Professor: Hesthaven Course format: Lecture Number of respondents: 18 Total Enrollment: 24 Class Composition: Froshs: 0 Sophs: 19 Jrs: 1 Srs: 3 Concs: 2 Non-Concs: 16 Don't Know: 0

Instructor Average: 1.44 Course Average: 1.50

The goal of “Methods of Applied Mathematics II,” taught by Professor Hesthaven, is to learn how to use matrices to solve, manipulate, and work with differential equations. The predecessor to this course, AM 33, was the only formal prerequisite, but having a solid background in MatLab was very valuable as well.

Professor Hesthaven’s lectures were quite appreciated. He reviewed topics thoroughly at the beginning of every class, a method which helped students understand even the most confusing of topics. He was very enthusiastic about the material, and was able to make the course very enjoyable with his precise organization. In addition, his examples were clear and thorough, although some complained that they were too few in number. He also was very receptive to the needs of individual students, and was always available to help foster an understanding of the material.

There were weekly problem sets, in addition to a single midterm as well as a final. These were generally seen as being useful, although some wished that one or two of the harder homework problems were taught or reviewed in class. The students also considered the textbook very useful, saying that it included more than enough to help them understand the material if they ever had to miss a lecture.

Most of the reviewers said that they spent from five to eight hours working on this course every week. This seemed to slightly exceed the expectations of many of the students. Regardless, if you have any desire to work with differential equations or to learn how to use MatLab, then this is the course for you.

View AM/0034 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.