Can you assess my course load this semester?

[Hercuflea]

Hi guys this semester I am graduating this semester with a math degree and I am for sure taking these four classes:

1. Real Analysis 1
2. Numerical analysis 2 (differential equations/pde's, more advanced methods than numerical methods 1)
3. Electrodynamics (griffiths)
4. Spanish literature (this is a class that I have to take to finish my minor in spanish. It's probably not hard just a pain in the butt due to having to write papers every week which will take away time from math and physics.)

I wanted to ask you all if you think adding General Topology would be too much to handle? What I am most worried about is taking general topology and real analysis at the same time. I am also a TA and in student government, and I do a few hours of undergraduate mathematics research per week. The topology course is probably around the level of Munkres, but would be taught in a Moore-method style and using the professor's notes.

 

[R136a1]

It's hard to answer this for you. Some will be able to handle it, others don't. Have you tried semesters with 5 classes already? How did you do? Did you make some kind of study schedule (saying how many hours each day/week you would spend on what)?

That said, topology and analysis complement each other nicely. The understanding of one topic should aid the other. So that's a good point.

On the other hand, I never took a Moore methods course, but it seems to be time intensive. And real analysis is not the easiest class ever. Do you have experience with proofs and epsilon-delta arguments already?

 

[heatengine516]

You're a math major, so do you even need Electrodynamics?

 

[Theorem.]

From my experiences, I wish I had taken Topology either as a prerequisite to analysis or as a co-requisite. Although it is perfectly possible to do well in analysis without topology, it is a beautiful subject that makes many of the arguments in analysis a lot clearer- as many arguments in analysis are topological.

 

[Hercuflea]

It's hard to answer this for you. Some will be able to handle it, others don't. Have you tried semesters with 5 classes already? How did you do? Did you make some kind of study schedule (saying how many hours each day/week you would spend on what)?

That said, topology and analysis complement each other nicely. The understanding of one topic should aid the other. So that's a good point.

On the other hand, I never took a Moore methods course, but it seems to be time intensive. And real analysis is not the easiest class ever. Do you have experience with proofs and epsilon-delta arguments already?

Well for example last semester I took numerical analysis 1, abstract algebra 1, plasma physics, and undergraduate mathematics research also TAing and student government and going to conferences and received all A's. We had to learn the epsilon-delta proof in numerical analysis. Also abstract algebra had a lot of proofs even though I hated the material itself.

You're a math major, so do you even need Electrodynamics?

Not for my major, but I will (fingers crossed) be doing plasma physics research in an engineering department next year in graduate school. I really appreciate pure mathematics and want to learn it, but I do not want to do a PhD in mathematics.

From my experiences, I wish I had taken Topology either as a prerequisite to analysis or as a co-requisite. Although it is perfectly possible to do well in analysis without topology, it is a beautiful subject that makes many of the arguments in analysis a lot clearer- as many arguments in analysis are topological.

This is what the topology professor told me. I really want to learn topology but would combining it with real analysis be overkill?

 

[mpresic]

I think Topology is overdoing it. This is your last undergraduate semester and if the coursework you are about to undertake is an indication of your earlier preparation, leave some time for fun. It looks like you deserve it. (P.S. I did space plasma physics research. I had functional analysis but no topology.)

 

[Hercuflea]

Thank you for your reply. I decided against topology. I am currently bogged down enough as it is with the others. However, I was accepted to UW-Madison for Nuclear Engineering! I might pick up topology or functional analysis later in grad school.