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shootermcgavin7 · 08-31-2006, 04:19 AM

Notation pisses me off.

Discuss.

Jhai · 08-31-2006, 04:21 AM

I'm working through Varian right now, and the notation is sometimes a bit tricky, but it gets easier with time & practice.

asquare · 08-31-2006, 04:55 AM

shootermcgavin, the first grad class I sat in on (thankfully, before I was a grad student!!) terrified me. I had a pretty weak math background, but the biggest obstacle was the notation. Actually, it wasn't even complicated notation -- just so many symbols I'd never seen before that I was spending all of my time decoding the board and none of it keeping up with the concepts. It was like learning a foreign language for me.

Later, once I knew the basic symbols, I was "lucky" enough to run into a couple of professors who used truly terrible notation. They switched sub- and super-scripts, were inconsistent in the cases for scalars and matrices, and had all sorts of insane indexes. It's enough to make your head spin.

When used correctly, mathematical notation is convenient shorthand. And the trick is to focus on the concepts and not worry too much about the details/notation in class, and then go back and fill in or correct your notes later. Don't let it become an issue of not seeing the forest for the trees -- just let the notation slide a little and make sure you understand the big picture. (But do be sure to go back and work out a notation that makes sense to you once you get the concepts, because on exams and such, you do need to be able to express things clearly.) And I totally hear you -- it's really frustrating to deal with in the beginning or when you have a sloppy professor!

shootermcgavin7 · 08-31-2006, 05:10 AM

I don't mind it as long as it is consistent. But it never is.

In my Econometrics I (first course in the PhD series), we are using Casella/Berger.

Last year, the Hogg/McKean/Craig book was used.

Coincidentally, all of the professor's notes are use the same notation used in HMC, and Casella/Berger's notation is completely different.

There's a 3rd notation that is used on the problem sets.

The professor is actually a very good instructor, it is just when I re-read the lessons (or get stuck on a problem and go back to the book) its a huge pain in the *** to have to substitute notation.

"Notation" in general doesn't bother me, the Linear Alg II course I'm taking has notation that I've never seen before (My linear I course was at a different school), but the book & professor use the same stuff, so I have no problem following.

It sure is a pain in the ***, though.

asquare · 08-31-2006, 05:25 AM

Ah, yes. In my metrics class last year, we used two text books. (Wooldridge and Hayashi). They use substantially different notation. And our professor used completely different notation than either book. (In fact, she used completely different notation than herself from one day to the next, but that's a different story entirely...)

butler blue · 08-31-2006, 05:38 AM

I just remember when my Calc AP teacher in high school wrote a paragraph on the board entirely in notation and shorthand saying, "Someday you'll be able to read this." I didn't believe her. Now, I look at my notes for Analysis and Topology and realize that I've been subverted.

08-31-2006, 04:19 AM	#1 (permalink)
shootermcgavin7 Within my grasp! Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 498	Mathematical notation Notation pisses me off. Discuss.

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08-31-2006, 04:21 AM	#2 (permalink)
Jhai Within my grasp! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Greencastle, IN Posts: 312	I'm working through Varian right now, and the notation is sometimes a bit tricky, but it gets easier with time & practice.

08-31-2006, 04:55 AM	#3 (permalink)
asquare TestMagic Guru Moderator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ann Arbor Posts: 1,381	shootermcgavin, the first grad class I sat in on (thankfully, before I was a grad student!!) terrified me. I had a pretty weak math background, but the biggest obstacle was the notation. Actually, it wasn't even complicated notation -- just so many symbols I'd never seen before that I was spending all of my time decoding the board and none of it keeping up with the concepts. It was like learning a foreign language for me. Later, once I knew the basic symbols, I was "lucky" enough to run into a couple of professors who used truly terrible notation. They switched sub- and super-scripts, were inconsistent in the cases for scalars and matrices, and had all sorts of insane indexes. It's enough to make your head spin. When used correctly, mathematical notation is convenient shorthand. And the trick is to focus on the concepts and not worry too much about the details/notation in class, and then go back and fill in or correct your notes later. Don't let it become an issue of not seeing the forest for the trees -- just let the notation slide a little and make sure you understand the big picture. (But do be sure to go back and work out a notation that makes sense to you once you get the concepts, because on exams and such, you do need to be able to express things clearly.) And I totally hear you -- it's really frustrating to deal with in the beginning or when you have a sloppy professor!

08-31-2006, 05:10 AM	#4 (permalink)
shootermcgavin7 Within my grasp! Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 498	I don't mind it as long as it is consistent. But it never is. In my Econometrics I (first course in the PhD series), we are using Casella/Berger. Last year, the Hogg/McKean/Craig book was used. Coincidentally, all of the professor's notes are use the same notation used in HMC, and Casella/Berger's notation is completely different. There's a 3rd notation that is used on the problem sets. The professor is actually a very good instructor, it is just when I re-read the lessons (or get stuck on a problem and go back to the book) its a huge pain in the * to have to substitute notation. "Notation" in general doesn't bother me, the Linear Alg II course I'm taking has notation that I've never seen before (My linear I course was at a different school), but the book & professor use the same stuff, so I have no problem following. It sure is a pain in the *, though.

08-31-2006, 05:25 AM	#5 (permalink)
asquare TestMagic Guru Moderator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ann Arbor Posts: 1,381	Ah, yes. In my metrics class last year, we used two text books. (Wooldridge and Hayashi). They use substantially different notation. And our professor used completely different notation than either book. (In fact, she used completely different notation than herself from one day to the next, but that's a different story entirely...)

08-31-2006, 05:38 AM	#6 (permalink)
butler blue Within my grasp! Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 438	I just remember when my Calc AP teacher in high school wrote a paragraph on the board entirely in notation and shorthand saying, "Someday you'll be able to read this." I didn't believe her. Now, I look at my notes for Analysis and Topology and realize that I've been subverted.

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