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COS340 - prerequisite??

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Anonymous User
COS340 - prerequisite??
February 21, 2008 05:55PM
Since when is Linear Algebra a prerequisite for Comp Graphics (COS340). When I started my degree, it definitely wasn't!
It's just not right to suddenly add a prereq when it was not there until my final year...

And for those of you out there who have done this module - do you feel it is highly neccessary for me to have done MAt103? Should I take COS351 (Artificial Intelligence) instead, even though it sounds awfully hard and boring...
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ilanpillemer
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 21, 2008 07:32PM
COS340 is harder than COS351.
COS351 was my favourite course at UNISA.

 
  ,= ,-_-. =.
 ((_/)o o(\_))
  `-'(. .)`-'
      \_/
http://ilanpillemer.com
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem
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Anonymous User
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 22, 2008 01:06AM
So...you'd recommend COS351 as opposed to COS340?
What is contained in COS351? I've gotto register soon -

Thanks
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visnaicker
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 22, 2008 06:56AM
I chose COS340 b'cos I did not expect to pass COS261 - prerequisite to COS351. I have known since 2005 that MAT103 was necessary, b'cos I remember reading the forum, and seeing that students were struggling with the lecturer being very hands off and so they felt they were floundering with no direction out of their difficulties.
In 2005 with COS214 the lecturers did not repond to any of my emails, and osprey postings, and when I checked the COS351 forum then, they said that things were even more hopeless, with very little feedback to anybody.
I explicitly remember 2006 & 2007 mentioning that MAT103 is the prerequsite, and like you, when I started at Unisa, remember MAT103 was not required then.
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malcolm
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 22, 2008 07:52AM
Quote

It's just not right to suddenly add a prereq when it was not there until my final year...
They have to make changes at some stage, and with every change somebody is going to have to be affected... :/

That said if you point out that when you first registered that prerequisite did not exist, they might just be willing to allow you to take it anyway.

--
"Knowledge has much better uses than self-pity and superiority"
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Tracey
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 22, 2008 08:14AM
Its a pre-req for a reason so I think it gives you a very good foundation for COS340.
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Anonymous User
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 22, 2008 09:15AM
I am sure you needed some first year maths to do cos340?? anyhow, whether they say its a pre-req or not, you definitely need a lot of linear algebra to understand the maths part of cos340. its about time they forced people to have maths stuff.
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lycium
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 22, 2008 10:07AM
as i mentioned in your topic on the cos340 forum, i think mat103-n (or more generally a good working knowledge of linear algebra) is completely indispensable for doing 3d graphics. it's the basic tools you work with!
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malcolm
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 22, 2008 10:09AM
I definitely felt when I was doing the course that more maths prerequisites should have been required.
So if they have added any more then it is a good thing.

--
"Knowledge has much better uses than self-pity and superiority"
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deveng
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 22, 2008 10:26AM
i did cos 340 in 2006, u definately need an understanding of linear alegbra.... i think 20% of the paper was linear algebra and the entire contents of the course required an understanding of it... + mastering the OpenGl API on your own.....

i think they will allow u to register for linear alegbra and graphics at the same time ..... mat 103 wasn't a big challenge ... u could finish the entire course in 3-4 mts studying part time.
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Anonymous User
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 22, 2008 10:51AM
i did the 2nd year linear algebra type course - can't recall which one it was though. but it was simialr to linear algebra in maths 1 at wits
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Anonymous User
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 24, 2008 07:41PM
3 people and 4 opinions, as always spinning smiley sticking its tongue out

Anyway, so which is worse...COS340 (without having done MAT103 - though I could poss do it at the same time) or COS351.
I enjoyed the logic programming, though i'm a bit rusty with the programming, as haven't touched it for a year and a bit.
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ilanpillemer
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 24, 2008 11:31PM
Both are not easy; nor should they be - as then the degree would be worthless.

 
  ,= ,-_-. =.
 ((_/)o o(\_))
  `-'(. .)`-'
      \_/
http://ilanpillemer.com
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem
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jeanbodemer
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 25, 2008 09:16PM
I did Cos340 last year and really struggled with the maths. You are expected to know linear algebra and accordingly it isn't explained in great detail. I actually cancelled it just before the exams.

Let me put it this way, it's like learning how to run before you know how to walk.

But then again it might just be due to the fact that I last did maths in matric 15 years ago.
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Anonymous User
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 26, 2008 02:12AM
Thanks all for the info.

Good luck for this year - I think COS351 is the better bet
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iva
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 26, 2008 07:58AM
Ask me about this one.. i had the same problem (just that i did the maths modules 10 years ago and forgot it all). The exam was about 30% maths which i left out, i consequently failed and wrote the supp, which had even more points in the maths section (35% i think), i left it out again but thankfully passed. The programming part of the exam is only about 1/3 and the easiest part, and the theory makes up the rest

If you can (because its the only nice 3rd yr module IMO) do the maths module and you will fly through the maths, its not difficult maths but if you haven't done maths the graphics maths is greek

EDIT: COS301 is also nice
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Sanoz0r
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 26, 2008 08:54AM
COS301 is nice, like cake.
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RiaanR
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 26, 2008 01:31PM
BTW: For those of you that are interested. Spoke to the lecturer for COS340, and I'm not allowed to register for the module because I don't have the MAT103 Prerequisite. Even thou when I started my degree 5 years ago it wasn't a prerequisite. The reason given to me was that I should have checked the prerequisites before the time...who checks all their modules every year to see if the prerequisites changed. (Unless you register for the module)

Or is it just me....
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Anonymous User
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 26, 2008 01:35PM
register for mat103 at the same time smiling smiley I never check the pre-requisites, but usually where I register moans when I didn't have something I should have...
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Kilhra
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 26, 2008 01:46PM
the math pre req was only added last year, i remember being pretty upset about it at the time
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Anonymous User
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 26, 2008 01:55PM
i think you have to do pre-requisites even if those pre-requisites when you started studying, but if they change things - like you now have to do cos123 AND cos 124 but when you registered it was COs123 OR cos124, then you can get away with only doing 1 - you don't have to do both.
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RiaanR
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 26, 2008 04:27PM
celene Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i think you have to do pre-requisites even if
> those pre-requisites when you started studying,
> but if they change things - like you now have to
> do cos123 AND cos 124 but when you registered it
> was COs123 OR cos124, then you can get away with
> only doing 1 - you don't have to do both.

That’s what I think too. But apparently I'm wrong. confused smiley
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jeanbodemer
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 26, 2008 08:53PM
I think the only time the pre-requisites don't count is when you take a specific stream and the module is a non-elective.
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RiaanR
Re: COS340 - prerequisite??
February 27, 2008 12:51PM
mmm...yes that makes sense.
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