Mathematics for Life Scientists
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours. Preparation: three years of high school mathematics (to algebra II), some basic familiarity with computers. Mathematical modeling as tool for understanding dynamics of biological systems. Fundamental concepts of single-variable calculus and development of single- and multi-variable differential equation models of dynamical processes in ecology, physiology, and other subjects in which quantities change with time. Use of free computer program Sage for problem solving, plotting, and dynamical simulation in laboratory. Letter grading.
Review Summary
- Clarity
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8.3 / 10
- Organization
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10.0 / 10
- Time
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10-15 hrs/week
- Overall
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10.0 / 10
Reviews
Bennoun is an incredible professor. Lectures and tests were fair and he broke down concepts into an easy to learn concise format.
This class was definitely doable and I actually liked learning about the concepts. I didn’t like the coding lab as much, but if you pay attention, you can get it down.
This man is a god-send; it's amazing taking this class with him. I don't particularly like the subject matter, but the professor made it so interesting. 100/10 recommend it with him.
He gives the textbook for free (yay!) and he cares about students so he will listen to your feedback and grading is lenient compared to what one would expect. As long as you show up and pay attention during lecture, you should be good to go in this class!
Amazing teacher, straightforward tests! The review sessions before the exams are incredibly helpful!
Simple course and simple GE, definitely recommend even for non lifesci major students.
Office hours and Problem solving sessions were very helpful!
Lectures are recorded :))
Labs are not very difficult but try to attend TA hours for more help.
He only gives HW once a week
Go to the problem-solving sessions, they were super helpful. Steve is the best!
I honestly hated this class so much, no matter how much I tried it's like I didn't really learn anything. But he was one of the best professors I have ever had. He gave so many office hours (with him and the TAs), there was the study sessions multiple hours throughout the week, there was review sessions before tests, and he went over everything in class before the tests. He was great at explaining things, and genuinely tried to get us to succeed. The coding grades had more to do with the TAs unfortunately. I would not take this class again, but if I did I would take it with him again.
This class was definitely tough as I had never learned this type of math however Bennoun is a good instructor. You really have to stay on top of the lectures so if there is something you don't understand he is very helpful and willing to explain. I received a little bit lower of a grade than wanting however I learned a lot of study methods for the 30B part in the series.
Course
Grading Information
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No group projects
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Attendance required
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1 midterm
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Finals week final
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57% recommend the textbook
Previous Grades
Grade distributions not available.