Frequently Asked Questions

From 6.034 Wiki

Contents 1 Should I take the subject this semester? 2 Should I buy a book? 3 Am I expected to attend lectures, tutorials, the megarecitation, and the ordinary recitations? 4 Can I collaborate with friends on the homework? 5 Do I need to know how to program in Scheme? 6 What can I bring to the quizzes and the final 7 What is the final grade distribution likely to be?

Should I take the subject this semester?

The following are the major differences between the fall and spring versions:

• Professor Patrick H. Winston is in charge in the fall; Professor Tomas Lozano-Perez are in charge in the spring.
• Much of the material covers the same ground. The most conspicuous differences are that the fall version focuses toward the end of the semester on models of aspects of human intelligence and the spring version includes a major section on formal logic.

See the Underground Guide for further guidance.

Should I buy a book?

No. All the reading material you need will be online at zero cost.

Am I expected to attend lectures, tutorials, the megarecitation, and the ordinary recitations?

Yes. We believe that the lectures, tutorials, and recitations are all an important part of the MIT experience, and we work hard to make them interesting and useful.

• Lectures introduce powerful ideas and relate the material to the "big picture." We often include questions on the quizzes and final that you can answer only by faithful lecture attendance.
• Tutorials provide you with an opportunity to ask questions and to demonstrate your understanding.
• Recitations play a major role in clarifying the material and demonstrating how problems are solved.

Can I collaborate with friends on the homework?

See grading policy.

Do I need to know how to program in Scheme?

The subject is not centered on programming, but a substantial fraction of the homework requires an understanding of Scheme and working out some small Scheme programs. The quizzes and final do not include questions that require any knowledge of Scheme programming. Veterans of 6.001 should have no trouble with the programming involved; students skilled in some other programming language will have to spend a couple of weekends reading the Scheme book and should work out a catch-up plan with their tutor; students with no programming experience are advised not to take the subject.

What can I bring to the quizzes and the final

All quizzes and the final are open book, open notes, open problem sets and solutions, open everything, except for computers.

What is the final grade distribution likely to be?

See grading policy.