Does anyone know how to read vectors?

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The discussion revolves around interpreting a college course catalog format that lists courses with their credits and a "vector" notation. Participants express confusion over the meaning of the vector, which is suggested to represent the distribution of lecture, lab, and recitation hours. One interpretation posits that the numbers indicate expected hours for lectures and labs, while another suggests it may relate to different academic paths or focuses within a subject. The term "vector" itself is debated, with some finding it misleading or confusing. Suggestions include contacting a professor for clarification, highlighting the importance of understanding course structures for academic planning. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the need for clear definitions in academic catalogs to aid student comprehension.
flyingpig
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Like in my college, courses often are written in a list like this


Name = Credits = Vector

Math = 3 = [0-3-1]

How do you read it?
 
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What the hell??
 
I certainly thought I did until I read this...
 
S_Happens said:
I certainly thought I did until I read this...


LOL, my thoughts exactly.
 
Isn't that just course weight?

Usually, [3-1-0] could mean that you're expected to attend 3 lecture hours, study for about 1 hour, and you have 0 hours of labs. It was like that at my former college.
 
flyingpig said:
Like in my college,

Then you should ask somebody at your college what it means. I suspect it probably means something like "3 hours lecture, 1 hour lab, 0 hours recitation." Or maybe "3 hours lecture, 1 hour recitation, 0 hours lab." Or maybe "3 hours lab, 1 hour lecture, 0 hours recitation." Or maybe...
 
I don't know who to ask, I am away from my college's city right now.

Each lecture runs an hour and a half long but we have it three times a week. No such thing as recitation in our college, there aer labs which does run 1 hr
 
flyingpig said:
I don't know who to ask, I am away from my college's city right now.

Each lecture runs an hour and a half long but we have it three times a week. No such thing as recitation in our college, there aer labs which does run 1 hr
Well... not us. Whatever that is, it's probably something specific to your college.

Also it really irks me that it's called a "vector."
 
diazona said:
Well... not us. Whatever that is, it's probably something specific to your college.

Also it really irks me that it's called a "vector."

But it is a 1-d array of numbers!
 
  • #10
zcd said:
But it is a 1-d array of numbers!

...and the norm represents how much time you spent on the class!

[randomfact] In C++, a vector is just a 1D array of any object[/randomfact]
 
  • #11
ideasrule said:
...and the norm represents how much time you spent on the class!

[randomfact] In C++, a vector is just a 1D array of any object[/randomfact]
I guess that usage is grandfathered into my psyche :-p
 
  • #12
Can't you shoot a professor an email and ask?

Any professor?
 
  • #13
gb7nash said:
Can't you shoot a professor an email and ask?

Any professor?

For some reason that's what popped out at me reading that post...:eek:
 
  • #14
lisab said:
For some reason that's what popped out at me reading that post...:eek:

Well, maybe then you could ask as you're being dragged away to jail.
 
  • #15
lisab said:
For some reason that's what popped out at me reading that post...:eek:

This thought occurred to me as well. :biggrin:
 
  • #16
flyingpig said:
Like in my college, courses often are written in a list like thisName = Credits = Vector

Math = 3 = [0-3-1]

How do you read it?

I'll take a stab at it...

I'm guessing that you're referring to a course catalog published by your university? I'm also going to assume that you're not using the standard, mathematical definition for the '=' sign because I can't see any reasonable equivalence between the names, numbers, and symbols in your post.

Since the word "vector" can, essentially, mean a course or direction, is there a legend on the catalog that would explain why the '1' has been assigned to the math course to which you're referring? Perhaps there are different "directions/paths" one can follow that would correspond to specific courses? (Pure, Applied, Discrete, etc.)

For example, math courses that are typically taken when pursuing a degree in pure/general mathematics might be assigned a "vector" value of '1'. Then, when the student is looking through the catalog, they can easily identify electives/prerequisites that would be congruent with their educational goals.

That's the only interpretation I can come up with at the moment.
 

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