MAE 3710

Like the previous reviewers have stated, this class consists of online YouTube lecture videos every week, hw problems from the textbook, and in-class discussion/practice problems. The way to succeed in this class is to watch all of the videos religiously every week. Do not skip that step. Then, go to the class, at least the Wednesday class, because the Wednesday class is where Benny and Carl discuss practice problems similar to the test. The Monday class is for reviewing tricky hw problems. Then, be prepared to spend the entire week working on the midterm or final exam when it is released. If you can put in the work to understand the basic concepts tested on the homework as well as put in the time for the exam, then you are in a good place in this class. Carl is really good at explaining difficult concepts in class, so again, please at least go to the Wednesday classes.

I feel that everything to be said about this class has already been stated. This class is taught very well but can be very difficult at times. The course material is mildly interesting, first building a strong mathematical background (lots of ode's and complex analysis) for the students and later on applying it to problems you'd see in dynamics. The tests are incredibly time-consuming and will have you absolutely reeling after you turn them in, and the homework assignments are frequent and somewhat tedious to finish. Pro tip: the lecture notes, which are very well put together and admittedly quite entertaining, are all on YouTube (UVA Mechanical Systems). You'll do yourself a HUGE favor if you copy down literally every single one of them during the summer so you can have 6 extra hours of free time during the weekends. This class is definitely quite hard, but still somewhat doable.