r/gatech • u/Informal-Building267 • 3d ago
Discussion Help needed for Comp org/Linear
Currently a transfer student, and the most time-consuming work I have right now is linear (1554) and comp org (2110). I need help on how to succeed for both.
For Linear I plan to do textbook, lecture, studio, and homeworks. Are there any other resources you guys felt really helped you out?
For Comp org the most information I have right now is the textbook, lectures, homeworks/projects. How did you guys practice for the quizzes and finals for this class as there appears to be a lot of content. Did the textbook Problems help at all?
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u/bolibap 2d ago
To succeed in linear algebra you have to UNDERSTAND the concepts, not just memorize procedures like in calculus. This means first you need to memorize the definitions using spaced repetitions like flashcards (there is no way around this memorization, but don’t just mindlessly memorize words. Digest it.) Half of the conceptual questions on the exams are just testing whether you know the definitions.
Linear algebra is best understood geometrically. You should try to visualize every (non-application focused) concept introduced starting from “linear transformation”. Once you can visualize that matrix multiplication is a linear transformation and you only need to keep track of where the basis vectors go to completely understand this transformation, many abstract concepts, formulas, and theorems become intuitive and much easier. 3Blue1Brown does an excellent job giving you some of that visual intuition in his linear algebra series.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZHQObOWTQDPD3MizzM2xVFitgF8hE_ab&si=xVIGXSKaCVYucoEe
This is not a replacement for lectures or studios. Apply the intuition he gives into solving studio or homework problems over and over again until it’s natural to you.
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u/Four_Dim_Samosa 2d ago
yup
especially those true/false and always/sometimes/never questions are meant to trip you up
highly recommend playing around with many examples to build patterns
certain types of matrices could help with good counterexample test cases
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u/-TNB-o- CS - 2028 2d ago
Also for the true/false and the always/sometimes/never, do a TON of practice problems and practice exams. I never really memorized every single rule or anything in linear, but I did so many practice problems (both the T/F, A/S/N, and just actual math problems) that I had a pretty good gut instinct on all of the problems I came across. Practice problems are super important for this class.
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u/Four_Dim_Samosa 2d ago
the master website too has a mega set of true/false to practice and generally those questions come from that
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u/turb0tailp1p3 CmpE - YYYY 2d ago
To succeed in 2110: attend all lectures and labs. Take notes. If there's anything you don't get, ask a question. Do all the homework assignments yourself. This is very important because the quizzes and final exam questions are from the homeworks and projects!
This class is not hard. People get in trouble because they get behind. Each concept is small, but each builds on what came before. If you miss one concept, you get off track and it takes a lot of effort to get back.
Note the TAs and the instructors have office hours that, if you put them together, are available at any time of the weekday.
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u/Hour_Gur1636 2d ago
Using the textbook, lecture, studio, and homework sets will give an excellent foundation for math 1554.
I'd also recommend doing sample exams/old exams and checking your work with the answers. It will give an idea of how well you know the content and help you prepare for exams. There are lots of old exams on the math 1554 master website: https://gatech.instructure.com/courses/114544
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u/GivingTree1640274026 1d ago
I’m not taking the course yet, I’m hoping to pass the MATH 1554 ASE. Is the exam any different from the 1554 finals, or does it have its own structure completely? Does the master website have resources to study for the ASE?
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u/Hour_Gur1636 23h ago
i haven't worked with ASEs in a very long time so i'm not sure how the format varies. i don't think the master website has resources specific to the ASE but does have materials for learning the course content, which i imagine would be helpful.
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u/emiemibobemi CS 2025 2d ago
For 2110, the biggest advice I can give is to start projects early and go to OH. This sounds super basic, but it is genuinely so important. For the quizzes and final, I think all the content they give you in class is sufficient, and you don't really need a lot of outside resources. The only exception that I can think of is this YouTube video for the LC3 data path transfer: https://youtu.be/6hhNNj67w1E?si=_tArG0uiciyjBhln . This video was super helpful when it came to that portion of the class imo
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u/Aggressive-Swan-1740 1d ago
I had the course coordinator (Dr. Warnock) for Linear he is the absolute GOAT GOAT GOAT love him. If you ever struggle in Linear I wonder if he still publishes his lecture vids I recommend watching them he makes Linear so straightforward. Other than that I think if your TA is good studio is great at giving the stuff you actually need to know, I don’t recall the studio sheets ever being useful for studying to me. Practice the practice tests always!! And run to the TAs or Office hours if you don’t understand a test question. The TAs for linear were the absolute best.
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u/DarkTarkov105 3d ago
IMO, for linear, you only need to watch Jankowski's lectures on his website & take good notes.
Please comment if you disagree, but as long as you do the above and understand the material, going to class and studio sessions are unnecessary.
The only thing about linear is to make sure you have the fundamentals STRONG even though it's confusing and new, and the later half of the semester shouldn't be too hard.
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u/Anxious-Peach3389 CS - 2026 3d ago
They’re taking 1554, not 1553. But 1553 stuff will help too
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u/Informal-Building267 3d ago
Yeah forgot to mention that. Just edited
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u/Anxious-Peach3389 CS - 2026 3d ago edited 3d ago
notes for 1554 (there’s a typo near the end of page 5, but other than that, should hopefully all be fine, lmk if not. also see page 202 for more resources): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jyGq7DjYtEfO-k4iVk6SGnIYE6TI7adj?usp=sharing
notes for cs 2110: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j1X-K9aEcPdfCdR4AnyhglC4kXbK0lg9Cd8_m1n0Byk/edit?usp=drivesdk
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u/DarkTarkov105 3d ago
I did say that above but it's almost always a good idea to go to lectures if you can
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u/Realistic_Loss3557 2d ago
The best thing you can do for 2110 is READ THE TEXTBOOK. You can understand 100% of lecture and still not do well because they pack two three credit ECE courses into a 4 credit one. They will in fact gloss over things in lecture that are super important and will be on the tests.