Book Review: Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoevsky

crime-and-punishment-bookcover

While it is probably not the ideal novel for a school project, I do not regret reading it. I chose this novel because I read War and Peace over the summer and it was my first exposure to Russian authors. I enjoyed that novel immensely, and would have read another novel by Tolstoy if I hadn’t encountered this quote from Nietszche, “Dostoevsky,the only psychologist from whom I’ve anything to learn.” Nietszche was famous for the claim that “God is dead”, while the little I knew about Dosteovsky was that he was an avid Christian. This contradiction led me to read a novel by him, Crime and Punishment, as it was his most acclaimed.
The portions of the novel that I enjoyed the most were the one’s involving Luzhin or Pyotr Petrovich, the rather pompous fiancé of the protagonist’s sister, Dunya. The atmosphere of the book was very heavy at times and the mishaps of this character provided some sort of relief. There were many occasions in which he attempted to impress, outwit or trap Raskilinikov, only to be ripped to shreds by the main character’s sharp mind, acid tongue and furious temper. A good example of this is Raskilnikov’s late interjection into an argument about the recent death of a pawnbroker and the relevance of traditional morality between Pyotr Petrovich and Razumikhin, a student. Raskilnikov ridicules Pyotr Petrovich, and then accuses Luzhin of taking advantage of his sister. Luzhin is utterly lost.

“…if I were told ‘love thy neighbour,’ what came of it?” Pyotr Petrovitch went on… “It came to my tearing my coat in half to share with my neighbour and we both were left half naked… Science now tells us, love yourself before all men, for everything in the world rests on self-interest. You love yourself and manage your own affairs properly and your coat remains whole. Economic truth adds that the better private affairs are organised in society… better is the common welfare organised too… “ “…another circumstance interests me in the case…what strikes me as the strangest thing is that in the higher classes, too, crime is increasing proportionately. And if this old woman, the pawnbroker, has been murdered by some one of a higher class in society—for peasants don’t pawn gold trinkets—how are we to explain this demoralisation of the civilised part of our society?”
“What answer had your lecturer in Moscow to make to the question why he was forging notes? ‘Everybody is getting rich one way or another, so I want to make haste to get rich too.’”… [Replied the student]
“But morality? And so to speak, principles …”
“But why do you worry about it?” Raskolnikov interposed suddenly. “It’s in accordance with your theory!”
“In accordance with my theory?”
“Why, carry out logically the theory you were advocating just now, and it follows that people may be killed …”
“Upon my word!” cried Luzhin. Raskolnikov lay with a white face twitching upper lip, breathing painfully. “There’s a measure in all things,” Luzhin went on superciliously. “Economic ideas are not an incitement to murder, and one has but to suppose …”
“And it is true,” Raskolnikov interposed once more suddenly, again in a voice quivering with fury and delight in insulting him, “is it true that you told your fiancée … within an hour of her acceptance, that what pleased you most … was that she was a beggar … because it was better to raise a wife from poverty, so that you may have complete control over her, and reproach her with your being her benefactor?” “Upon my word,” Luzhin cried wrathfully and irritably, crimson with confusion…

Whenever the investigator Porfiry Petrovich interrogated the protagonist, I felt increasingly uncomfortable. Dostoevsky was able to create an incessant, prickly atmosphere in these scenes. I often felt as if I, and not Raskilnikov, were being toyed with. The possibility of him giving himself away, added to the anxiety. These scenes were also quite long, and it took patience, perseverance and maybe even resilience to plough through them. An acute example of this occurs when Rodya Raskilnikov is summoned to explain his relationship to the deceased woman. Idle details, circular discussions and Raskilnikov’s self-awareness combine to agonise the reader.

“I believe you said yesterday you would like to question me … formally … about my acquaintance with the murdered woman?” Raskolnikov was beginning again. “Why did I put in ‘I believe’” passed through his mind in a flash. “Why am I so uneasy at having put in that ‘I believe’?” came in a second flash. And he suddenly felt that his uneasiness at the mere contact with Porfiry, at the first words, at the first looks, had grown in an instant to monstrous proportions, and that this was fearfully dangerous. His nerves were quivering, his emotion was increasing. “It’s bad, it’s bad! I shall say too much again.”
“Yes,yes,yes! There’s no hurry, there’s no hurry,” muttered Porfiry Petrovitch, moving to and fro about the table without any apparent aim, as it were making dashes towards the window, the bureau and the table, at one moment avoiding Raskolnikovs’ suspicious glance, then again standing still and looking him straight in the face. His fat round little figure looked very strange, like a ball rolling from one side to the other and rebounding back.
“We’ve plenty of time. Do you smoke? have you your own? Here, a cigarette!” he went on, offering his visitor a cigarette. “You know I am receiving you here, but my own quarters are through there, you know, my government quarters. But I am living outside for the time, I had to have some repairs done here. It’s almost finished now.… Government quarters, you know, are a capital thing. Eh, what do you think?”
“Yes, a capital thing,” answered Raskolnikov, looking at him almost ironically.
“A capital thing, a capital thing,” repeated Porfiry Petrovitch, as though he had just thought of something quite different. “Yes, a capital thing,” he almost shouted at last, suddenly staring at Raskolnikov and stopping short two steps from him. This stupid repetition was too incongruous in its ineptitude with the serious, brooding and enigmatic glance he turned upon his visitor. But this stirred Raskolnikov’s spleen more than ever…

Dostoevsky’s ability to create complex, realistic characters is his greatest strength. Each character has an almost contradictory dual-nature. Luzhin is progressive yet elitist; Sonya, a prostitute, is hardened yet innocent; Svidrigailov, Dunya’s former employer is depraved yet generous; Dunya herself is assertive at times and submissive during others. Finally, Raskilnikov is cold-hearted yet pitiable. The most telling example is Svidrigailov, who is infamous for attempting to seduce Dunya while she was under his employment, despite being married and a great deal older. The duality is exhibited in the scenes when he attempts to blackmail Dunya and then gives away a great deal of wealth. Svidrigailov tells Dunya that Raskilnikov is on the verge of arrest, and that he is the only person who can ‘save’ him.

“You … one word from you, and he is saved. I … I’ll save him. I have money and friends. I’ll send him away at once. I’ll get a passport, two passports, one for him and one for me. I have friends … capable people.… If you like, I’ll take a passport for you … for your mother. … What do you want with Razumihin? I love you too … I love you beyond everything.… Let me kiss the hem of your dress, let me, let me.… The very rustle of it is too much for me. Tell me, ‘do that,’ and I’ll do it. I’ll do everything. I will do the impossible. What you believe, I will believe. I’ll do anything—anything! Don’t, don’t look at me like that. Do you know that you are killing me? …”
[Later, he visits Sonya]
“I may be going to America, Sofya Semyonovna,” said Svidrigaïlov, “and as I am probably seeing you for the last time, I have come to make some arrangements. Well, did you see the lady to-day? I know what she said to you, you need not tell me.” (Sonia made a movement and blushed.) “Those people have their own way of doing things. As to your sisters and your brother, they are really provided for and the money assigned to them I’ve put into safe keeping and have received acknowledgments. You had better take charge of the receipts, in case anything happens. Here, take them! Well, now that’s settled. Here are three 5 percent. bonds to the value of three thousand roubles. Take those for yourself, entirely for yourself, and let that be strictly between ourselves, so that no one knows of it, whatever you hear. You will need the money, for to go on living in the old way, Sofya Semyonovna, is bad, and besides there is no need for it now.”

While Svidrigailov is a minor character, the duality is clear and in high contrast. At one moment he is a lechy, creepy old man, the next moment he seems a considerate benefactor. Svidrigailov is under no obligation and gains little from this generosity. Svidrigailov was at most an acquantice of the impoverished Sofya Semyonovna. However, the reader is not disbelieving, since this gesture is within the spontaneous, generous character of Svidrigailov. Svidrigailov, old yet childish, matures after this confrontation with Dunya. This duality allows Dostoevsky to surpass conventional narratives of not only ‘good’ and ‘bad’, but also complex yet static characters. Dostoevsky’s characters are always in transformation, and that is really what provides them authenticity.
It is difficult for an amateur writer like myself to comment on the weakness of an iconic author like Dostoevsky. However, in my opinion the negativity of the book would probably be its greatest weakness. The numb, drilling thoughts of Raskilnikov are explored for pages on end. Furthermore, each scene is experienced through his eyes, making even a party scene frustrating and agonizing. Possibly the most depressing image is the childhood flashback of a horse being beaten to death.

He ran beside the mare, ran in front of her, saw her being whipped across the eyes, right in the eyes! He was crying, he felt choking, his tears were streaming. One of the men gave him a cut with the whip across the face, he did not feel it. Wringing his hands and screaming, he rushed up to the grey-headed old man with the grey beard, who was shaking his head in disapproval. One woman seized him by the hand and would have taken him away, but he tore himself from her and ran back to the mare. She was almost at the last gasp, but began kicking once more.
“I’ll teach you to kick,” Mikolka shouted ferociously. He threw down the whip, bent forward and picked up from the bottom of the cart a long, thick shaft, he took hold of one end with both hands and with an effort brandished it over the mare.

“It’s my property,” shouted Mikolka and brought the shaft down with a swinging blow. There was a sound of a heavy thud.
“Thrash her, thrash her! Why have you stopped?” shouted voices in the crowd.
And Mikolka swung the shaft a second time and it fell a second time on the spine of the luckless mare. She sank back on her haunches, but lurched forward and tugged forward with all her force, tugged first on one side and then on the other, trying to move the cart. But the six whips were attacking her in all directions, and the shaft was raised again and fell upon her a third time, then a fourth, with heavy measured blows. Mikolka was in a fury that he could not kill her at one blow.

“She’ll fall in a minute, mates, there will soon be an end of her,” said an admiring spectator in the crowd.
“Fetch an axe to her! Finish her off,” shouted a third.
“I’ll show you! Stand off,” Mikolka screamed frantically; he threw down the shaft, stooped down in the cart and picked up an iron crowbar. “Look out,” he shouted, and with all his might he dealt a stunning blow at the poor mare. The blow fell; the mare staggered, sank back, tried to pull, but the bar fell again with a swinging blow on her back and she fell on the ground like a log.

No doubt this image is effective. It brings to light the pointless cruelty that often forms part of human-nature, while foreshadowing Raskilnikov’s own thoughtless homicide. However, the sheer helplessness of the horse in this scene, which happens to occur towards the start of novel, can put the most perseverant reader off. It may be possible to highlight these same issues with less negativity, however, perhaps it is Dostoevsky’s intention to force the reader into an uncomfortable reflection.
Crime and Punishment, being a classic, intends to provide some sort of insight into life. A more literal examination of the book would lead the reader to draw parallels with the Crime and Punishment in Western liberal democracies, USA being the best example of this. The United States accounts for 5% of the world population, yet 25% of the world’s prisoners, leading the world in gross prison population. Yet, every year, one out of five Americans are victims of crime, amongst the highest in the world. Dostoevsky’s insight in prisons role in criminalizing people, is relevant, and seems to be backed up by the statistics. However, it is the contrasting, dual traits of characters that provided the deepest insight for me. The realization that people are characters in transformation is not only interesting, but has practical application for any member of society. While it may help one to be empathetic towards others, it also encourages one to transform and surpass oneself. Possibly akin to Nietszche’s ‘Superman’ philosophy, which may account for his praise of Dostoevsky.
This book is not very entertaining. Except for Luzhin, few moments offer comic relief. However, the heavy, toxic atmosphere forces the reader along a path of uncomfortable reflection. The reader is made to face unhappy truths about human nature, irrationality and cruelty. In addition, the reader sees the world he knows painted in the dull, depraved shades that color Raskilnikov’s mind. Seeing the world through this lens, along with the transforming characters that the reader is introduced to, encourages the reader to change his outlook on life. While one is not meant to adopt Raskilnikov’s negative view, one must just acknowledge that these views exist and are valid. Thus, the real value of this book lies in this uncomfortable reflection that might result in a change in perspective.
While I can’t say I enjoyed this book, reading it was probably one of the most important things I did this year. While it was unable to permanantly mar my optimism about life, it has added a certain amount of caution to my thoughts and actions. Along with A Brave New World, this book led me to write my latest piece in the Hawks Eye Newspaper, easily the most pessimistic piece of writing I have ever written. In fact, this novel caused me to fling away my usual enthusiasm for school, and replace it with a listless attitude that was probably not very beneficial for my Grad year! While diction used ia rather simple, the complexity of the mainly gloomy situations, emotions and dialogues makes the novel surprisingly challenging to read. On the other hand, for the characterization alone, this book is a worthwile read. Nietschze’s praise may not have been that off the mark, after all.

Course Review: ENG 110

Approaches to Literature

“What’s this course called? ‘Approaches to Literature’? What kind of name is that? How should one approach literature? Here’s an answer. Very cautiously…”

Text: Leaving Home by David French, The Beggar’s Garden by Michel Christie, All That Matters by Wayson Choy

Prof: Duffy Roberts

Duffy is a cartoon character. Literally. Pardon the pun. Even the way he says “hi” in the morning is out of Loony Tunes… I think he would make a really good Goofy. Apart from re-enacting epic battles between his pet cat and the neighbourhood mice, Duffy spends most of his classes close-reading text. While its hard to believe, watching Duffy read is really educational. He keeps on searching for implied meaning, an endeavour most of us have either never attempted, or gave up after the volume of reading at school increased dramatically. Duffy is a post-modernist, so that kind of impacts the reading, since he is obsessed with the power of seemingly minute structural or vocabulary choices. He can also be quite rude, but one soon gets used to it, since he is rude to everyone.

Some quips:

“UBC is a Place of Mind. That means it doesn’t exist in real life, only in your mind.”

“Here’s the thinking behind Imagine Day. Lets give you day to imagine your future at UBC. Except there won’t be classes that day, unlike nearly every other day of your life at UBC. That’s where the ‘imagining’ come in.”

“I am your smartphone for the next 3 hours. You’ll never get bored of your smartphone, so there is no reason to get tired of me.”

“I accept bribes.”

“Property speculation is an old game in Vancouver. Where do you think Richmond came from?”

“Multiculturalism in Vancouver means each culture gets their own ghetto and they are not supposed to mix.”

“Don’t get colonized by the structure of a high-school paper.”


Difficulty

Really good luck getting an A+ or an A in this course. Highest score was 82. The workload was really manageable. Understanding what he wants is really important. I suggest first learning exactly what he wants before bending the rules. This course also requires you to think more and read more carefully then you are used to. Once one has resigned oneself to applying one’s mind, he is pretty accommodating with how you interpret and derive implied meaning from the text. Overall, this course is hard as you want it to be-if you are satisfied with simpler interpretations for a text, this course need not get very difficult and it won’t significantly impact your grade, since most of the class was in the 75-82 channel. He doesn’t give a lot of help while you are working on assignments, so be sure to incorporate recommendations from previous assignments in the new one.


Key Concepts

Home, Belonging and Place

Names and Naming

History, histories and memory

Close Reading inspires Question

Point, Illustration and Elaboration


 Hard Concepts

Close Reading: Never really done this in high school. The way I ended up thinking of close reading is as a generalization, that, while derived from the text, does not speak solely about the text any more.

Value: Still not sure how to approach this. He wanted us to evaluate the implied arguments. Felt like I was contradicting myself.


Conclusion

Thought-provoking class. Really improved my reading, which means a lot, since I am passionate about reading.

 

Course Review: CPSC 210

Software Construction

“The relationship between me and you, the class is zero-to-many, not one-to-many, since you could all get up and walk out right now'”

Text: (none)

Prof: Dr. Paul Carter

Dr Carter is an efficient and articulate prof. He also has a cool British accent. He is really good at balancing questions with getting ahead in the material. He also tries to give reasons for each structure or process, so that our conceptual understanding is good. He seemed omni-present on Piazza, constantly answering concerns, which was really helpful. He once made an error in the time the class ends. When people got up and started going to their next class, he started pleading them to stay, and not give up on his class. Poor guy!

 


Difficulty

In the first class we dived straight into the rather large code-base of a Space Invaders game. After guiding us through seemingly incomprehensible mazes of Java code, Paul Carter demoed a neat Android app for GPS with the London Underground. Then he informs us we have till the end of the course to submit that app to him. Panic ensues…

It wasn’t that bad. The first few weeks of the course were the worst, because I had no idea what I was doing. The project is fine (he gives you a skeleton) as long as you keep a cool head if things aren’t working out, and manage your time well. The midterm was just like the practice. The final was surprisingly heavy on implementation, but manageable. Labs and assignments are pretty reasonable and count for jokes.


Key Concepts

Object-oriented design/programming

Programming models

Building robust classes/methods

Design Patterns

How to learn a new language

 


 Hard Concepts

UML Sequence Diagram: Wasn’t covered in much depth at a time when we were still grappling with Java. Lots of details so needs a lot of practice.

Exception Handling: Exceptions are one thing that is pretty new from 110. Its important to learn the rules for throwing, catching and testing exceptions before implementing, because they are a bit different.

Observer Pattern: Sometimes its not clear which class to observe, but the rule of thumb is observe the ‘lowest’ possible class. Lots of little things as well, so make sure to have a mental check-list of all the steps in this pattern.

Iterator Pattern: Implementing a new Iterator can be pretty meta. Not to complex if you understand the basic purpose of an Iterator.

Parsing: Parsing can be a pain. It is really painstaking. Reading examples of parsing, reading the input file carefully and being painstaking are key factors in success.


Conclusion

Really useful course. First course where I actually got an idea of the job of a Software Developer. The excitement surrounding the project was also pretty fun.

 

Course Review: HIST 108

Global History of Capitalism

“Historians don’t like numbers very much. For this reason, they have left the historical enquiry of capitalism to the economists for far too long.'”

Text: Capitalism by Paul Bowles

Prof: Dr.Daniel VIckers and Dr Sebastian Prange

Prange and Vickers are like opposites. Prange is a tall, young, European man, always dressed impeccably. He has a more global outlook, and his research is on Medieval India. Vickers is shorter and older and has this good ol’ fashioned Canadian vibe. He seems to be pretty focussed on his area of research, New England farming communities.  However, Vickers is a very entertaining Professor, and has a lot of unique insights that really make you think. Prange is more structured, and is quite a methodical instructor, covering all the key arguments and points. In my opinion, they were a good team for this course, balancing each-other out well.


Difficulty

Good luck getting an A+ in this course. Highest score was 87. Other than that, class wasn’t too hard to understand. Some readings were a bit long-winded, but were okay on the whole. The weekly seminar paper was achievable, since they were expected to be short. I would have preferred two weeks though, and written something slightly longer. The midterm was all about speed for me. I left only 10 minutes for the last of three essays, so I didn’t do very well. The final was significantly easier for me, since we had more time.


Key Concepts

 

Capital

Money

Trust

Work Ethic

Corporations

Division of Labour

 


 Hard Concepts

Historical Argument: Different from a normal essay. Very important to take a stance and argue that position, while considering evidence on either side. Stating key arguments and defining all terms in introduction is key. Also remember to summarize the discussion in each paragraph, to drive the point home.

Economic concepts: Depending on how much economics you know, some of the concepts might be new. For example, the process by which government debt was turned into shares in a company seemed kind of confusing initially, since I didn’t really understand how government debt worked.


Conclusion

Fun elective for me. Improved my argumentation a lot, I think. Don’t expect great grades, though. I could not recommend this course enough for a student in Commerce or Economics, because it gives a historical perspective to a lot of the things that are taken for granted in those fields.

 

Course Review: PHYS 109

Enriched Experimental Physics

“Try to be careful while handling the radioactive material'”

Text: (none)

Prof: Dr. Douglas Bonn

Dr. Doug Bonn is amongst the highest paid scientists at UBC. This might explain why he constantly has the appearance of being on another planet. He is probably thinking up the world’s next great physics experiment. That said, his explanations are generally clear and precise. Most of the time in this course, though, its just you and your lab partner and possibly a TA. So the quality of your lab partner probably has a far greater impact on how much you enjoy/learn then the professor, since the curriculum is the same across both sections.


Difficulty

I’m not the most precise person, so I find labs hard and stressful. The average for the course was 86% though, so its hard not to get an A. One has to work fast from the beginning to finish on time.


Key Concepts

Least-squares fit

Chi-squared

T-test


 Hard Concepts

Coming up with improvements: The TA’s are a lot more demanding in this respect this term. Not sure I mastered coming up with improvements.

Two parameter fit: This is a pain. Lots of calculations on Excel for one ruddy number. Good to keep table organized to avoid making careless errors.

Handling oscilloscope: Though circuits were easy? Think again. Guessing and testing generally was the rule of thumb.

Observing resonance in a wire: Difficult to observe if a vibrating wire has achieved resonance. One way around this is to use theoretical values to approximate before observations.


Conclusion

Same as lab section for PHYS 107. Some cool experiments. Others are a pain. Probably learnt a lot of useful statistics on-the-fly. Not that enjoyable for me, though.

 

Course Review: PHYS 108

Enriched Physics II 

“Oh my God! Something is changing my magnetic flux!”

Text: David Halliday, Robert Resnick and Jearl Walker. Fundamentals of Physics 10th Edition Volume 2 (Chapters 21-44)

Prof: Dr Janis McKenna

Janis keeps things really straightforward. Further, she brings entertaining demo’s to class. She exploded lots of things and showed us how several devices work, ranging from a rail gun to an electric guitar. She is super-passionate about particle physics, and comes to the tutorials to help explain. Discussions on magnetic monopoles are always on the table. She also gave us guided tours of Triumf. Overall, a great prof for an enriched class in electromagnetism.


Difficulty

In comparison to PHYS 107, the professor and the textbook was a lot easier to understand. At the same time, electricity and magnetism is more abstract then mechanics. Further, you are expected to have grasped the basics of calculus by now, so the maths is harder. There was no scaling in this course yet the average was 75-78%, so if you keep up with the material you are okay. They through some tricky tutorial and homework questions at you once in a while, but rarely on exams or midterms. The midterms and exams were fairly conceptual-only a handful of plug-n-chug or mathematical questions. Most of the questions on the exam focused on applying (a) known physics concept/s in a possibly new environment. Thus, the cheat sheet was more of a security blanket than anything else.

Key Concepts

Maxwell’s Equations

Voltage

Electric Fields

Charge

Magnetic Fields

Circuits


Hard Concepts

Induced EMF: Never understood how an EMF can be circular, and not produce a voltage. Just learnt to accept magic.

Inductance: Tricky at first. Helpful to view as capacitance backwards.

Flux: Flux is mentioned in all of Maxwell’s Equations. Important to write flux through a loop as an area integral for some questions.

Integration: Sometimes its difficult to set-up the integral correctly, for a particular current or charge distribution. Important to make good use of trigonometry and right-hand rule. Also, check the answer.

 


 Conclusion

Fun course. Not as much work as Phys 107. Recommend it to anyone who has a vague interest in Physics. Even if you don’t do well, Janis’s demo’s will make it worthwhile for sheer entertainment value.

 

Course Review: SCIE 113

First-Year Seminar in Science

“So we are now going to review your review of the reviewer” 

Text: (non-CPR version)

Prof: Dr John Sherman

Dr Sherman is a no-nonsense, but laid-back prof. I have a feeling he skimmed over a lot of material that is part of the curriculum of this course, so that we could focus on writing more. If you are not happy with your grade on your rough draft, keep revising and send it back to him. He is really helpful that way. The TA, Vivienne, was also really helpful and supportive.


Difficulty

This course was pretty chill. If you have difficulty writing, you might have to put slightly more work in. But the work-load is less then most writing classes. Most of the time you are either preparing for an in class writing, editing an in class writing, or giving feedback on another students writing. Every now and then there is some sort of discussion on the scientific method and research, but they require little, if at all, preparation. The term project can be a lot of work, so getting started and getting teacher feedback ASAP is important.


Key Concepts

Scientific arguments

Scientific Method


Hard Concepts

How to construct a research paper: Term project is quite hard, especially if you pick your on thesis. There are so many pitfalls. My advice is to get as much input and feedback from TA and prof.

 


Conclusion

Our class was special in that we did no CPR, but in class reviewing. All in all, good course to improve on writing skills. I found the philosophy of science components of this course superficial and distracting from the main goal of improving writing. I am pretty sure that the marks on this course are higher than those in other first year English options.

Course Review: MATH 121

Honours Integral Calculus 

“Some of the best ideas in mathematics have been very simple ideas”

Text: Robert A. Adams and Christopher Essex: Calculus: Single Variable, 8th Edition, Pearson, Toronto, 2013

Prof: Dr. Young-Heon Kim

Professor Kim is a boss. He challenges us. He aims to make us understand the mathematical thinking behind a proof. He also promised us that if we worked hard and understood the basics, we should get an A, which was probably realized for most people who worked hard at the end of the term. He answers questions generally patiently and tries to sense if the class is understanding what he is doing, instead of just droning on. Highlights of the class:

On the first class. “I looked at the textbook we are using for this course. It was very disappointing. The questions are too easy.”

“Why are you guys looking so dumb today?”

“Let this by a probability distribution of the midterm. As you can see, it isn’t very high.”

Kim: “Should we do this problem this way or that way? It’s a matter of taste.” Student: “So it doesn’t matter?” Kim: “No. TASTE MATTERS A LOT!”

“Hey! doesn’t this parametric curve look like Picasso?”

Near the end of the course. “I just realized that you guys have been working very hard for this course. Please don’t ignore your other subjects. How come nobody complained? Whenever anyone comes to speak to me, it seems like you are saying “please give me more work”.


Difficulty

This course was significantly harder than Math 120. For example. the average on the first homework was 6/15, but it improved dramatically over the course of the term. Midterms were conceptually challenging but only trivial computations. The prof loved to mix multiple concepts into one question. There was generally one proof on every exam. There were often proofs on the weekly homework, and these were significantly more challenging than the ones in the exam. The questions used to nag me for days. The Final exam was 40% of Math 101 stuff and the average was scaled to 75-78. So if you work throughout the course, and make sure you understand the basics well, you should get an A. 16/29 students achieved an A.

Key Concepts

The (Riemann) Integral

Sequences and Series

The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus

Convergence


Hard Concepts

Riemann Integral: Defining integration in terms of epsilons and partitions. Similar to limit definition, but the hard part is the mathematics, not just the logic.

Probability: Some of the harder questions are difficult to wrap one’s head around, especially on the homework, where we had to find the probability of a series converging. One way is to think of probability as mass.

Functions defined by series: Last question on final was a function defined by a series of functions defined by a sequence. Can get pretty meta. One way is to look at how output function is changing with a small change in x, to understand.

Polar Co-ordinates/Parametric: Drawing, finding derivatives etc can get pretty computationally challenging and technical. But there is a step-by-step process one can follow. Also, to find parametric function it is a good idea to divide motion into motion of the centre of mass and motion relative to the centre of mass.

Centre-of-Mass: Some pretty crazy mass distributions. Make sure to define axis etc clearly, and not to change it during the course of the calculation.

Volumes by slicing: Can get pretty hard to imagine. Might require good 3D geometry imagination skills.


 Conclusion

Great course.  I wasted a lot of time studying for the first two midterms by practicing too many questions from the book. It was better for me to just try to understand the concepts. The homework problems were challenging but rewarding. The Webwork was a bore, but that is in Math 101 anyway, so you can’t escape it. Some aspects of the course were a bit rushed, but that is to be expected with an honors course. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to really improve their understanding of mathematics.

 

Course Review: PHIL 220A

Symbolic Logic I 

“Not-not is not the same as not-not-not-not. But they are equivalent.”

Text: (Logic 2010 Software + Textbook)

Prof: Dr Roberta Ballarin

Roberta Ballarin seemed like she knew her onions. I had very limited interaction with her. One of the two times she spoke to me was to reprimand me, because she thought I started the exam when I was writing my name :P. There were a few interesting points raised in lectures regarding the philosophical implications of logic, but most of the lectures were practice problem sessions.


Difficulty

In comparison to Comp Sci, Physics and Math classes, the weekly problem sets were generally a breeze in terms of length and difficulty. Part of the reason I found this course easy was because I had covered similar material in CPSC 121. That said, if you have not taken anything vaguely computational in while, this course could take more time than you anticipated. Further, even if you do find the concepts easy, one cannot expect to succeed this course without any effort at understanding the material. All the midterms/final were fine if one did the homework and practised a few extra problems by hand. The first midterm was especially easy.

Key Concepts

Propositional Logic

Predicate Logic


Hard Concepts

Symbolizations with predicates: These can get really nasty. One has to symbolize really convoluted English sentences. Make sure you learn the how to deal with specific phrases and connectors.

Derivation with free variables: Tricky. Best to eliminate the free variable using tricks outlined in the software.


Software

Logic 2010 is the name of the software. Some aspects of it are pretty neat, but others are poorly designed. One thing I wish I knew earlier was ‘direct’ symbolization. In any case, later on in the course, the software will start to reject correct symbolizations of sentences, making it pretty useless. The only way to get around this is to try to figure out what the computer wants and only use that. The online book is pretty dry. But there are some useful hints interspersed in the various documentation attached to the software. But it might require some digging.


 Conclusion

If I had known the nature of this course, given that I had already taken CPSC 121, I would not have taken it. It does go a little deeper into logic then CPSC 121 though, so that might make it worthwhile for some. I did find the topic interesting. I just felt another course might have used my time more efficiently. Additionally, If you are student used to crunching through problem sets and are looking for an arts elective that is a grade booster, this could easily help you out.

Short Story: The Ideal Gift

baby-green-pea

Mr Pedro Sears was not happy. His manservant had just informed him that his chauffeur would be unable to take him to his friend Robert’s birthday party. Unfortunately, the car was still at the garage for repairs. This meant he would have to take what was euphemistically known as public transport. Pedro’s frail frame shivered involuntarily at the prospect.

As he proceeded down the wide-ish staircase to his front door, Pedro glowered at a rather dull painting of a bowl of supposedly “fresh” produce. In that instant, that painting had come to represent all his annoyances with his present predicament. The painting, quite out of character, glowered back at him with a ferocity that forced Pedro to look away. Pedro reached the front door. His manservant enveloped him in a thick black trench coat as he burst out into the almost equally thick, piercing rain.

Despite the downpour, Pedro was not the sole pedestrian that day en-route to the bus stop. A burly man in an attire that would have been more appropriate in the Bahamas, seem to be of the same purpose. Though he was a few blocks behind Pedro to start, he soon caught up with him and started walking in step. Pedro eyed the water dripping off the man’s khakhi trunk shorts suspiciously, before crossing over to the other side of the road.

Since he was on the wrong side of the road, Pedro only just caught the bus. After a mad sprint across the middle of the road he arrived just in time for the bus. He also arrived just in time for a muddy green tsunami that coincided with the bus’s traversal through the large puddle near the bus stop. “Eh…eh…eh!” Spluttered Pedro, as he felt the liquid seep through his formerly impenetrable coat and trickle down his spine. He staggered onto the bus, paid for his ticket, and headed for the sole vacant seat, that was covered by a greenish shawl. Pedro gave a large sigh of relief as he lowered his rear into it. The bus started move. At last he could relax.

And that was when he sat on the baby.

The amorphous green blob that Pedro had mistaken for a shawl proved to be particularly spongy. Yelping as if he had been stung, Pedro leapt to his feet. After regaining his senses and unfixing his clasp from his lower back, he looked around. He could not identify a likely mother, in what appeared to be bus load of rowdy university students. Feeling a sense of guilt at having concussed the unfortunate toddler, he decided to pick up the baby and take him to the bus driver, who could contact the relevant authorities.

Just then, the bus driver slammed on the brakes and Pedro lurched into the group students, who were now exiting the bus en masse. Still clutching the child, Pedro waved his unoccupied arm frantically, but it was no good. He was swept through the door and landed face first in the unforgivingly hard pavement. Pedro, or rather, his face, remained attached to the moist concrete for several minutes, as his body performed emergency repairs and the shawl carrying the baby started to roll down the nearby slope.

With excruciating pain, Pedro managed to unglue his face from the pavement orient it more favourably.  After affirming both his own and his unconscious companion’s continued existence in this realm, Pedro looked around in a daze, trying to simultaneously ascertain his location and recall the series of events that could have brought him here. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a neon sign in the familiar murky shade of green that seemed to be following him that day. Half in a trance, he proceeded towards the discount grocery store beneath the sign, half-dragging his new, blobby-green friend.

Pedro, at this point, wasn’t very sure why he was entering the store, but he vaguely recalled that he had intended to purchase a gift for some party he was attending. Upon entering, a giant snake of harried looking shoppers blocked his way. They all wore a hollow, scaly expression that Pedro was almost led to believe that they were in fact enacting a mime of a play featuring an anaconda. After slithering through the queue, he began to realize that this might not be the place for his purchase. However, upon noticing a huge display declaring “Our Gift to You!”, he decided to proceed further into the store.

Under the display, there was a barrel full of the greenest cabbages Pedro had ever seen.

Pedro cracked up. He lowered his free hand into the barrel and began to stroke the smooth flesh of the nearest cabbage. The cabbage seemed to absorb all Pedro’s woes in its succulent leaves. Pedro made a decision. He grabbed the cabbage and, still fondling it, joined the human snake, grinning from ear-to-ear.

After exiting the store, Pedro sped of down the street at top speed. He had asked the cashier for his location and was surprised to find that he was within two blocks of Robert’s residence. He didn’t even notice the mother who, after seeing Pedro in his swamped attire, had crossed to the opposite side of the road.

At long last, Pedro reached his destination. He heard the familiar voices of his friends as clambered up the cobbled stairway to the front-door. He rang the bell and after a few moments, Robert’s manservant opened the door.

“Hi…” Pedro said, his eyes shining.

The manservant eyes darted quickly from cabbage that Pedro was stroking nervously, to the baby swinging from his other hand. He took in the several layers of filth that coated Pedro’s skin and his soaking clothing. Finally, he stared right back into Pedro’s manic gleaming eyes and closed the door with a flourish.

Pedro stood at the door slightly dazed. He overheard the manservant explaining to Robert. “Just a tramp, sir. Trying his luck I suppose…”

He sat down on the stairway, placing the baby and the cabbage beside him. The baby had woken up and had started to gurgle. Pedro’s face broke into a relaxed smile. Resting either hands on the cabbage and the baby he slumped his back on a nearby banister. He had got the ideal gifts.