EECS16A, Foundations of Signals, Dynamical Systems, and Information Processing

Spring 2025

Important Course Information/Scheduling Updates

Please add yourself to the Gradescope using code R7G8Z5, if you are not in it already.

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Schedule

Lecture videos can be found in the bcourses modules page

(Please scroll horizontally if you're viewing this on your phone.)

Calendars

All office hours will be held in Soda 410.

Discussion Schedule

Each day's discussion covers different material. You only need to attend one discussion per day Tuesday and Thursday. NOTE: The CS Scholars Discussion is OPEN to everyone. There is no difference in material covered. The LOST section is 2 hours long and will go over the material in more depth.

Resources

Ed (Ask Questions Here)

Homework Practice Problems

Textbook: Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares by Stephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe

Technology Needs (STEP)

Student Technology Equity Program (STEP). STEP provides laptops and other technologies for free and is for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. It requires just a simple online application form. For details, see here.

Recommended Texts

Extra Resources

Setting up How-To's

Videos

Past Exams

Past exams vary in scope from semester to semester, and may include topics that are not in scope for the current semester or module. Unavailable exams are indicated by N/A. In-scope topics for the current semester will be posted on Ed about a week before the corresponding exam.

Semester Midterm 1 Midterm 2 Final
fa24 pdf pdf pdf
sp24 pdf, sol pdf N/A
fa23 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
sp23 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
fa22 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
sp22 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
fa21 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
sp21 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
fa20 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
su20 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
sp20 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
fa19 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
sp19 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
fa18 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
sp18 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
fa17 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
su17 pdf, sol pdf, sol N/A
sp17 pdf, sol pdf, sol N/A
fa16 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
sp16 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
fa15 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol
sp15 pdf, sol pdf, sol pdf, sol

Practice Sets: Links to Notes and Solutions

It is very strongly recommend that you try the problems themselves here before looking at the solutions below. The links for solutions are not perfect, so you may need to scroll to the bottom of the linked page to find them. Give feedback by emailing at our course email.

Course Staff

Please add berkeley.edu to the end of all emails!

We also have 2 special emails for various purposes. Where applicable, please use these emails so that all relevant course staff can view the message. Note that we prefer for technical or content questions to go on Ed!

Instructor



Babak Ayazifar

ayazifar@

Course Staff



Hello!! I'm a junior studying EECS and minoring in data science. This is my second semester on EECS16A staff and as Head TA for the course. Previously, I was on EECS16B staff for two semesters. In my free time, I enjoy exploring new places with friends, eating good food, and (poorly) playing the electric guitar. Super duper excited to met you all in office hours!

Mishty Dhekial
Head TA
she/her/hers
mdhekial@, eecs16a@

Hello there! I'm a fourth year international student from Mexico majoring in Applied Math and CS. This will be my fifth semester on course staff and my third semester as a TA. I enjoy playing the piano, playing tennis for sport, and watching Star Wars. Looking forward to working together!

Joe Alarcon
Content Head + Discussion TA

joe.alarcon@

Hey guys! I'm a junior in EECS with a focus on robotics and machine learning. When I'm not doing homework, making homework, or procrastinating on related works research, I play Dragonvale, binge random video essays, and relish a good shower. Let's make this semester a great one!

Jaimyn Drake
Content Head + Discussion TA
he/him/his
jaimyndrake@

Howdy! I'm a 3rd year EECS major from Pasadena, CA. I'm interested in robotics and ML. This is my 4th semester on staff. In my free time, some of the things I enjoy are going to the gym and spending time with friends. Looking forward to a great semester! Fun Fact: I learned that Prof. Babak was my dad's TA sometime in the 90s at a different university...

Leon Kornfeld
Software Head + Discussion TA

leonkornfeld@

Hello! My name is Sonia, and I'm a fourth year majoring in EECS. My technical interests are in signal processing and digital design. Outside of the classroom I am involved in a dance club, and I like to bake and craft in my free time. I am excited to meet you all in lab and feel free to reach out to me with any questions :)

Sonia Chacon
Lab Head TA
she/her/hers
srchacon@

Hi! I’m Nikhil and I’m a fourth year EECS major. This is my seventh (and last) semester on course staff! My technical interests are low-level programming, computer architecture, and power electronics. In my freetime I read books, play board/card/video games, look at airplanes, and bicycle. I’m so excited to delve back into circuits and meet everyone in lab! Feel free to reach out about the course, about lab, or about anything else!

Nikhil Ograin
Lab Head TA

ncograin@

Hi friends! I'm a 2nd year EECS major from across the globe and this is my second time on 16A staff. I speak English, Spanish, Mandarin, and know some Portuguese and Latin. Along with learning new languages, I also enjoy working out, traveling, and trop house music. Looking forward to meeting you! Reach out anytime ;)

Ken Zheng
Content + Discussion TA

kenzhengjk@

Hi! I'm Ben, a third-year EECS major. My primary technical interests are power and ICs. In my free time, I enjoy playing frisbee, speedrunning Mario, and playing the piano. Feel free to reach out!

Benjamin Karish
Content + Discussion TA
he/him/his
benjaminkarish04@

hi! i'm a third year mechE & EECS double major. i like controls, robots, cats, and music :) feel free to reach out!

Athul Krishnan
Content + Discussion TA
he/they
athul@

Hey! I'm a third year from San Diego studying EECS. I like computational biology, crossword puzzles, tennis, ultimate frisbee, karaoke, and taking public transportation. I think linear algebra is super cool and useful, and hopefully you will too after this semester!

Aakarsh Vermani
Content + Discussion TA
he/him
aakarshv@

Hey everyone! I'm Eric, a 4th year CS student born and raised in San Diego. I like to play video games, but especially fighting games and Tetris. If you like either of those things, I'd love to talk with you about it! This is my fourth semester as a lab TA, and I hope I can show you all why lab is the absolute best part of 16A :)

Eric Garcia
Lab TA
he/him/his
e.garcia@

Interested in integrated circuits hardware design. Also love swimming and cooking!

Justin Lee
Lab TA

julee6@

Hi! I'm Ayush. I'm a second-year studying EECS, and this is my second semester on staff. I'm interested in AI/ML and enjoy traveling and watching sports. I really enjoyed being on 16A.

Ayush Raj
Lab ASE
he/him/his
ayushraj@

Hi! I'm Jameson, a sophomore majoring in EECS. I'm interested in robotics, AI/ML, and software engineering, and I also like to play video games and get milk tea in my free time. Looking forward to seeing you in lab!

Jameson Liu
Lab ASE
he/him
jamesonliu@

Hello! I'm a fourth-year CS major from SoCal. I like ice skating and playing video games with my friends. Feel free to reach out to chat :D

Jennifer Cao
Lab ASE

jennifercao291953@

I am a third-year EECS major from Quito, Ecuador. I enjoy sports, especially soccer, traveling, playing video games, and I like pineapple on pizza.

Nicolas Rakela
Lab ASE
he/him
nicorakela@

Hi! My name is Shivanshi and I am a junior majoring in EECS and Business. The content and application for this class is interesting to teach, and I am sure you will find it just as interesting to learn :) My technical interests lie in the technical product management and biotechnology. In my free time, I like to work out, read for pleasure, and bake!

Shivanshi Tandon
Lab ASE
she/her/hers
shivanshitandon@

Hey this is Mia!! I am a third-year MSE student with a minor in EECS. I am currently doing research on semiconductors/thin-film as well as constructing neural networks for heart health prediction. In my free time, I enjoy weight-lifting, singing (my band in berkeley is called Firework Band and we have concerts every semester), and traveling around the world. Feel free to ask me about anything!

Mia Wang
Lab ASE
she/her/hers
miawang@

Hey everyone! I'm Andrew and I'm a EECS & IEOR major interested in machine learning and analytics. I enjoy playing poker, watching Cal football and the NFL, and following F1 during my free time. Looking forward to another semester of 16A!

Andrew Song
Lab ASE

andrew_song@

Hello I'm Viviana! I'm a third-year studying EECS and am excited to support y'all in your EECS 16A journey this semester. I'm interested in data-driven development and am exploring in the realm of AI/ML. I enjoy eating, baking, playing with my doggos, and hiking.

Viviana Tran
Tutor

tranviviana@

Hi! I'm a second year from Socal/Beijing studying EECS. Contrary to what my name might suggest, I'm quite bad at golf (though I do play it). Talk to me if you like Joe Hisaishi!!! (or even if you don't, you can still talk to me :))

Tiger Zhang
Tutor
he/him/his
enming_zhang@

Hi everyone! I'm Thien, and I'm a fourth-year EECS major. In my free time I do Lion Dance, watch anime, and fly kites. Also, feel free to talk to me about anything music! I listen to most genres but I tend to stick to hip-hop, r&b, and indie, but I'm always open to new stuff! Looking forward to meeting everyone!

Thien Le
Tutor
he/him
thienle1942@

Hi! I'm Mallika, a 2nd year EECS major from the Bay. I'm interested in many different areas within EECS but currently exploring hardware and digital design. In my free time, I love to go on walks, play tennis, bake, and hang out with my bunny. I love tutoring for EECS 16A, and feel free to reach out anytime!

Mallika Agrawal
Tutor
she/her/hers
mallika.agrawal@

Hi! I'm Joshua, and I'm a 2nd year EECS student. I'm interested in researching LLMs, HCI, and computer algorithms. I also enjoy "researching" optimal strategies to make sure I never lose at any game I play (I'm better at the former). This is my first semester teaching, so looking forward to talking to y'all!

Joshua Lu
Tutor
he/him
joshualu@

Hello, I'm Jordi and this is my first semester as course staff. I like linear algebra and sometimes sentences don't end the way they potato

Jordi Tedja
Tutor
he/him
jorditedja@

Hey! I'm a junior transfer student studying EECS from East Side San Jose. I am most interested in machine learning, quantum computing, and the underlying math they can both be described by. In my spare time, I like to write music, exercise, and spend time with friends and family.

Phoenix Wilson
Tutor
he/him
phoenixw@

Policies

For a full list of course policies and the syllabus, see here.

About

EECS 16AB Course Coverage

EECS16AB was specially designed to ramp students up to prepare for courses in machine learning and design and are important classes to set the stage for the rest of your time in the department.

FAQ

Q1: Should I take EECS16A my first semester at Cal?

A1: If you have taken an AP calculus class, then the answer is yes! EECS16A has no prerequisites other than calculus and is designed with freshmen and incoming transfer students in mind. It is designed to be taken alongside 61A. Furthermore, we reserve seats for freshmen and incoming transfer students in the class, so you are essentially guaranteed a spot in the class your first year. It will be harder to get into the class as an upperclassman.

Q2: Should I take EECS 16A and EECS 16B before or after CS 70?

A2: EECS16A and 16B were specifically designed to help ease the transition to CS70 for incoming students. These classes provide an introduction to proofs and the kind of mathematical thinking that is very useful in a class like CS70. We recommend you take 16AB before taking CS70, this should help you have an easier time in CS 70.

Q3: Should I take MATH 54 before taking EECS16A?

A3: EECS 16A is designed to be taken without any prerequisites, so there is no need to take MATH 54 before EECS 16A. EECS 16AB teaches linear algebra with the intent of preparing you for courses like EECS 127 (Optimization) and EECS 189 (Machine Learning) and provides engineering and machine learning examples and applications for linear algebra. EECS 16AB also uses Jupyter notebooks and python so you can better connect linear algebra and computation.

Feedback

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