two different approaches to science

[ateolf]

finished wrapping the pickup w/ the wire today...then spent a tedious bit of time soldering the very very thin wire to a reg'lar size bit for connecting to the guitar and such...plugged it in and got the same results...ARGH! i think the problem is that my magnet is too weak...so now i need to find a stronger magnet...anyone know where one goes about purchasing magnets? aside from Radio Shack, where i got my current one(s)...if you actually know, please share this wealth of information w/ me...thank you very mucho...i was up late last night 'cuz i got obsessed w/ figuring out how to implement the feedback loop switch idea i also have for this guitar...i was having some trouble at first, 'cuz i was trying to do it w/ all the wires on the pickup switch (originally intended to switch between different pickups on the guitar...but i'm putting it to much cooler use...) where the currently are...but then i realized that it's impossible that way and i'd just have to move some stuff around...so i figured it out...well, i had to do it twice 'cuz i realized that the way i thoguht the switch was layed out didn't fit in w/ the way the wires are actually set up on the switch, so then i figured out how it actually works (different type of switch than i originally thought) and figured it out for that...it's quite extremely simple...the design's easy...the only work will be soldering and unsoldering...but anyways...my new-magnet-theory had BETTER work out damnit...oh well...i can always just play the guitar through one amp cranked up all the way and then output that to a different amp...heh...well, i'll get it right eventually...damnit...another thing, the soldering i did on the wires is a bit spotty...that one wire's REALLY fucking small, i need to find a good way to secure it 'cuz the connection's pretty sensitive to being bumped...well, i think just on one of the ends, i think one end's okay...but it's a really tricky soldering job...and i'm not very good at soldering...

other news: i think i've settled on elective sequences for my majors: for math: "Graduate Study in Mathematics" and for comp sci: "Scientific Computing\Computational Science"...almost all the electives in that actually are math classes...and all the only comp sci 'classes' are "individual study" thingies...i'll haveta investigate more on that...i emailed my advisor about an appointment so i guess i'll be doing that in the near future...here's what i think i'm planning on taking next two semsters:
summer (first term):
MATH 3391 (Differential Equations)
fall:
COMP 4601 (Models of Computation)
MATH 3221 (Elementary Number Theory)
MATH 4350 (Introduction to Real Analysis I)
MATH 4614 (Applied Probability and Queueing Theory)
this is tentative...i still haven't even met w/ my advisor yet, but this is most likely what i'll be taking...i'm a little excited about the number theory class...that should be quite bitchin', i think...i wanted to go ahead and take the Linear Algebra class so the gap between that and Intro to Lin Alg won't get too big...but it's not being offered...i guess it'll be offered next spring, in which case it'll have been a year and a half since the intro course...and i'm finding myself forgetting stuff...i'll haveta brush up...that was really a fun class...i liked that stuff a lot...

Comments

geeking out

[techstep.livejournal.com]

What sort of stuff does the models of computation course cover? From the name, it sounds like a course on formal languages and automata theory (which is kind of neat, but the subjects that branch off from there are more interesting, like automated deduction and type theory).

Number theory is always fun, and for a subject that bills itself as "theory", surprisingly useful. Real analysis can be interesting, but not always. It's a good way to learn about the definitions we take for granted in a standard calculus course, though, and about when those concepts break down.

As for the queueing theory course, yum. Have you taken an OR class already, or is this the first one for you? Granted, most of the OR-type stuff you'd need to know (the simplex method, most likely) is learnable in a couple of days. That's one of those courses that I'd like to take if I can become a student again.

Re: geeking out

[ateolf.livejournal.com]

yea...that's about right for the models of comp...here's the description from the bulletin:
Introduction to basic models of computers as basis of understanding and analysis of programming, computation, and complexity: machine models (finite-state, stack, and Turing machines; PRAMS, interconnection networks, neural networks); logic models (grammars, recursive functions, lambda calculus, and predicate calculi).

i'll say i haven't had an OR class already because i don't know what that means...(heh...i'm dumb...)

if you don't mind the personal question, how long were you in school for? how far along did you go? and what was your major? i can guess it was somewhere between computer science, math, and economics...my first guess being cs...(and if you don't mind even more prying, what happened there?)

Re: geeking out

[techstep.livejournal.com]

Pretty reasonable course, it sounds like. It's enough to teach the basics to any CS student, and there's enough different stuff covered (lambda calculus, parallel computing, neural networks) to whet the interests of people interested in further exploration in those areas. If the teacher is competent, it should be a relatively decent course.

OR is operations research; it's also called optimization theory. It's essentially coming up with feasible and optimal solutions to constrained systems of equations, linear or nonlinear. There's a lot of parts to it, like linear programming, nonlinear programming (which includes integer and mixed-integer), queueing theory, and scheduling. Lots of applications of it: networking, production, game theory, devising schedules for projects, and request processing, among other things.

I was a computer science major at Carnegie Mellon for two years, from 1997-1999. Did some work in math, took a few courses in philosophy and logic, and a couple in economics and finance. I had to leave CMU because my grades were pretty miserable (trying to deal with a horrible case of depression sort of conflicted with the need to get work done, and I realized that programming wasn't my strong suit either, which compounded things). They suspended me for a year (affectionately known as "the dean's vacation"), and I've been trying to get back for a while as staff, so that I can finish taking courses while not immersing myself further into debt.

Re: geeking out

[ateolf.livejournal.com]

nor is programming my strong suit...i think i MIGHT just be starting to get the hang of some stuff i should've gotten the hang of semesters upon semesters ago...but then again, i might just be imagining it...hopefully by tuesday (when next prog assignment's due) i'll see...or something...i almost decided to switch majors completely to math last semester or durring the summer or so (instead of just getting the double major)...but i had done most of the core anyways and was convinced to stick w/ it...which is for the best...it's mostly just my lack of motivation towards this stuff...bah...but my academic record's far from great...i've had to retake like half of the cs classes, i think...(and i took calc 2 three times...i did worse the second time...and i would've gotten a decent grade the first time prob'ly, but (my excuse) from 1am 'til when school starts and having that class as the last thing in the 'day' before i went to bed finally got to me and i just got fed up and quit doing anything at all towards the end...i can be bad about stuff like that...) but lots of other classes have balanced it all out and i've only once sunk below a 3.0...i've also lucked out w/ easy teachers on some of the cs stuff...though it's not too good for learning the material which i might need in later classes...but i highly doubt the standards at U of Memphis *quite* match Carnegie Mellon's...agh i hate being so lazy...but that being my fault, i'm naturally too lazy to do anything about it...well, sometimes it doesn't take hold...ah...i dunno...i don't think any of what i'm saying is making any sense to me right now so i'll just shut up whilst i'm ahead or whatever...