physics themed math 135 @waterloo

[monkey]

Does anyone know which class of MATH 135 is the physics themed one? Which professor is teaching it?
I'm want to swap my math 135 for the physics themed one. I am already taking phys 121.
I refused to take the course during the core course selection since i wasnt sure if i wanted to take phys 121 at the time.

[endless]

im not sure of the prof, but i am pretty sure the physics option is for 137(calc) and not 135. perhaps that will clear it up.

[monkey]

sorry my mistake, you're right its math 137

[endless]

did you find it under 137 then?
if not, you may have to contact someone to try to get in.

[chrisbrown]

If you ask me, I would suggest that you stick with the regular 137. I took physics-based 137 and found it to be lacking in some areas compared to the regular version (from my experience, of course). They cover the same material, only less thoroughly, and to fill in the gaps they say, "Oh, by the way, here's how physics uses what we just tried to teach you." If you are taking 121, you will learn all that and much more, and you can spend more time learning calculus in your calculus lecture. The exams are the same except for a question or two, and I found that I was under-prepared because the prof spent more time explaining physics concepts than what was actually on the exam.

Also, the homework assignments are different, and if you have questions, it is much easier to find people taking regular 137.

That's just my experience.. Yours may be different, but I found that physics-based did nothing for me.

[endless]

good to hear, i was on the fence about that class and decided to stick with the regular one.

[hotwire]

It seems to be LEC 008 with Prof. Statsna, because the Schedule of Classes has a reserve for physics and mathematical physics students.

http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/infocour/salook.pl?sess=1099&level=under&subject=MATH&cournum=137

[monkey]

Thanks for the advice, methodoxx. I guess I'll just stick with the regular 137. I have another question for you since you took 121. How necessary is the lab component of 121 (121L)?

[chrisbrown]

The lab is only required for science faculty students. As a math student, I didn't bother taking it but I have friends who did. It really depends on your enthusiasm for physics as well as your time management abilities. Personally, I had enough going on with 5 courses and wouldn't want any more work on top of that (but then again, I'm not the most ambitious guy at UW). I guess it might help you with the concepts if you struggle in physics, but if you feel comfortable, I would say don't bother.

BTW, good call on the 137 choice.

[chrisbrown]

On a more general note of advice:
This isn't high school; you can't just go to class and expect to pass your exams without studying and doing assignments. I made that mistake and paid dearly with both time (in the form of repeated classes) and money (in the form of money).
Do yourself a favour and commit yourself to your studies. Go to every class and do every assignment for each course. I promise you'll thank yourself when it's over.