APMA 2501

Despite what everyone else says, this class is no longer a "free A" (the instructor said this himself too), but still not a hard class to obtain an A. This class was supposed to be one of my easier classes for the semester but ended up being one of the harder ones material wise. You really don't have a lot of work for the class -- about 1 homework per week, 10 questions, but 10 questions seeing if you can apply the material to other situations. Other than the homework, the majority of my time I spent for this class was just reviewing material (watching lectures, going over notes, going over past homeworks). As for the instructor, he was definitely one of my favorites at UVA. He is super enthusiastic and always open to questions and helping you. He also takes the time to get to know his students instead of just lecturing the entire block. Overall this class isn't that bad if you attend class and take good notes (which I'll admit, I sometimes slacked off throughout the semester).

Farzad is a great professor - he's very knowledgeable and it's evident that he has great passion for the subject. This class is quite literally a buffet of various math topics, ranging from set theory, probability, and even linear algebra. These math topics are used when learning about how information is stored, processed, and transmitted. We delved into topics such as sampling/quantization, entropy (in a mathematical sense, not chem/phys), data transmission, error detection/correction, etc. As a CS major, I found this class really interesting - it's a great Math/Science elective for CS/CpE/EE majors.

However, don't let the name "elective" fool you. This class is by no means easy, and the topics can sometimes go by really quickly (the linear algebra unit in particular).

That being said, his exams were fair but can sometimes be graded a bit harshly. Some of the homeworks were a bit lengthy, but they provided great practice for topics taught in class. The homeworks were also a really helpful resource for studying for exams. It's great that the homeworks are worth 25% of your grade, and TAs are really lenient in grading HWs.

Overall, Math of Info is a great class, but be prepared to put in the work as well.

Not a bad class. Great teacher. The work was usually fair. Lecture can be a bit dry at times. Only thing that is annoying is that they are a bit harsh when taking points off on exams. A simple true/false question being wrong can be -2.

Beware though, this class is more math based than engineering. This is one of those classes where you learn a good chunk in lecture.

This class is great if you're really interested in the math behind information and computer systems. The professor really does a great job of teaching the material and has this nice awkward sense of humor that makes class interesting. The class is not an easy A, but is more of an easy B+ if you keep on top of things. If you've taken linear algebra or probability, you'll most likely breeze through this class, as much of the latter part of the semester covers topics in these courses. If you're looking for a relatively easy and non-intensive math/science elective, I'd recommend this one. #tCFspring2022

Mathematics of Information

I honestly really enjoyed this course and would recommend it. As someone studying CS, I really appreciated how it tied together some concepts from different courses (for example, we discussed sets at the same time as doing them in discrete math, and spoke about binary at the same time as in CS2150 [also we discussed Huffman Codes at the same time as 2150]). The tagline of the course is "how information is stored, represented, and transmitted," and is a pretty interesting concept which the professor does a good job of covering in good detail. He also really does listen to feedback and takes it seriously.

I need to mention that this is not an "easy" elective course. Farzad has a reputation for not letting classes out early, and on the one occasion he had to cancel due to sickness, he scheduled makeup lectures covering new material. But the tests and homeworks are fair, and he works to make sure the grades end up evenly aligned (i.e. the median score on one exam was 74%, he gave the opportunity to work in pairs to re-do the exam, open note, for up to an additional 10% on your grade - so a 74% would become an 84%). The course website is thorough and helpful, as are the TAs. Overall, definitely a good course to take, especially for someone interested in computer science or computer engineering.

#tCFspring2022

This review is for 2501 Mathematics of Information. Prof. Farzad is very knowledgeable and it shows when he teaches. He is passionate and can answer any question. I took this class virtually and this class does not translate well to the online format as he did not hold lectures, instead, he basically left us to learn by ourselves (He still had office hours).

As a first-year, the content was intense but in the end, I felt that I learned so much that it was worth it. You get a taste of so many unique topics it's like a buffet! The exams were fair and similar to the weekly homework. I would have loved to take this class in person. Highly recommend this class, especially if you're majoring in anything related to computers!

#tCFspring2021

I took this class online and I found it to be easier to learn the concepts than if it were in person. He released notes and embedded exercises every Sunday and Tuesday, and the exercises were due Monday and Wednesday. Then, he would have an office-hour style lecture on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We would also have a homework assignment that is due on Friday. Being a special topics course, it is very broad but has an underlying theme of transmitting, storing, and visualizing information. You will learn mathematical concepts such as set theory, proof techniques, fields, probability/counting, expectation, variance, Markov chains, linear algebra, complex numbers, and Fourier analysis. These mathematical concepts are then applied and connected to information(quantization, sampling, entropy/uncertainty, data compression, communications, error detection/correction, frequency domain/spectrum, linear systems, and modulation). These topics are also in classes including, but not limited to, Discrete Math, Digital Logic Design, FUN series, CS 2150, Probability, Linear Algebra, and other CS/ECE electives. Because this is a intro level course, the topics included are explained in a way which is not extremely complex. Nevertheless, it can be difficult looking at it the first time. I would say this class gets easier over time. Farzad is a pretty good lecturer and gives very detailed explanations if you ask him questions. However, he is very slow when replying to emails so I would recommend asking questions on Piazza. Also, he decided to change the style of learning near the end of the semester which threw many people off(no more notes and exercises, only lectures). Despite this, he is a very nice guy and very understanding. The midterms can range from easy to moderately difficult and the final was definitely a step up from the midterms. Even if you do poorly on a exam, he provides ways that you can improve your grade with several opportunities for bonus points by participating. He even curves the grades at the end of the semester. Overall, it was an interesting, rewarding course, and I would recommend CS/CpE/EE majors to take this course for your Math/Sci elective.