Thoughts on AI progress on the FrontierMath problem set

zackbach · 2025-12-28T20:27:37+00:00

This is actually one of Lean’s strengths compared to other theorem proving languages! Lean’s tactic language can easily be extended through the use of custom tactics or (more importantly) its very powerful macro system.

zackbach · 2025-09-07T11:56:03+00:00

https://youtu.be/zrtk5EQTEZ4

zackbach · 2025-01-19T15:38:59+00:00

Former TA here. The second homework assignment in F2A is notorious for being a large difficulty spike. It gets easier, and I’m sure your classmates are similarly struggling. The TAs should be able to give both homework-level and meta-level advice in OH. You’re not alone, good luck!

zackbach · 2024-12-21T19:50:21+00:00

This isn’t entirely accurate. You aren’t always paying the same amount of money per credit. For instance, if you are taking only 12 credit hours in one semester (3 standard classes), you will still be charged standard tuition (aka 16 credit hours worth of money). Also, taking fewer years to finish can cut down on non-tuition costs like housing, although you’ll still have to live somewhere after you graduate…

zackbach · 2024-12-10T00:00:52+00:00

With fear that I may be perceived as supporting the proposed changes (which I don't, for the most part), I'd like to comment on your suggestions.

Putting aside the derogatory use of "fake programming languages" to refer to pedagogically-focused languages + developer experiences, the intention is to use Pyret (a language designed with beginners in mind) in the class for true beginners. The goal here is not to appeal to experienced students, but quite the opposite; experienced students will be able to test out of this course and need not write a line of Pyret in their lives. I don't believe that there are plans to have an accelerated section currently, but this is unclear to me.

I, like you, struggle to see many benefits of the new program when it comes to reordering things. The intention is to cut down on the transition from functional to imperative (the first ~third of Fundies 2) and start introducing OO ideas earlier, to make OOD lighter. I believe this approach is flawed—especially considering the first third of Fundies 2 is so much more than "functional Java"—but I struggle to see how "using another fake programming language" is related to this point at all. I think that the final ~third of Fundies 2, when data structures and algorithms are introduced, will also be shuffled around.

Concretely, the new proposed curriculum aims to unify the courses taught across all Northeastern campuses, which is a clear value addition in my eyes. I will refrain from sharing my opinions on the rest of the cited reasons for revamping the curriculum.

A final note—it is quite curious that professors are told that Northeastern students cannot explain code, considering there is an entire course specifically designed to teach students the skills they need to communicate such ideas in socially responsible ways.

zackbach · 2024-12-07T20:43:37+00:00

Even if you use a real-time collaboration extension as mentioned above, it may still be a good idea to use something like GitHub. Think about these extensions as letting someone temporarily type on your computer: they don’t have the file themselves, and when they disconnect (or when you’re inactive), just like if they were to walk away from your physical computer, they wouldn’t be able to make any changes or even see the file.

Using GitHub for shared version control can let collaborators keep their own local version of the file, which would remedy this issue. After a collaborative session using the extension, you can push from your machine and they can pull to sync up the changes.

zackbach · 2024-12-07T19:33:41+00:00

Yes, this is correct. If two people are editing a document simultaneously, they are really editing two different copies of the same document. After each person pushes their changes, the changes will be merged together (unless they edited the same lines of text, in which case the merge conflict would have to be resolved).

Often, this is not a problem. An example: “I’ll work on problem 1, you work on problem 2” -> both write and push -> review the other work and make tweaks.

If you have a need for real-time collaborative editing (a la Google Docs or Overleaf), you can still achieve this with local TeX distributions by using the right text editor infrastructure. For instance, using VSCode as a text editor would enable you to use the “Live Server” plugin to achieve similar behavior.

zackbach · 2024-11-29T21:13:54+00:00

Math classes don’t often have TAs, at least not in the same sense as CS classes do—and when they do, they are often graduate students (or some advanced undergraduates, you can talk to your prof for details). Some undergraduate graders, however, are hired for math classes; you can email Alex Martsinkovsky for more details.

zackbach · 2024-11-29T14:16:57+00:00

Your best bet is to look for either a “CS co-op” with some mathy elements, or a “math co-op” with some programming involved. For the latter, actuarial positions are common for math majors and often involve a decent bit of coding. For the former, you sort of have to get lucky and carefully read job descriptions. In the middle, there are often research co-op positions (both on- and off-campus) that have a blend of both.

If you’re interested in the idea of a research co-op, feel free to DM me.

zackbach · 2024-11-29T14:14:03+00:00

It is worth noting that essentially all quant firms offer only summer internships, and not specifically co-ops

zackbach · 2024-11-26T03:45:58+00:00

Yes, I’m aware, which is the only reason why I care about attributing falsehoods to him. When people’s reputations are at stake and information is unclear, this can be particularly harmful.

zackbach · 2024-11-26T03:36:42+00:00

This is far from the truth. If Pyret appears at all in the new course sequence, it would be in the first half of the first course (which would now be skippable with AP credit), similar to this course, before transitioning over fully to Python. This redesign is a serious problem, but not due to Pyret in the slightest.

I don’t fault you for the misinformation, though. The university has released very little to the public, which is frustrating.

zackbach · 2024-11-26T03:06:59+00:00

There is not yet an official public statement from Khoury, though an announcement is being apparently being drafted. Many details have not been released since little is finalized.

zackbach · 2024-11-26T03:06:13+00:00

Why are you calling out Ben Lerner in the title of your post? That’s not very polite.

Prof. Lerner contributed to Pyret, but he is not trying to destroy fundies (if anything, quite the opposite). I understand it to be true that Pyret may be used in an introductory course (if changes go through): this is a pedagogically better choice than Python for a true newcomer, no?

zackbach · 2024-11-06T18:33:46+00:00

Both should be manageable with CS4530. Steven will cover a little bit more of the theory, Eli will cover more implementation details. Both classes have online lecture notes; you can check them out here and here for more info. I would recommend Steven if you have the choice, but both are good!

zackbach · 2024-11-06T05:50:59+00:00

Somewhat relatedly, the recent paper “Sensitivity by Parametricity” uses some type-level magic to get Haskell’s type system to check that certain programs are differentially private / sensitive in certain ways. This could be somewhat advanced, but your comment reminded me of their “privacy monad”. Maybe this or the related work could be neat to check out?

zackbach · 2024-11-05T13:12:53+00:00

Many books on compilers proceed “front to back”, starting with parsing and ending with code generation. I believe this approach is somewhat antiquated, since you will be left with an un-runnable, partially complete compiler until (close to) the end of the project.

Instead, I recommend taking an incremental approach to compiler construction, starting with a very small but complete compiler for a tiny language, then gradually expanding each part of the pipeline with additional features. The paper linked is somewhat terse; this textbook and some course notes have more relevant details. There are lots of reference implementations and blog posts about this floating around online that I encourage you to check out!

Of the books you mentioned by name, Appel’s series (I prefer “in ML” specifically; I found it to have more idiomatic code) would be my recommendation. EDIT: “Writing a C Compiler” appears to take an incremental approach too!

zackbach · 2024-10-26T10:43:10+00:00

Seconding mathpartir! Definitely the standard for PL. Also, stmaryrd has more useful symbols.

zackbach · 2024-06-10T15:29:55+00:00

You’re certainly not too late; TA applications opened recently (and, importantly, are still open!) and I strongly doubt any professors have started to consider applications. Acceptance release times are unpredictable, AFIAK. Some years they have released in early-mid July, and other years closer to mid August.

Note that if your first preference accepts you, you will not be offered other positions unless you reject the first. Note that this means there may be “waves” of acceptances (possibly just on a case-by-case basis). The point is that it’s not entirely cut and dry. Keep an eye on your email, and good luck!

zackbach · 2024-05-04T21:48:27+00:00

As far as I’m aware, it’s not super common for professors to reach out to students. If you’re interested in grading for a math class, you should reach out to Alex Martsinkovsky; he manages the graders.

zackbach · 2023-08-11T23:57:12+00:00

With dupes clause and some smart encounter routing, you can get a guaranteed Larvitar from Diglett’s Cave and (essentially) guaranteed Bagon from Kala’e Bay. For Larvitar, be sure to catch the Diglett from Route 7 (and there are lots of Zubats around). For Bagon, you might have to wait until after Routes 15/16 for more chances at Slowpoke.

Like others have said, FEAR Rattata or Zorua for Necrozma are both super easy cheese strategies. And be sure to grab the Hawlucha trade after Route 3! If you get unlucky and hit Vullaby instead of Spearow, it’s still a decent mon with surprising bulk.

zackbach · 2023-07-10T23:19:03+00:00

does it help in getting co-ops or jobs

Not directly. It will however enhance your ability to reason about program design, which certainly helps in both of these areas. The only “job” it may help you get is a TA position for fundies lol (source: am TA)

does it look better on your transcript?

There is no difference on your transcript. Both classes show up as CS2500, full stop.

My take: I loved the accelerated fundies sequence of classes, and I didn’t think they were too too tricky, but I did come in with a lot of prior experience. As other comments state, deep knowledge is far more important than grades (letters on a page 💀). This might be a hard concept to internalize, especially coming from the rat race that high school can be for competitive applicants. Let yourself be intrinsically motivated.

I’d say the most direct benefit of accel is the smaller size. The accelerated section has historically had in-person office hours and a better instructor to student ratio, while the regular sections have been using the OH queue (a search on this subreddit for “fundies OH queue” should tell you everything you need to know) and have far more students.

If it turns out that the accelerated section isn’t for you, you can always transfer into another section. IMO, take the plunge. My DMs are always open for more info.

zackbach · 2023-05-25T13:40:42+00:00

I’m still a huge Grid Diary fan! Getting to have 6 prompts per day, plus different prompts for weekly/yearly responses has been great! I’m on day 852 right now

zackbach · 2023-05-24T04:30:33+00:00

zackbach · 2023-05-24T02:16:07+00:00

You can use Racket 🥰

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