18.212
Table of contents
- Course Info
- Realistic Prerequisites
- Subject Matter
- Course Staff
- Lectures
- Problem Sets
- Exams
- Resources
- Grading
- Advice to Future Students
- Syllabus
Course Info
| Class Size | 32 |
| Hours/Week | 6.4 (15 responses) |
| Instructors | Alexander Postnikov (Lecturer) |
| # of Responses to Course 18 Underground Questions | 15/32 |
Realistic Prerequisites
- Basic combinatorics knowledge was important, particularly bijections.
- Experience with writing proofs and math competitions was useful.
Subject Matter
- Theoretical, with some applications.
- Topics studied are broad, and are gone over deeply.
Course Staff
- The professor was happy to answer questions and understanding. Also, the professor was very knowledgable about the course material.
Lectures
- The lectures were at a good pace, maybe slightly slow.
- A lot of good examples.
Problem Sets
- Needed to do 5 problems from 15-20 problems given in a problem set, 3 problem sets in total.
- Fun problems requiring creativity, and lectures were enough to complete.
Exams
- No exams.
Resources
- Lecture notes which were very good, some optional textbooks.
Grading
- The grading was lenient and fair, with grades being mostly A’s.
- Only needing to do 5 problems from each problem set to get A was clear.
Advice to Future Students
- “Ask questions! Prof. Postnikov frequently pauses and asks if things make sense or if anyone has questions. Typically many strong students will nod along and follow just fine, but Postnikov is aware there are students without that background and is very happy to go over any concepts.”
- “Just enjoy the material and ask lots of questions!”
Syllabus
Click here for the course’s syllabus.