Some Updates on Life
by djmathman, Dec 23, 2015, 2:40 AM
Well, first semester is finally coming to a close. Guess it's time to post a few updates on stuff....
- Finals: Ok so finals weren't too bad. Bio was all right (everything you need to know can be found in the below post), Matrix Theory was ok, 15-251 was pretty hard but I managed to solve the majority of the problems on the test so think I performed in the upper half of the class which'll help with regards to a possible curve. I ended up with pretty decent marks for this semester based on the looks of it, so I'm pretty happy heading into 2016.
- Second Semester: Well, this should be fun. One of the classes I'm taking next semester is 21-269 "Vector Analysis". Contrary to all the other courses numbered similarly, this course basically consists of starting at a basic level and essentially building up mathematics somewhat axiomatically. This will be hard. (All my other courses pale in comparison wrt difficulty.)
- Math: Not much to say here, unfortunately. Starting to work through a book on algebraic combinatorics (using matrices and algebra to deduce things with regards to e.g. graphs), but really nothing else of interest. More explanation in the next bullet point.
- Problem Writing: Somehow my problem writing skills have diminished recently, in the sense that I can't seem to push out ideas like I was able to last year/over the summer. In general my output has decreased ever since I announced I would be writing for the AMC's. (EDIT: I'm actually not officially a problem writer yet, butttt I've been in repeated contact with Dr. Saul and he says eventually he'll send me the form so it'll be just a matter of time.) It's not like I don't have any problems (I have eight or so in the repository that I plan on submitting), but writing questions is getting quite discouraging
The same thing is happening with math in general as well, as is probably shown by the decreasing ratio of (math posts):(non-math posts) lately. I guess that constantly thinking about the subject for four years is starting to take its toll, especially considering I don't distract myself through LoL or OSU or anything similar, so I might need to take a break for a few days. Meh.
This post has been edited 2 times. Last edited by djmathman, Dec 23, 2015, 2:51 AM
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