Math 318
Calculus of Several Variables
Selected topics for functions of several variables involving some matrix algebra and presented at a level of rigor intermediate between that of Calculus III and higher level analysis courses. Students may not receive credit toward a mathematics major or minor for both Math 308 and 318. Prerequisites: Math 233 and Math 309 (not concurrent). Math 310 is a recommended but not required prerequisite.
Instructors
Alvaro Pelayo, Brian Blank, Gregory Knese, Jesus Sanchez, Laura Escobar Vega, Michael Hartz, Quo-Shin Chi, Richard Rochberg, Silas Johnson, Songhao Li, Tyler Bongers, Yanli Song, Zhenghui Huo
Reviews
Full disclaimer: I'm don't like math too much. So I found his lectures to be a bit dry and long-winded, but given the context of Zoom classes, he really made a strong effort to explain the bigger concepts while using concrete examples which i appreciated. Best thing about him is that he held multiple office hours a week and was extremely accessible
12/28/2020
Maybe one of the worst professors Ive had. The longest, most difficult and ridiculous homework assignments assigned weekly, a terrible textbook with typos, a brutal grader, and an overall confusing instructor. Always made concepts seem more confusing than they were, and hes not understand of student needs. Would not recommend personally.
3/15/2020
Lectures were confusing, and content was extremely difficult. He seems to prefer putting students in their place over helping them learn. He is not really willing to help students outside of class, if you go to office hours you'll just be told to figure it out yourself. CHOOSE ANOTHER PROF IF YOU CAN.
2/7/2020
Just whatever you do dont take a class that he teaches. He doesnt respect that students are not as knowledgeable as him and doesnt know how to explain concepts in a way that doesnt go right over students heads. Office hours are not that useful, spent about 20 hours per week on HOMEWORK. Dont do it to yourself.
1/15/2020
Bongers was a fantastic professor and easily the best math professor I have had at WashU. He is great for people who actually want to understand math at a conceptual level in addition to learning computations. His class was difficult but if you went to class (his lectures are really helpful and well explained) and pay attention, you can do well.
12/16/2019
Bongers gives really long homework assignments. His lectures are fine. His office hours are ok, depends on the day. Some days he will help; other days he wants you to figure it out yourself. Take home exams are very difficult. Expect to spend a lot of time on his class.
12/15/2019
Professor Johnson is a gem. Although the weekly homework was hard, he was very accessible at office hours and would help you through work without just giving you the answer. The midterms were take home, but you could work with him in office hours. The final was 40% of your grade but wasn't super hard and modeled directly off of the practice exam.
6/8/2019
Great professor - lectures are clear and easy to take notes. HWs are a bit tough but you will be ok as long as you go to his office hours. Exams are very similar to practice exams and HWs. Overall, you could get an A as long as you do your work. Michael is a great prof and I would definitely recommend his class.
5/11/2018
While Professor Huo was at times not the best lecturer, he really cares about his students and was always extremely helpful in office hours. He was always ready and willing to clear things up outside of class and was great 1-on-1. The HW was manageable and the tests were written in such a way that I always felt prepared. 10/10 would recommend.
7/26/2017
He's an all right professor overall. Unlike some math professors, he is a very approachable guy and responds to emails pretty quickly. His lectures get confusing, but he types his HW/practice exam solutions very thoroughly, which is where the bulk of my learning took place.
12/23/2016
He's got a great sense of humor in class and lectures were pretty clear. The homeworks could be pretty tough at times, but the exams were not bad at all as long as you were comfortable with the theorems and concepts. He's a good lecturer and much better than most of the math professors I've had at WashU. Definitely would take a class with him again
5/5/2016
Incredibly unclear and unwilling to help. Literally made fun of me for not understanding a concept when I came to his office hours for help. Anything that a whole class doesn't understand he just writes off as "trivial" and moves on. Avoid taking a class with him at all costs.
1/22/2016
Keep asking “Do you follow me?" but not explaining proofs quite well. Only several students follow while others are confused
2/21/2014
Professor Pelayo is a good professor who cares about his students. He is helpful during office hours or just asking him a quick question after class. Tests are not difficult and relatively fair. I would recommend taking Math 318 with him.
11/23/2012
The worst professor I've ever had. His lectures are boring (and you don't expect much from math lecturers in the first place) and completely useless. He fumbles through notes and writes inaccuracies on the board all hour long, taking so long to figure out what he did that he covers no substantive material. Avoid if at all possible.
8/31/2007
Great prof. Helpful, up-to-the-point lectures. A lot of helpful examples in class. Exams and grading scheme are very reasonable. Learned a lot from this class. He is also very helpful outside of class and is very flexible.
5/17/2007
great prof.. his lecture always make me smile silently :))
3/10/2007
I love this guy! He is entertaining, and he makes Variable Calc an enjoyable experience. I recommend taking Math 318.
2/10/2007
Super nice guy. Super helpful in office hours. Pretty dry lecturer, and kind of confusing. Just walks in and writes proofs on the board for an hour, doesnt stop for people to ask questions. Not too hard though and once again a super nice, helpful guy.
4/24/2005