar ones on the tests. Nonetheless, he still knows how to drop the test average when he wants to. He likes theory and rigorously proves everything we use, though you will need to learn from the books for actually doing the HWK assignments. My issues: 1) He did not make it particularly clear what the final grades would be like (he told us all along he would curve, but by how much we are still waiting to see). That is not so important so long as the curve is fair, but it can still be quite stressful. 2) He can come across as a bit cold or even condescending when people ask questions. I do NOT think he means to; just sometimes his answers seemed a bit blunt and almost "did you really ask that?" in tone. In office hours he is nice enough, though not as helpful as some other professors. In terms of how much I learned this semester, he gets a full seven out of five points. In terms of his jokes (he started a bit stiff almost, in our class, but lightened up as the class went on I feel like), he gets a five. However, I think that the former is a four for Haines and the three for learning with classmates while poring over homework. Because of the two issues alluded to above, I give him a four overall. If you are willing to suffer for a whole semester in order to really, really learn math, take Haines. If you think your will could crack, be it Week 2 or Week 14, I would consider someone else for 341. I think in like five years I will look back and appreciate the suffering and effort that was this class, but right now it is simply a relief to have made it out in mostly one piece.
Richard Wentworth MATH341 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/21/2011	Wentworth was an ok teacher. His lectures can be interesting sometimes or really boring. The main problem with his teaching is his examples. He will often spend much time trying to figure out how to do his own example because he didn't finish up the work before coming to class and he has forgotten how to proceed. Also, he often taught methods that were very different from the book's, which makes it hard to go and do the hw for the quizzes. Some topics that we were assessed on he only talked about generally for a few minutes without doing any examples. The other professor, Hunt, had an open book open note policy for all exams, but Wentworth did not, which was annoying as there are many ways to solve diff eqs and it becomes difficult to keep them all straight. However, Wentworth is a nice guy and he is fairly approachable, it just would be nice if he prepared more for class. Also, he teaches a little too fast most of the time, so it is hard to wrap your brain around what he has just said before the next topic starts.
Richard Wentworth MATH341 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/20/2009	Nice guy, I found taking 341 with him to be much better than 340 with Cohen. Tests were hard, and the average was low, but most of the material was taken almost directly from the homework. Curve at the end and weight of the final definitely help, I thought I was going to fail and ended up getting a B. Also, no MATLAB assignments was a definite plus.

James Conway
MATH341

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/05/2024

Just to preface, he is an amazing professor: very intelligent, explains things excellently, challenges students but not ridiculously, and is generally very nice and respectful to all students. Pros: - Again, Conway is a very nice, respectful, and kind teacher who will take the time to help you as long as you show an effort and desire to learn - He entertains any question, no matter how silly or how far-fetched, and will give his best answer (which is usually a great response) - No big ego, so he genuinely enjoys being called out on mistakes and encourages students to do so - At least for MATH341, holds office hours a lot and will make sure you are helped - Gives extra practice problems on HW, which are usually pulled as that week's quiz question - Regarding quizzes, they are usually reasonable and are related to the crux of that week's material - For exams, usually gives problems that are either quiz, HW, or extra practice problems (making them easy to prepare for) - Goes through several examples so we can understand how things work out from Theorems and such - During office hours, he will answer questions without merely giving away answers Cons: - The only bad thing is that there are times when he can go quite fast, but this might be just because of the course MATH341 Ultimately, there are only really good things to say about James Conway and how he teaches MATH341, not only would I recommend taking him for this class, and just in general, but also that you should look forward to it because he will make the class intriguing, if you are looking for a bit of a math challenge, and will also assure that no part of it is necessarily unreasonably hard.

Thomas Haines
MATH341

Expecting an A
Anonymous
08/15/2023

Thomas Haines talks, walks, and acts like a mathematician. Though he won't kiss your ass, you can ask him any question about the material, and he will usually give a good answer. This class was tough, for sure. The first 4 weeks were basically a proof-based speedrun of basic linear algebra + Jordan canonical form, so make sure you have your notes handy from 340. Much of the rest of the class was proving and utilizing ODE solving methods. Conceptually, it was probably a little easier than 340, especially since we were more familiar with proofs. I would say the exam problems were generally easier, too. The workload was heavier, though, partly because I often decided to read the full textbook chapters in addition to attending lectures and taking notes. Overall, I enjoyed the class. The best parts of the semester were the fun examples: proving the math behind one of the early Google PageRank algorithms, deriving the formula for Fibonacci numbers via matrices, modeling fish populations with DEs (+ proving that fishing can sometimes increase the fish population), and some more.

Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH341

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
08/02/2023

One of the nicest professors I’ve had — Prof. Ramachandran always makes himself available and clearly cares about students’ understanding of the material. He is great at spreading his enthusiasm for math, and always strives to improve his teaching (I distinctly remember after one in-class proof where I got lost, he actually noticed and asked me after class how he could have explained it better). Highly recommended!

Thomas Haines
MATH341

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/21/2023

Cool class and professor. Haines gives good explanations in class, very responsive to emails, and is fair with grading. For me, differential equations was the most computation-based math course I have taken. Expect lots of proofs as well. Haines goes into some interesting asides besides the standard 341 content, such as fibonacci numbers via linear algebra, an easy proof for the fundamental theorem of algebra, Google's page-rank algorithms via linear algebra, and predator-prey models via qualitative theory of DEs.

Thomas Haines
MATH341

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/17/2023

If you're worried about this class because of the other 341 review, don't be: this class no longer makes you suffer. Haines has told us that he's read that review and doesn't want us to feel that way, and he's changed the class to make sure that the homework is reasonable. He's very receptive to feedback, and is willing to provide resources that the class asks for, like formula sheets for Laplace transforms or a list of topics that will be covered on midterms. He's more approachable than he seems, and he definitely lightened up as the semester went on. Exams are entirely reasonable, with mostly computational problems and a few proofs. He tends to post the homework late which may be an issue for you; homework was supposed to be posted on Mondays but it usually ended up being posted on Tuesday or Wednesday. He posted it Thursday afternoon once, but he agreed to give the class an extension on it to make up for it. Overall, I'd definitely recommend taking him, especially if you and your classmates are willing to speak up if you need something.

Thomas Haines
MATH341

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/16/2023

I LOVE MATH341 WITH THOMAS HAINES. IT IS ALWAYS SUCH A BLAST. If math is what ur into then definitely try out this course with Thomas Haines if he’s ever an option. He’s so very kind and caring to ALL of his students and the work he assigns is always fair. His lectures are so fun and interesting that they become the highlight of my day EVERY Monday Wednesday and Friday.

Thomas Haines
MATH341

Anonymous
05/10/2023

He's a good math professor. Go to lectures and take notes and you'll be fine. MATH341 is easier than MATH340, so if you're here, you should be smooth sailing.

Thomas Haines
MATH341

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/09/2023

Haines makes sure he motivates and thoroughly proves the material. He will answer any question in great detail and seems to have a motivation to present the material in completeness. However, he sometimes goes too fast or too slow (he probably doesn't teach undergrads too often); make sure to help him gather a sense of what you do and don't know. He is a nice guy but isn't too social. If you find a lecture of his on youtube you can get a sense for his teaching style (although don't expect to know any of the words he says). 341 should be equally difficult to 340. I had already taken diffeq in high school so it was certainly much easier than if I hadn't. If you're the type to skip class and read the book, I bet it's plausible but I think going to class is far better. He drops 3 homeworks which is a lifesaver. Exams were fair but definitely study the homework. If you can find Ebrahimian's notes online those are super helpful too. Overall the difficulty of this class should really help prepare you for upper math classes as it is likely similar to an average 400-level course. I would recommend the 340-341 track to any math major or proof enthusiast but if you're an engineer or cs major and not into proofs it's probably not worth your time.

Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH341

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/01/2023

lectures are a lil disorganized but he gives out extra credit like candy

Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH341

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/30/2021

He is the definition of a truly dedicated professor who is really invested in student success. Even though the class does cover a lot of material and the HWs are pretty difficult the first time around, he is just really helpful during office hours and really makes his lectures accessible to everyone, regardless of how much prior background you have in Multi/Linear/DiffiQ. Even amidst the challenges of the online world, he really made this class a fun/accessible introduction to undergraduate proof-based mathematics that will set you up for success in the 400 levels. He also values student interaction and questions, so don't be afraid to just ask! Personally, you can tell that he is very genuine, down-to-earth, and has a real passion/enthusiasm for math that he wants his students to gain as much as possible. Highly recommend!

Roohollah Ebrahimian
MATH341

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/22/2019

I don't think MATH341 is that hard. But take that with a grain of salt. if you put in the same amount of work that you did in MATH340 then expect to get a higher grade in MATH341. As taught, the content is definitely conceptually easier for many people to grasp and the computational nature of the course suits many of the "honors" kids who are very good at doing that type of stuff. Conceptually nothing in this course is very difficult if you bother to remember some of the concepts that you absorbed in MATH340. There are a lot of theorems which will have to be black boxed (some of the existence-uniqueness theorems require difficult real analysis). As a lecturer I think Ebrahimian is okay. He covers the content with plenty of examples and if you have questions he will usually have a good explanation. There are plenty of professors in the department who are just awful lecturers, and Ebahimian is NOT one of them. He is a little more demanding than the average professor, however. Do make sure you keep up with the material. Doing homeworks last minute does not count. If you do that the weekly quizzes he gives will probably tank your grade hard.

Wiseley Wong
MATH341

Expecting an A
Anonymous
10/17/2018

Wiseley is an awesome professor. He is excellent at explaining things clearly in class and is very helpful in office hours as well. For MATH341, he assigned projects that were interesting and actually helpful for learning concepts and how to use MATLAB and Mathematica. Not that it matters, but it's also insane how quick this man grades exams - he usually posted grades within 1 day of giving the exam. His assignments and exams are always very fair, though not always a cakewalk.

Roohollah Ebrahimian
MATH341

Expecting an A-
tomorrow
05/10/2018

A great sense of humor and extremely knowledgeable. If he doesn't know the answer to question, he'll tell you and may come back with answer next class. Entertains students' questions and concerns, going so far as to sending out a survey on his performance halfway through the semester.

Matei Machedon
MATH341

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
03/29/2018

He is an average profession with average expectations. He does want the best for his students, but lectures can be boring. Some topics he does not explain in depth enough for students who are new to certain topics.

Thomas Haines
MATH341

Anonymous
05/21/2015

Haines' MATH 341 class was the toughest course I have ever taken, bar none. Unlike most 341 profs, he spent significant time on linear algebra (which is closer to his expertise) [6 weeks] before spending the last nine weeks on differential equations. To put it bluntly, you will probably not have a life if you do all of the HWK for this class. I went through a whole legal pad reviewing for the second final. Our class covered everything 246 covered and went slightly beyond 240 into some additional applications. The tests are tough, but he occasionally includes book problems, so if you have done all of the problems you'll see familiar ones on the tests. Nonetheless, he still knows how to drop the test average when he wants to. He likes theory and rigorously proves everything we use, though you will need to learn from the books for actually doing the HWK assignments. My issues: 1) He did not make it particularly clear what the final grades would be like (he told us all along he would curve, but by how much we are still waiting to see). That is not so important so long as the curve is fair, but it can still be quite stressful. 2) He can come across as a bit cold or even condescending when people ask questions. I do NOT think he means to; just sometimes his answers seemed a bit blunt and almost "did you really ask that?" in tone. In office hours he is nice enough, though not as helpful as some other professors. In terms of how much I learned this semester, he gets a full seven out of five points. In terms of his jokes (he started a bit stiff almost, in our class, but lightened up as the class went on I feel like), he gets a five. However, I think that the former is a four for Haines and the three for learning with classmates while poring over homework. Because of the two issues alluded to above, I give him a four overall. If you are willing to suffer for a whole semester in order to really, really learn math, take Haines. If you think your will could crack, be it Week 2 or Week 14, I would consider someone else for 341. I think in like five years I will look back and appreciate the suffering and effort that was this class, but right now it is simply a relief to have made it out in mostly one piece.

Richard Wentworth
MATH341

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/21/2011

Wentworth was an ok teacher. His lectures can be interesting sometimes or really boring. The main problem with his teaching is his examples. He will often spend much time trying to figure out how to do his own example because he didn't finish up the work before coming to class and he has forgotten how to proceed. Also, he often taught methods that were very different from the book's, which makes it hard to go and do the hw for the quizzes. Some topics that we were assessed on he only talked about generally for a few minutes without doing any examples. The other professor, Hunt, had an open book open note policy for all exams, but Wentworth did not, which was annoying as there are many ways to solve diff eqs and it becomes difficult to keep them all straight. However, Wentworth is a nice guy and he is fairly approachable, it just would be nice if he prepared more for class. Also, he teaches a little too fast most of the time, so it is hard to wrap your brain around what he has just said before the next topic starts.

Richard Wentworth
MATH341

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/20/2009

Nice guy, I found taking 341 with him to be much better than 340 with Cohen. Tests were hard, and the average was low, but most of the material was taken almost directly from the homework. Curve at the end and weight of the final definitely help, I thought I was going to fail and ended up getting a B. Also, no MATLAB assignments was a definite plus.

Reviews for MATH341