Professor: Maxey Course format: Lecture w/Section Number of respondents: 20 Total Enrollment: 38 Class Composition: Froshs: 18 Sophs: 15 Jrs: 3 Srs: 1 Concs: 1 Non-Concs: 17 Don't Know: 2

Instructor Average: 2.13 Course Average: 2.03

Applied Math 33 introduces students to methods of solving ordinary differential equations. The only pre-requisite for this course is Math 10 but students stressed the necessity of a solid background in calculus. Some also thought that linear algebra or familiarity wih Physics or Engineering would be useful, but by no means necessary.

Professor Maxey was considered a good lecturerer. He wrote and spoke clearly and seemed sensitive to the students' levels of understanding. He was also avaialable outside of class and many considered him a really nice guy. On the down side, he was found to be boring at times through lengthy explanations exacerbated by a slightly monotone voice.

Students spent an average of four to five hours per week on this class with a few spending as many as ten. The courseload consisted of two midterms, weekly problem sets and a final. The text was thought by some to be useful and comprehensive while others found it boring. The problem sets seemed appropriate but the midterms were thought to be a bit too easy by some respondents.

Students also had mixed reviews on the value of the class. Some thought that it was quite easy and thus spent little effort. Others found the material quite useful and were motivated to learn. In general though, the majority of respondents found the class quite easy.

In conclusion, AM 33 is an easy class that gives a useful introduction to ordinary differential equations. So if you're a science major and want an easy but worthwhile fifth course, consider AM33 with Professor Maxey.

View AM/0033 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.