IvanF's Online Courses and Notes for First Year, Undergraduate Engineering Studies (APSE ECE @ U of T)

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Freshman Year at University of Toronto St. George Campus
ECE - APSE Computer Engineering - (2001-2002)

There's not much more I can say or injustly insult about this course that I haven't said already in my editorial. I'll just explain that we had to do five assignments throughout the duration of this course, the first four worth 2.5% of our final mark each. The last assignment was worth 12.5% or 15% or something, and I managed an 80% on it I do believe. But of course, the girl I had a crush on wasn't really happy with her 98%... Anyhew, nothing taught in this course was even remotely difficult, which is why I was royally embarrassed when I failed my first quiz. Sure, the second quiz went pretty alright and I passed every single one of my assignments, but that first assignment still haunts the hell out of me... And oh, there was this one time when a friend was lecturing me how I shouldn't complain about my Algebra mark. I mean, I had just gotten 97% on the first Algebra test, and yet he overheard that I was complaining? I, of course, just had to justify myself by explaining that I wasn't complaining about Algebra the other day, but that I was complaining about my stupid environmental quiz. And at first he didn't get what I was saying, and responded with a very impolite, "Environmental? You're joking right? Nobody can fail that course"... but, um, it didn't take him long for him to realize I was a bit sensitive of the subject, so he slowly backed off... and come to think of it, I guess we haven't talked much since then...

... weird... Except for that one time that we did talk a lot since then, but that doesn't count...

Well this course was a cosmic waste of engineering time. Just by reading this very sentence, I'm sure you few readers out there must realize that I'm not exactly the biggest fan of formal, technical writing. And as soon as I saw the very first day my English professor giving us all a grammar lesson on the words "them" and "their", I left that lecture hall and never came back... Suffice to say, considering I only attended two lectures throughout this course, I think my 85% after the final was a pretty decent mark. Sure, I was jealous of the guy next to me who was bragging about his 98%, but who am I to argue? Who am I to complain?... Although I did find it funny the other night when I told my friend my Y2kk writing style has become less creative and less cohesive over the course of the year, and he blamed this Technical English course on that. And, well... I'm always in need of a scapegoat, so lucky for me I found one!

Unfortunately, I don't have any of my mini-assignments typed up on the internet. This course tried to teach us how to write on the fly, so we weren't allowed to write anything at home or on the computer. We were given an hour to write by hand, and most of the class finished those paltry assignments within a third of that time. However, the major assignment of the year was to be done formally on the computer, so I do have that essay or analysis or whatever ready for download. But call me cocky if you wish, but I just couldn't muster the intestinal fortitude to actually do the core of my assignment at home. So he morning before the assignment was due, I skipped all my classes and just typed it up on the school computers. A couple of hours later, and my finished product was done, which really miffed off some of my friends from Pakistan since they worked week after week on their formal, precious assignments... And my final mark on this final joke of a project? 95%. I had used only one source (but pretended to use a dozen), and I managed to get a 95%... that's pretty cool. Too bad I couldn't have repeated my success on the final, but once again, who am I to complain?

Well, I can't say that I was pleased with the way Linear Algebra went for me... Afterall, I took the damn course twice. First time around, I thought I had everything in check. I mean, sure my professor was probably the worst thing since anti-slice bread. Instead of teaching us, he would yell at us for being so slow at the questions he couldn't solve on the board. He had this thing, where instead of teaching us what we had to know, he would go on tangents trying to prove mathematical crap left and right, right and left, all the damn way until he got stuck at a point... and he always got stuck at a point... and erased everything on the board, and simply told us, "well, the proof is obvious"... and by that time, the lecture would be over, and none of us had learned a goddam thing but one hundred new ways to sue his ass...

So I never went to class, and when I didn't skip, I would try my best to sleep in class... Hell, the first day I heard this goddam professor talk, I couldn't keep my damn eye-lids open. And yes, he was that damn boring. I had never fallen asleep in class even once in high school, and yet I couldn't help myself the very first week of university?... and, well... we all know the story of how this all turned out... After studying a whole week for the finals, I completely bombed the so-called easy Algebra exam and ended up with a 38% in the course...

Luckily, the second time around, things were a hell of a lot easier. My professor actually spoke clearly, the concepts were much more applicable, and besides, if that damn final exam from first term hadn't been so theoretical and confusing word-wise, it would've been damn easy to me. The second time around, the TAs and professors still rang out hard questions, but at least they worded them with proper English this time around, so most of the people who could speak English failed Algebra the first time around like I did...

One last note about Algebra before I go on. I made absolutely no friends in my first Algebra class since everyone there was there to be smart and not to be friendly... But on the second go around, I met some guys I guess I can say I would trust to this day. And after I somehow got 97% on an Algebra mid-term test, one of these new friends of mine came up to me and complained to my face that I shouldn't go around, claiming my 97% was a bad mark... and, uh... he was sort of confusing that with my rants about my environmental course. You see, I got a 45% on my first test in that goddam, easy course, and when I reminded my new friend of this... he, well... first he exclaimed, "Environmental? Nobody on earth can fail that course"... and then realizing what I was trying to say, he simply backed off and let me have my urinal cake and eat it too...

Anyhew, the notes below are completely useless. I never looked at them after I wrote them. But since I just post stuff for nostalgia reasons anyhew, here they are, in not so alphabetical order:

I don't think there's much to report about Calculus. It was the only class all year that I had a good professor in, and if it wasn't for him and his leanient marking, I don't think I would've passed first year... There was just one problem with him, though. You see, I claim he's an easy marker... The problem is, he's an easy marker after all your marks are in... So when it comes to the tests, quizzes, and exams, it's just bloody hell massacres from here to Chuck Palumbo... During second term, I go 50% on both the first quiz and the second quiz, and most people count me lucky for that... On the mid-term, I pulled a 48%, but just because I wanted to line that mid-term up with those 50% quizzes of mine, I took a stroll down to my professor's office... I opened up by saying, "I've got a stupid question to ask"... and, uh... it all went downhill from there, because instead of being leanient and giving me one mark back, he forced me to get some sort of Danish donut that stank and Algebra rank of... well... Calculus...

And the final exam? Don't get me started on the final exam. As easy of a marker as my professor was, I was still terrifed that I didn't pass the course. Why? Because that damn final exam was so bloody damn hard! It was literally impossible, and I literally think I didn't pull more than 10% on that horrid thing... But in the end, as long as you put effort into the whole course, second year Calculus doesn't seem such a long-shot away... I mean, one of my friends had a 30-something percent average going into the Calculus exam first term, and after bombing the exam, he somehow managed to pass the course with a 56%... I'm not sure how I did on the finals, but I finished with a 60%, which was what I asked my professor to give me the day I told him that his exam was, um... fun...

Anyhew, here's my Calculus notes for the year. I did use my notes quite often, even though all I did was copy most the example questions out of the textbook... I was too lazy and intimitated all year long to actually try one practice exercise from those massive books I was forced to buy... I guess that could've affected my academic marks, I, uh... guess...

Well, well, well... it it ain't my old nemisis or nemisees... What is there to say about Dynamics?... except to say that... well... it's the most evil thing that has ever, ever stared me in the eyes, face to face, and crotch to crotch, all at the same, friggin' time... The professor opened up the course by warning us that it's the most failed course in all of first year engineering. And at first, as the course started, it didn't seem all that bad... like a lion in a sheep's designer clothing... or like me wearing a shirt from GAP... uggh... it just ain't meant to be...

The professor?... heh... It was hard enough to be taught by a Chinese woman who reminded me of my mom every waking moment of the day. It was even harder to take her seriously as she nearly boiled herself to the point everyday where she'd throw the chalk at us so-called bastard, first year students in her class... And the Dynamics course itself? What is there to say? At first, the content seemed to be easy, but that's when the TAs just had to jump in and ruin all my fun, ruin all my life... My average for the Dynamics quizzes was literally less than 30%, and it's not that I didn't know the content... although I did confront my TA at the end of the year, and he did explain to me that it was because I didn't know the content, but that's besides the point... The point is, the mid-term was pretty goddam easy. I knew my stuff, I did my stuff, and I thought I got the job done... and at least I can be thankful that I did pass that goddam mid-term... but I passed it with a 51% when I expected more like a half decent 65%? I mean, c'mon! As soon as I make one twiddly, minor mistake, the TAs completely mark up my work and give me a goddam zero! I mean, the only reason I passed that goddam mid-term is because the first question was miracously from a previous exam, so I had memorized the entire answer and made sure I got it right on the exam... It's not exactly the best way to learn, but it's a start...

And uggh... I don't even want to talk about that Dynamics final exam... I'm still waiting to know if I passed it or not as I write this... And I distinctly remember sitting in the hallways, psyching myself up for my inevitable faltering on the exam, when the head mechanical engineering professor or something came down the hall and asked if I was trying to sleep. So I told him the truth - that I was preparing myself for defeat at the hands of Dynamics, because no matter how hard I try and study, it just doesn't seem to amount to anything in the end... and you know what he did? You know what he said that earned my respect?... Instead of pitying me like my friends (who ignorantly claimed over and over again that I would pass Algebra on the very first try...), this professor simply sighed out that I would know if I failed Dynamics by May 3rd... and he didn't bother to baby me. He didn't bother to shower me with infantile gifts and betray my trust by not believing a word I say... He knew how hard Dynamics was for us computer engineering folk, and he respected me enough to tell me the truth. And what else could I do but respect and revere an honest man like him?...

... except that, um, he was the man who kicked me out of his office twice earlier this year... and he did claim I'd see my marks by May 3rd, and, well... it's May 4th, 2002, as I write this very Y2kk Update... But anyhew, I'm not sure if the below notes will be of any use to anyone else on the planet but me... and obviously, they weren't very much help to me either... But they are the best I have to offer... It's too bad they're just example questions from the textbook, though... I did buy an answer book to the practice exercises at one time, but as I sat down to study for the mid-term, I finally noticed that, uh... oops... sort of bought the wrong book... and damn, it was too late to return it, so that obviously shows the mountainous, Everest level of my IQ....

I hated this course. I really, really, ridiculously hated this course. Me almost failed it. I hate Statics, I hate Statics, I hate Statics... and that's all I have to say about that...

Okay, wait... as the no-name whiner, it's my duty to waste more webspace and more of your time with utter, pointless bickering and bantering, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean... Now, I won't complain about my mid-term experience or being talked down by that god-awful professor of mine. That's stuff I saved for my download site long ago... However, there was one memory that peaks my interest, and perhaps is my first memory of anything real I had in university. Sure, I recall feeling like an idiot on prank day and early crap like that, but the first moment I can remember in the classroom was the very first tutorial for this bloody hell Statics course.

Now, I was never a fan of physics back in high school. It was the only math related course where I officially had no clue what I was doing... well, besides Chemistry and Algebra and most of Calculus, but that's besides the point... However, when I got my problem set for that first tutorial of civil engineering, I took the questions in stride and actually felt proud for recognizing the questions that I saw. The only problem was, I didn't remember how to start a single one of them... and, um, that's when I took a look around the room, asked some of my so-called friends at the time how they were doing with the crap we had, and, um... that's one of the reasons why these guys didn't stay as my friends for very long. Not only had they completed the problem set by the time I was on the second question, but, um... instead of helping me, they gave me some lame-ass excuse that I won't learn a thing if they helped me solve any of the goddam problems at all...

And what pricks! I don't care if they were right or, um, right... All I care about is that after seeing how stupid I was, my friends deserted for whatever geniuses they could find on campus. What pricks!... but I guess that's besides the point... Anyhew, I was damn lucky to pass this course. I studied as many previous year exams as I could to prepare me for the Statics final, but even after all the crap, I barely passed. It was because of how friggin' hard Statics was that I started all this crap of writing out all the questions from my problem sets onto bloody hell pieces of paper and posting on them the net for no apparent reason. I did it all for practice, so I could bcome more familiar and intimate with the meaning of problems rather living through just the casual and usual glazing over of questions, but it sure as hell didn't help me when it was all said and done. And it all sounds like so much fun, doesn't it? And thank God I won't have to go through this CIV 101crap ever again... or will I?...

Well, since it's getting late as I write this, I'll try to keep this useless update as short as possible... Electricity for me was a pretty decent course, as long as I see a decent mark whenever my goddam term marks are posted on the web... There was never a difficult concept in electricity for me, so to speak. In fact, it was probably the only course that I felt bad in from accidentally doing better than somebody else...

I sort of bombed the first mid-term. I mis-interpreted one of the three questions on that exam, and got a 61% as a reward... and yeah, I know, so that exam wasn't a complete bomb. Hell, I'd take a 60% in Dynamics anyday... but considering most of my friends finished with 90 or above percent, I couldn't help but indulge in a bit of shallow, self-pity... So when I got that second mid-term back and was delightfully shocked that I pulled a 75% or something, I wasn't suprised when everybody else around me was swimming and swarming with another 90 or above percent... Hell, one of my friends who had failed three courses the term before somehow pulled an eighty-something on that exam and was complaining about it!... and the way he stuck it to my face, I couldn't help but feel ridiculed, embarrassed, and bitchy all at the same moment... I know this sounds cruel and callous to say, but if he of all people could pull an eighty, why couldn't I?... Couldn't everbody pull an eighty then?

And it never occurred to me that my other genius and genuine friend, the one who had gotten 90% on the first mid-term, was being real quiet, stern, and firm for a reason... Because a few weeks later, it was finally brought to my attention that this friend of mine actually got quite a bit lower on that second mid-term exam than I did... and I tried to talk to him about it one day, but besides admitting that he got lower than me, he really didn't have much to say, so I truly wonder what did go through his mind as I complained to all those guys who making fun of me that rollercoaster day... and you know, it sort of puts some stuff into perspective, knowing that while I was hurting from being making fun of for my mark (one guy asserted that I mustn't have tried on the exam), I was invertently doing the same thing to the first friend I made in this school...

Anyhew, as for the final exam, it didn't exactly go smooth... Hell, I turned to one of the geniuses of the entire class after the exam and told him that the exam we just took was quite a bit harder than the ones from the years before... And his classic response was that, what I said was "definitely the understatement of the year"... and, uh... okay dokay, so maybe that won't end up as being quote of the year, but it did sum up the moment quite well... Nevertheless, I'm convinced that I did do quite decent in the course. And as for my notes below, I can't say that I put a lot of work and thought into them... and yes, I actually did do quite a few example questions as practice, although I don't think any of them are in the notes below. But if you can actually read my writing and want to know what the first year of electrical engineering has in store at my university, then go ahead and, uh... try to learn the foreign programming language of my handwriting...

... although it can't be as hard as trying to comprehend my horrible, little C programming tutorial from the year 2000... uggh... that's one nostalgic moment that I sure as hell don't want to reminisce about...