Professor Ramblings #1

I'm taking a summer class on "quantitative methods" and despite my reservations about anything math-related, I think this class is going to be good. The professor is AWESOME. Smart as a whip, funny, confident, and he knows how to teach. He strikes the perfect balance of being invested in our success, holding us to high standards, and presenting us with a reasonably challenging regimen. Score.

He also cracks me up about five times per class. So, I present Professor Ramblings #1:

"You'll need to write a one page memo at the end of each problem set that would explain to someone with no particular mathematical faculties what you discovered. Like your grandma... or Joe Biden. Ask yourself: 'If I were Joe Biden, could I understand this?'"

"You grew up thinking that asking for help was cheating. Well, get that out of your system. You're not longer 'cheating' by asking for help, you're 'consulting.'"

"It's a good lesson to learn: if it makes you feel smart, you're probably on the wrong track."

On the quadratic formula: "Fairly often my intellectual powers fail me and you need to use something that will always, always work. It's not elegant, but it's easier."

"Okay, that's a BIG ASS number. Let's see if this works."