MTH1030: Techniques for Modelling

Support class participation (5%)
You get 3% by turning up to at least 8 of the 12 support classes during semester. The other 2% comes from 'participation', but I don't think the tutors were too strict on this, so as long as you attended class regularly, you should get the whole 5%.

Mid-semester test (8.75%)
This was a 1-hour test completed during the week 7 support class. 5 questions, 50 marks. A mock test was provided on Moodle, and the format of the actual test was the same, with minor variations in the questions.

3 x assignments (8.75% each, 26.25% total)
Assignments were typically released 2 weeks prior to their due date. It was recommended that the Mathematica program be used for completing these assignments, as the calculations involved were often complicated (e.g. had numbers to many decimal places). Some people gave on learning Mathematica though, and opted for pen and paper instead . The assignments involved more extended response-type questions, rather than simple calculations. Submission was hardcopy via a dropbox in the math building. Typically returned to you in your support class 2 weeks after submission.

End of semester exam (60%)
The end of semester exam consisted of 12 questions (120 marks) in 2 hours. Hurdle requirement of 40% (on the exam) to pass the unit. Burkard also ran a revision lecture two days before the exam. The recording was for 3 hours, but the actual lecture ran for even longer.

A continuation of MTH1020, or for those who completed VCE Specialist Math, you can also choose to jump into math at Monash via this unit (as a side note: if you do MTH1030, you can't subsequently complete MTH1020 ). This is a prerequisite for MTH2010, which in itself is a prerequisite for all (Science) math majors at Monash. The unit starts off gently into a revision and extension of vectors, and then moves further into linear algebra (planes, lines, elementary operations, linear transformations, eigenvectors/values). Linear algebra takes up the first and last 3 weeks (6 weeks total) of the lecture content, while the middle 6 weeks were taken up by calculus. The topics in calculus included: series/sequences and their applications, integration by parts, first and second order linear differential equations. As always, try your best to keep up to date with content in this unit, you'll thank yourself for it later Also definitely attend the support classes, they're very useful (and also marked!) in allowing collaboration with peers (especially if you're unsure about a topic), and you can also seek help from a tutor if necessary. The Maths Learning Centre in the maths building is also there to help you throughout semester.

A/Prof Burkard Polster [unit co-ordinator] - A highly enthuisiastic and engaging lecturer, who always had some math-related gimmick/toy/video clip to show us every lecture. Always willing to stick around after a lecture to answer questions.

None, but a mock exam (with answers) was made available on Moodle. The difficulty of the actual exam was probably a bit harder than the mock.

4 out of 5. A well-run unit, with fair assessment.

Yes, with screen capture

I never actually looked at these textbooks, these are simply the ones listed in the unit guide. The problem sets and lectures notes provide plenty questions/examples to work off of, but if you're looking for extra practise/detail, you might find these textbooks helpful.

• Elementary Linear Algebra (11e) by Anton & Rorres.
• Calculus, Early Transcendentals (6/7e) by Stewart. This text was also recommended in MTH1020.

Per week: 3 x 1 hour lectures, 1 x 2 hour support class (tutorial)

We were already given the full set of lecture notes for all topics at the start of the semester. Lectures simply complement what's written in the notes - lectures don't cover everything, just a most important points. It's always best to read the complete notes as well.

Like other mathematics units at Monash, the weekly support classes involved working in small groups on problem sets about the last week's topic on the whiteboards in the presence of a tutor. Attendance was marked (more on this later).

Semester 1, 2018.
Note: the structure of the unit may vary depending on who the coordinator is that semester. Check the most current unit guide for specifics if you're intending on doing this unit in the future.

Not yet available

Yes, a few. Maths peps only allowed to give one solution

4.5/5

Yes, no screen capture (they may change it next year)

(per week)

• 3x 1 hour lectures
• 1x 2 hour support class

80 HD