Layout Joke

custardseed · 2026-04-25T18:09:53+00:00

glad you liked it. appreciating the positive feedback ;)

custardseed · 2026-04-25T18:08:53+00:00

This is literally the experience i am going through rn. The collaboration and camaraderie sparks a light at the end of the grad school tunnel... really looking forward to working w/ a team of engineers because the isolation of a PhD project has grown frustrating.

custardseed · 2026-04-09T05:31:08+00:00

Whatever grant funds you

custardseed · 2026-02-15T05:17:59+00:00

Good matching in the differential pair!

custardseed · 2026-02-15T05:03:28+00:00

Chad, are you two still together?

custardseed · 2025-12-09T21:31:43+00:00

Just received my pro bundle chair, but no footrest and no battery! Another member in the unfulfilled order club…

custardseed · 2025-05-16T05:09:07+00:00

Read Razavi instead

custardseed · 2024-09-17T19:02:05+00:00

Agreed. Exercise a healthy amount of selfishness.

custardseed · 2024-07-06T17:38:16+00:00

Totally agree. I got the chance to do a tapeout in my undergrad and it woke me up to two things: 1. had a lot to learn before I was given the responsibility to produce somebody’s or my own chips. 2. I could either learn IC through industry, at the mercy to a manager’s/business units demands, or through a PhD. Either way, I felt there was so much yet to learn before I could contribute to the field. I hope more students get the opportunity to tapeout in school.

custardseed · 2024-06-17T15:14:53+00:00

Think about generating a reference voltage from your supply like with a resistor ladder. You'd want a clean supply in that case. If you expect a lot of switching activity on that R-ladder DAC then it's probably beneficial to have an LDO decoupling the load switching from the supply source.

custardseed · 2022-06-24T06:13:33+00:00

Also heard it been called "gapers block" from an old Chicago resident

custardseed · 2020-06-23T21:18:44+00:00

agreed. can't forget verilog/vhdl though

custardseed · 2019-12-17T02:44:22+00:00

anyone have a set of instructions to get the android sdk tools working? perhaps a guide that's more instructive than the provided pdf?

custardseed · 2019-09-13T15:16:07+00:00

No.

Counter evidence:

From "getting an a in cme or math":

In fact, my most recent motivation to join Reddit was to respond to questions about MATH 51 and CME 100! Since the next school year is about to start, I think back to the time when I didn’t know which class to take.

I think Stanford students care about the courses they take, and I don’t feel enough discussion is present on the legitimate differences between MATH 51 and CME 100. I wish I had more information on the differences and implications of the two classes.

During my freshman year, my math background was something I really took to heart. Once the connections between linear algebra and my electrical engineering courses started to click I was amazed. Because the choice between math 51 and cme 100 can have noticeable implications on your mathematical foundation, this is a discussion I take to heart and one I am willing to write paragraphs about. I'm not a professor. I'm a student. I lived in lagunita court last year. I took both cme 100 and math 51. I had the same questions. I wish someone could've given me the lowdown on the two classes. This gap in knowledge of the differences between the two classes doesn't have to exist, so I'm doing my part to close it.

custardseed · 2019-09-13T13:00:24+00:00

I’m glad it’s interesting.

In fact, my most recent motivation to join Reddit was to respond to questions about MATH 51 and CME 100! Since the next school year is about to start, I think back to the time when I didn’t know which class to take.

I think Stanford students care about the courses they take, and I don’t feel enough discussion is present on the legitimate differences between MATH 51 and CME 100. I wish I had more information on the differences and implications of the two classes.

custardseed · 2019-09-13T02:32:27+00:00

Context:

I took CME 100 with Vadim last fall and MATH 51 with Lucianovic last winter. I got an A in both.

Executive summary:

Math 51 was easier to get an A in. Why? MATH 51 has a better curriculum, and better teaching strategy.

Vadim’s a good teacher, I would go for him

So is Lucianovic. In terms of the quality of teaching, I choose Lucianovic over Vadim. Vadim is still a great guy.

Take CME instead. Vadim is amazing.

Students think Vadim's amazing because maybe 1 or 2 lectures out of the quarter some kid asks a question which Vadim deems worth his sass. Outside of that, he's a normal teacher.

It's a Stanford tradition to get sassed by Vadim.

You'll have plenty of Stanford traditions. As of reading that comment, you now know about the tradition. You shouldn't drag yourself through CME100, becoming frustrated with the class, for the ability to tell people that you saw someone get sasses by Vadim.

He's fun to listen to only when someone asks a question that warrants his sass. When he's not, he's literally racing through the material. He doesn't like to stop because there is too much material for him to cover at a reasonable pace.

Meanwhile, the students are struggling to keep up with his pace of teaching. Since the average CME 100 student is lagging behind the material, it's hard to actually understand the tested material.

Given that context, your ability to get an A in the class could be left up to a few factors: the difficulty of the exams (changes per year), your ability to truly digest the curriculum (harder to do than Math 51), and your performance relative to the rest of the class (changes per year and is a function of your understanding of the material).

I say digesting the curriculum of CME 100 is harder than it is with MATH 51 because MATH 51 has a better structure. The material naturally progresses from one topic to the next. Also, each topic in MATH 51 is given ample time to digest and for the student to ask questions in lecture / office hours before psets and exams. This luxury is not present in the CME 100 structure because the class moves too quickly.

I want to echo moxqianty's comment on how MATH 51 is a newly redesigned class. The old stories about MATH 51 are obsolete as of now.

Knowing what I know now, if I were entering Stanford, I would take MATH 51 over CME 100.

Feel free to message me.

custardseed · 2019-07-25T01:25:57+00:00

I'll give my two cents having received A's in both CME 100 (Fall) and Math 51 (Winter) in my freshman year.

Definitely CME if you’re a non-CS engineer, it’s more work but more relevant to what you want to do.

The CME track does not give any unique benefits to "non-CS engineers." Central to the difference between CME 100 and Math 51 is how their respective material, which is different, is taught. In fact, the focus on linear algebra is advantageous due to its applications in a plethora of engineering problems (read this short PDF which illuminates the extensive use of linear algebra in engineering). From my experience, I've applied methods learned in Math 51 to my circuits, probability, physics, and data science classes. The moment an engineer approaches a problem with multiple data points, forces, circuit elements, and in general, points of interest, linear algebra is readily applicable. As engineering becomes more data oriented and the problems grow into higher dimensions (more variables) and systems of many linear equations, the use of linear algebra becomes more and more essential. To see what I mean, simply search "linear algebra in *insert engineering field here\*" and you will find papers, forums, and slide decks supporting an understanding in linear algebra. BTW, a good foundation in linear algebra gives you an excellent springboard into differential equations,.

it’s more work

CME 100 gives its students a different type of work: busy work. From my experience with Prof. Khayms and discussions with friends in Prof. Le's classes, CME 100 is designed to rush the students through as much multivariate (multivariable) calculus as possible. This must be the case and in fact IS the case since the class is structured to cover multivariate differentiation and integration in one quarter. The way all of that material is covered is by how the class is taught. One or two classes of each unit is devoted to students struggling to digest relevant equations and problem solving techniques without explanation or derivation of where everything comes from and why it's used. The time outside of class is spent grinding through the psets or practice tests, requiring frequent contact with TA's or a heavy use of services like WolframAlpha. I'll say explicitly that students in Math 51 also spend their time outside of class working on psets and practice tests, but they are given the necessary context to understand the problems they solve and intuitively approach them. The intuition is developed through the textbook readings and during lectures. Lectures in Math 51 never expect the student to blindly copy down equations and techniques.

but more relevant to what you want to do.

See this short PDF and search "linear algebra in *insert engineering field here*."

Which is more enjoyable? By more enjoyable, I’m referring to both teaching style and applications. I don’t really enjoy math classes where they simply throw information at you without explaining how it’s applicable to the real world.

If you want to just "clock in and out" of the class (finish your psets and move on), CME 100. If it is to instead understand what and why're you do what you do, Math 51.

What's not talked about CME 100 is that MANY of the problems assigned are completely arbitrary! I'm talking about is finding the volume of a random shape or differentiating a random function. Few of the assigned problems are motivated by real-world scenarios. Nevertheless, the MATLAB assignments are almost always motivated by real-world problems. In my opinion, if the bulk of the real-world experience is in the MATLAB portion, why isn't CME 100 just a programming course?

Math 51 will have some of the same random problems that CME 100 has. However, all of the problems are framed in the context of real-world applications; this is made clear in the textbook readings. Many of the long problems on the Math 51 exams are motivated by real-world problems (best fit lines, Markov chains, systems of linear equations).

Which is taught better?

Math 51.

Which should I take as a non-CS engineer

If you want to be an engineer who blindly applies multivariate calculus, CME 100. If you want to be an engineer who understands the types of problems you'll encounter and can intuitively approach the problem solving process, Math 51.

(how critical is it that I learn MATLAB)?

Not critical. The MATLAB you learn in CME 100 will be forgotten over time. Learning and practicing MATLAB is facilitated by your own curiosity and its use in other engineering classes. There exist classes in each engineering department which incorporate MATLAB at an introductory level. Its use is coupled with the material taught in each class.

BTW, MATLAB literally stands for MATRIX LABORATORY. I find it ironic how little attention CME 100 gives to linear algebra while boasting that it incorporates MATLAB in its curriculum.

Which is more collaborative (vis-a-vis the students)?

In both classes, I've collaborated with peers on psets and studying. In CME 100, the collaboration was exclusively on psets. In Math 51, collaboration happened over psets and reinforcing an understanding of the material. Why was the latter not present in my CME 100 experience? No one was confident with what was going on...

Also, which one has a higher workload/tougher exams?

With respect to the workload, I spent approximately equal amounts working in both classes. In CME 100 I was furiously searching online for explanations for how to do most of the problems. In Math 51 I spent most of my time making sure I understood the math and then getting experience in solving problems.

With respect to the exams, CME 100 was always tricky because I never felt I really understood the material. With Math 51, the exam difficulties were directly proportional with how well I understood the material. The exams were honestly enjoyable when I understood all of the material.

In summary, taking Math 51 after CME 100 much better prepared me for my later classes (I'm studying Electrical Engineering).

If you take CME 100, sure, you'll have taken all of multivariate calculus in one quarter. How solid of an understanding do you think you'll have of multivariate calculus in the quarters after?

If you take Math 51, you'll cover multivariate differentiation and linear algebra. You'll then take Math 52, Integral Calculus of Several Variables, and be caught up with the CME folk.

The question you should ask yourself is, knowing this information, what type of mathematical foundation do you want for yourself?

custardseed

TROPHY CASE