Professor
Siddarth Kannan
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2023 - For Math 61, Prof. Kannan is a good professor. The class itself is very different from other math classes since it requires developing a good intuition for combinatorics, recurrence relations, graph theory, induction, etc. and homeworks and tests require a lot of formal proofs (make sure to exactly follow the professor's wording word for word otherwise simply exchanging "where x > 0" for "for x > 0" for example can get points docked off). Kannan's lecture notes are superb especially if you missed (something during) lecture. Homeworks are pretty heavy and I would recommend visiting the SMC and definitely attending discussion for this class. (Shout out to Elias Manuelides for being really good at putting counting problems in laypeople's terms!) Taking this class along with Stats 100A can help you understand the first half of that class. Overall, his tests follow the practice exam's formats pretty closely, just keep an eye out for edge case true/false questions as a single word makes a huge difference. This is not an easy math class, homeworks take a long time to do, but I feel like it teaches a different and valuable way of approaching problems and if it's required to take this Prof. Kannan is a good choice.
Fall 2023 - For Math 61, Prof. Kannan is a good professor. The class itself is very different from other math classes since it requires developing a good intuition for combinatorics, recurrence relations, graph theory, induction, etc. and homeworks and tests require a lot of formal proofs (make sure to exactly follow the professor's wording word for word otherwise simply exchanging "where x > 0" for "for x > 0" for example can get points docked off). Kannan's lecture notes are superb especially if you missed (something during) lecture. Homeworks are pretty heavy and I would recommend visiting the SMC and definitely attending discussion for this class. (Shout out to Elias Manuelides for being really good at putting counting problems in laypeople's terms!) Taking this class along with Stats 100A can help you understand the first half of that class. Overall, his tests follow the practice exam's formats pretty closely, just keep an eye out for edge case true/false questions as a single word makes a huge difference. This is not an easy math class, homeworks take a long time to do, but I feel like it teaches a different and valuable way of approaching problems and if it's required to take this Prof. Kannan is a good choice.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2024 - This was the most challenging math course I've ever taken. I took this course after receiving an A+ in Math 115A and was humbled; my advice is to only take this course if you love proofs, theory, and desire a challenge. The homework assignments are manageable, and the lectures are (for the most part) a heavy review of 115A content within a more theoretical framework. Lecture notes are great so attendance in lecture is not necessary unless you want to ask questions. The exams are extremely challenging and make up a majority of your grade. The homework and lectures on their own are not sufficient to prepare for the exams, so a strong understanding of all the theorems is absolutely necessary to pass. I would recommend concept mapping and discussing in a study group. Luckily, Kannan is a great guy and genuinely wants his students to succeed; he is more than willing to help if you reach out.
Winter 2024 - This was the most challenging math course I've ever taken. I took this course after receiving an A+ in Math 115A and was humbled; my advice is to only take this course if you love proofs, theory, and desire a challenge. The homework assignments are manageable, and the lectures are (for the most part) a heavy review of 115A content within a more theoretical framework. Lecture notes are great so attendance in lecture is not necessary unless you want to ask questions. The exams are extremely challenging and make up a majority of your grade. The homework and lectures on their own are not sufficient to prepare for the exams, so a strong understanding of all the theorems is absolutely necessary to pass. I would recommend concept mapping and discussing in a study group. Luckily, Kannan is a great guy and genuinely wants his students to succeed; he is more than willing to help if you reach out.