Maths course - subject choice advice

MoCara89

I am a third year student in UCC and i'm studying mathematical studies (not by choice). I am not very good at maths and have just been scraping passes over the last few years. The only reason i am studying it is because my degree requires an arts module aswell.....maths was obviously a bad choice.

For the following year I have to pick 1 out of the following 3 subjects:

(1) MS3001 Introduction to Abstract Algebra

Module Objective: To provide an overview of concepts of abstract algebra.

Module Content: Sets, relations, functions and equivalence relations. Elementary theory of groups.

Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
· Correctly use logical implications, negations, equivalences, in proving simple mathematical statements.
· Perform operations with sets and display their results in Venn diagrams.
· Discriminate when a relation is reflexive, symmetric, or transitive.
· Determine when a function is injective, surjective or bijective.
· Perform operations with permutations.
· Use the axiom system for groups in determining group structures and their properties.



(2) MS3003 Advanced Calculus

Module Objective: To provide an overview of further topics in calculus.

Module Content: Partial derivatives, tangent planes; infinite series; Fourier series.

Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
· use the chain rule to compute partial derivatives of functions of several variables;
· compute equations of tangent planes to two-dimensional surfaces;
· find and identify maxima, minima and saddle points of functions of two variables.
· determine if a sequence is increasing or decreasing;
· determine if a series is convergent or divergent using the comparison and ratio tests;
· test a power series to find its interval of convergence;
· compute simple Taylor and Maclaurin series. Find fundamental periods of simple functions;
· derive the standard formulas for the typical terms in Fourier series expansions;
· compute Fourier series of given functions and use convergent Fourier series to derive explicit formulas for the sums of series of constant terms.



(3) MS3011 Dynamical Systems

Module Objective: To provide an overview of dynamical systems and their application.

Module Content: Discrete time systems, fixed point and stability analysis, complex dynamics, applications.

Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
· Compute the iterates of a real or complex valued function of a single variable and the orbits of points,
· Determine the fixed and periodic points of such functions and the nature of these points,
· Investigate the dynamics of families of functions of a real variable,
· Determine the bifurcation points of such families of functions, in particular the families of logistic maps and tent maps,
· Sketch the Julia sets of elementary quadratic maps of a complex variable.



Does anyone have any advice on which one would best suit someone who is not very good at maths??

IHeartChemistry

To the above poster...this thread hasnt been posted in since 07 :P ZOmbie thread!

.E_C_K_S.

First post so we can hardly blame him/her.
At least they searched which can't be said for others around here.:D

Anyways, I don't do MS but MA so have had many for the lecturers before.

So I would suggest the following as an extreme alternative if you get no reply from MS students who have done these subjects before.

How about going to the class and see who teaches each subject? Bit of a pain I know. You can PM me if you don't want to post their names up and I'll tell ya who is good. This however would not tell you which subject will be easy hard however I know I'd prefer a tougher module taught well as oppose to a easier module taught badly.

rebel girl 15

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056391587 has details of a discussion on maths studies modules - the poster may actually also be in your year if you are doing the degree I think you maybe doing

Dynamical Systems would be your best bet, but it does depend on who is teaching the course this year!