Jack Silver - University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

Professor: Jack Silver

Department: Mathematics

College: University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MATH104
• 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:

I had Jack Silver for introductory analysis Math 104 in 1984(yup!). What I liked most about his teaching style was that he followed the book very closely, so that if after reading the text I still didn't "get it", going to his lectures would clear things up. He always wore a suit, perspired a lot, and smelled not so nice, but great teacher. :-)

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He seems nice enough but is a bad lecturer. His writing is so hard to read; I often spent 5 minutes trying to decipher a word. He just does textbook examples during lecture which means most people don't show up to class. Unclear grading scheme; grades were subject to professor changing them on his discretion. Lots of multiple choice on tests.

Rating # 3

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Extremely boring. He spends the majority of his time pacing back and forth or writing on the blackboard. It is easy to not go to lecture, read the chapter and ask your GSI for clarity. The professor is unable to help out much during office hours either. I left OH feeling more confused than when I went in.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Extremely boring lectures. He always writes down exactly what appears in the textbook. If you didn't get a 4 or 5 on AP Calc AB, you shouldn't expect an A or B with this professor.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

my precious..... my precious....

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

If you are looking for an A and not a great instructor, Silver is your man. Use your GSI and you will be fine (Danielle was amazing!) I was kinda happy Silver was so bad because I didn't feel guilty about not going to class. As long as you do the homework and stay on track, you will be fine without the lectures.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: MATH225B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

As others commented, he seems to talk to himself during the lectures. So you get distracted and disconnected pretty quickly. Luckily his notes were 99% the same as his lectures and it helped. On the plus side, he taught some of the concepts in a different way and showed a different perspective of the subject which was new to me. Another logic teach

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Worthless as a calculus teacher. If you have a good GSI, and actually do your homework with full effort, the class is a breeze. I went to two lectures and got an A-, and I failed algebra 2 in high school.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MATH135
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Previous comments have already touched on his lecturing style, so I'll talk about his grading (for upper div): If you do well on his final, you'll get a good grade. I got an A after a B- and B+ on my midterms, and that's with a ridiculous curve already in place, where a 40% was a C+ or something.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He is a terrible lecturer. I would advise other to seek help if needed by a GSI. Lectures were useless and boring. He stares at the floor and does not take questions unless one interjects. His responses were often condescending and did not adress the question well. He is not able to explain calculus in a comprehensible manner.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Talks to the board and doesn't pay attention to students. Handwriting is horrible. I never went to lecture, (only went 4 times and I left in the middle of two of them). Much better to self teach yourself using book. However, tests are fair and grading is too.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He was always very disorganized, office hours don't help, and he doesn't talk to anyone except the board. It's no fun taking his class, I would recommend taking another professor.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Don't take this class with Silver if you are hoping to learn through lecture. He mumbles at the board and his handwriting is very difficult to read. His study guides are just 8.5x11 pieces of paper filled with text. He should have to change his teaching style or quit!!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Nice guy, and I feel bad about this comment, but a horrible teacher. If you can take it from someone else. Luckily, if you can understand the material, you don't really need to go to lecture. If you don't, just ask your GSI. I found that the book was not too helpful, but you could get by just using it.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Worthless Teacher. His lectures were very boring and he moved through too much material regardless of if the class understood the material or not. His homework was always easier than his tests. GSI's were the only decent part about the class.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Worst instructor I have EVER had. He seems to feel teaching calculus is beneath him. For lecture he works one similar problem after another on the board with scant explication and he's rude when approached. There's no reason for him to teach this class. It would be best for everyone if he stayed in his office and did whatever he'd rather be doing.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: MATH125
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Quite the best set theorist/logician out there. If you are taking him for Math 125/135, by all means do so. If you are taking him for lower division courses, he might not be the best choice. But he is so rigorous that he will make you question even the simplest of the facts. Great professor for a pure math major.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

DON"T TAKE 16B WITH HIM unless you're really good at learning math on your own. It's frustrating and embarrassing that UC Berkeley's world-renowned math dept. has such an inadequate teacher. He told me to "come back later" because he was "busy" talking to a GSI during his office hours, with any apology.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I think I was able to sit through 2 entire lectures the entire semester. Read the book and look at the examples and there is no need to go sit through the hell that is that lecture. Midterm and final are fair, but study before them...I got an A in 1A and somehow only a B+ in this class, but I did NOTHING.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: MATH16B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

I didn't go to lecture all semester and I got an A. He's a very bad teacher and extremely boring. You are totally fine if you rely on the book because all he does in class is list examples out of the book.