MATH 4220

PDEs with Professor Grujic was an enjoyable experience. The class itself primarily focuses on 3 different Partial Differential Equations that we got real intimate with, as well as starting the semester with a bit of ODE theory and ending with a unique type of equation different than the rest. Each chapter involving a specific equation was formulaic to a point, with the theory itself being covered, followed by doing it in 1-D on an interval, 1-D on an infinite interval (or types of infinite intervals), learning alternate ways to solve an equation (such as by the Kernel or Method of Characteristics, for example), then briefly touching (if at all) on multi-variate versions. Professor himself is a genuine pleasure to be in class with, as he is very passionate as well as funny. He can get a little confused at his own notes sometimes, and he sometimes lacks the "motivation" to write out all of the work of examples, but those are relatively smaller issues. I would also say that as we progressed throughout the course, less time was spent on each chapter (I would assume due to the general similarities of each equation), which meant that some of the novelties of the second and third PDE covered were somewhat swept under the rug and left me with a lesser understanding compared to earlier content. The homeworks are simple enough and the exams are much like the homework questions, with one decently theoretical question per exam (and you get a cheat-sheet on the exams). Overall though he is a great professor and I would recommend taking this class, or any DE class, with him.

Zoran was an amazing professor for this class. I took ODE with him the spring before I took this class so I had some experience with his teaching style. I also was able to get a B in this class with no formal linear algebra experience. So while his teaching style may take some getting used to, this class is actually quite manageable. All that being said, I really see no point in taking this class if you are not a physics major or really really wanting to do it for a math elective.

Zoran Grujic is a mess, but is fun to watch. Office hours are usually more helpful than lecture, and the textbook is usually more helpful than either of those. Skipping class and doing well is a possibility, provided you read the textbook. I feel like I learned very little; each section was effectively the same problem with a slight variation, and all were solved using roughly the same method. Exams are hard but fair, and a cheat sheet is allowed. If you're considering this class, you probably have to take it, but given the choice, I would avoid it.