Alex Mahalov - Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

Professor: Alex Mahalov

Department: Mathematics

College: Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Mahalov is a very nice guy. His class is super easy, especially if you've taken classes like Calc 3 or Diff Eq before, most of it is review material from those courses. The exams are super easy, cheat sheets allowed from each exam, so 1 on the first and 3 on the final. The homework is long and has a lot of unnecessary proofs. Otherwise easy.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Mahalov's hilarious and does a great job getting you to understand linear algebra rather than focusing on mundane operational tasks. The tests are ridiculously easy.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

The professor has a sense of humor that he uses to make the class more interesting. He's great at explaining things and really loves it when you ask questions. There were three tests and for all the tests we were allowed cheat sheets so you basically don't have to memorize any equation type thing - just know how to use it.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Mahalov does an excellent job of tying linear algebra into a cohesive concept. His class is very proof-heavy, but he doesn't require formal proofs so don't worry about it too much. His class is easy, but that's because he's so good, not because he makes the material easier. You'll never see an unfamiliar problem on a test.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

By far the best professor you can take for Linear Algebra. He definitely knows his stuff and will make sure you understand the material. He allows a page of notes for his exams and the questions are identical to in class examples.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Mahalov is very easy going. He is willing to negotiate certain due dates with the class. He does review a lot and allows cheat sheets. Focus on test reviews to do well. Attendance quizzes were usually given when someone left early. Very funny. Highly recommend.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Loved Linear Algebra with him. Lectures can be a little dull, but he always reviews what you need to know at the beginning, and he's pretty funny. He does attendance quizzes randomly, but other than that attendance isn't mandatory and his lectures usually cover everything you need from the book. Just make sure you turn in your hw on time.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

The guy is funny and always starts class with reviewing basic linear algebra, even three months in. The grader he uses for hmwk is harsh. Attendance was not mandatory, but he has attendance quizzes for points such that you should just show up anyways. I also didn't need to write proofs for this class. Very personable. Allows cheat sheets for tests.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

As a math major, I felt this course wasn't super rigorous when it came to explanations. It starts off really slow. He gives a lot of homework every week(I'm averaging 8 pages front and back) and there are proof questions on the HW when he doesn't explain proof-writing in class. Would recommend taking MAT 300 first before this course.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

The homework's are difficult and no partial credit is given. His tests are similar to example problems done in class. The most difficult part of the course is the amount of time the homework takes and the weight of the homework w/ no partial credit. Overall, a really good and funny Linear Algebra professor. You will learn a lot from this course.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Loads and loads of homework from the textbook, which must be done on paper. Homework is very hard & weighted heavily. May be a plus for some. Will take hours if you want to do it right because prof. expects no calculator use (crazy for linear algebra, which relies on heavy manual computation). Funny guy though, very friendly.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MAT343
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Best math professor I have ever had. He was quirky and knows math extremely well. My friends and I loved being in his class, and I would recommend him to anyone!

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MAT343
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I was told before taking this class that it was extremely easy. Not so, in my opinion. Dr. Mahalov is good overall, although his writing is unclear often. He writes his test reviews in his handwriting. The board is difficult to read in class also. Homeworks are long and require help in the tutoring center. Be prepared to work a lot each week!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: MAT343
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Easiest math class, I've taken at ASU. The homework is infinitely harder than the tests. However, he is HIGHLY inefficient and will teach stay on the same topic for awhile. Could have covered more material, but he practically does every hw problem on the bored which is time consuming.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

342 was a pretty easy class. Mahalov allows cheat sheets for all of his tests which makes the tests easy because some of the problems are similar to homework problems. Attendance is somewhat mandatory because he sometimes takes attendance when there are not a lot of people in class.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I will start off by saying that Mahalov's class can be considered as pretty easy. Homework is not hard (and usually can easily be found online using google), tests are quite simple and he allows a cheat sheet, and the final was pretty fair. However, Mahalov is rarely available for help, and had a sub during both his tests and 4 classes

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Prof. Mahalov is a great professor. Definitely recommend taking him. He gives you study guides of what he expects on the test. He knows his stuff when it comes to Linear Algebra. Sometimes does attendance quizzes. He is funny and makes this class bearable. Not too many proofs eitehr!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Has a great sense of humor that keeps the lectures interesting. Helps you with homework in class and allows you to use a notes sheet on tests. Highly recommend.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Awesome professor! He makes linear algebra very accessible--explains things really, really well. I never had to see him outside of class for help, but people who did said he was very helpful and willing to sit down with them and help. Also got a good sense of humor. Tests are fine if you make good study guides (which he lets you use on tests)

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: MAT342
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

This is the second time I've had linear algebra, and he teaches so much better than the previous instructor. HW is pretty easy, and he'll help you in class with it. Tests are very reasonable; partial credit is given, though a little less than I'd expect. He spent too long on the intro chapters so now we are having to double up on sections...