Author Topic: Calculus...  (Read 809 times)

Offline moot

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Re: Calculus...
« Reply #15 on: November 30, 2008, 08:31:24 AM »
It can't hurt to try, but depending on how thorough the exam is, I'd have to say you don't stand greater than 50/50 chances of (barely) passing a test that's almost half and half calc 2 and 3. The comments that you cant neglect calc for your career are true, but it wont actualy come back to bite you in the bellybutton if you carry the momentum you take into the test and 'finish' studying these topics over the next 3-6 months.

Go for it, but don't bet anything important on it..  For the physics class, if you really are serious about it and not just trying to find shortcuts, you can probably get by with just passing or knowing Calc 1, and taking calc 2 at the same time as the first physics class. You'd most likely have to talk to the teacher and effortlessly show him you've done the homework and deserve in.  If you can truly integrate (no pun) the conceptual understanding of Calc1 and know it and everything it implies like the back of your hand, youve done the hard part.. Calc2 is more of the same IMO. Diff EQ isnt that hard at all once you've waded thru the conceptual obstacles in the calc classes.

I say go for it.. You cant push back your limits till you find em.  IMO youll be a lot better off trying it, even if you fail the exam itself.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2008, 08:35:11 AM by moot »
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Offline RTHolmes

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Re: Calculus...
« Reply #16 on: November 30, 2008, 11:23:19 AM »
I say take the easy way out, as a matter of fact take as many short cuts as you can. Engineers don't really need to know all that stuff.

The computers will do all the hard work for you anyway. Shees it's not like it's rocket science or anything.

so so wrong. you absolutely do not want to take a short cut on calculus - without being able to differentiate as second nature you'll struggle with a huge chunk of the engineering solutions you'll use every day. integration to a lesser degree IIRC, just as well because diff is mostly proceedural and integration requires some math intuition.
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Offline CAVPFCDD

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Re: Calculus...
« Reply #17 on: November 30, 2008, 11:51:07 AM »
Goin to USF race? Very nice i live across the bay, where you going now SPC?
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Offline Race

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Re: Calculus...
« Reply #18 on: November 30, 2008, 04:52:40 PM »
    MCC (Manatee Community College) in Bradenton which is only 20 minutes south of SPC......well with me driving anyway. I share Moot's opinion that while its a slim chance the reward is worth it. If I were to take the test, pass and be done with calculus I might feel like different. Since I havent taken a math class (of any kind) in a long time a little bit of reviewing has been needed. Holmes I think SIK1 was being very sarcastic....internet humor. Math used to be my best subject so we shall see.

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Offline CAVPFCDD

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Re: Calculus...
« Reply #19 on: November 30, 2008, 05:10:18 PM »
very cool bradenton is close by, I'd say do your best USF is a cool school, gotten drunk there more than a couple times lol
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Offline SIK1

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Re: Calculus...
« Reply #20 on: November 30, 2008, 07:49:06 PM »
What me sarcastic?

Race the reason I said what I did is because my dad is an old school, slide rule, engineer. I've seen him catch mistakes that others have missed because he knows his stuff forward and backwards. Engineers can effect the lives of thousands of people by making one little mistake. So who do you want designing the next critical component?

Oh, he also completed the electrical engineering course in three years. Not bad considering he was a high school dropout.
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Offline MORAY37

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Re: Calculus...
« Reply #21 on: December 01, 2008, 12:01:47 AM »
Well, Race, everyone is different.  What works for you, may not work for me.

CLEPing Calculus would not have worked for me, though I am most certainly not a math person (which is why I got the BS and Master's in Biology).  I got by it and Calc 2 in undergrad....and haven't wanted to ever go back.  I honestly don't use calculus much, but use statistics pretty much daily.  Thankfully, I never had to do anything past calc2 or else I'd certainly not be almost finished with my Post hole Digger.

But, if it works for you and you understand it.... go for it.
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Offline RTHolmes

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Re: Calculus...
« Reply #22 on: December 01, 2008, 02:15:14 AM »
doh missed the sarcasm :rolleyes:

I just remember the look on the faces of about half my 1st year engineering class when some calculus appeared on the whiteboard :uhoh. made me wonder if they'd chosen engineering because it was sciency but without all that difficult maths stuff. later in the year we lost about 10% of the class when fourier transforms appeared...
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Offline Race

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Re: Calculus...
« Reply #23 on: December 01, 2008, 07:08:08 AM »
     Fourier Transform......I had to look that up. :uhoh It appears that they have dropped them from the syllabus. Checked 4 different classes for them and nothing. I personally feel alot of engineering as moved on from calculus to finite analysis. Thats not the first equation I have ran across that has been dropped from general teachings. For anything less than basic stress I feel progams like ProE are faster and more accurate. Not to say its not important but is like machining and G-Code.

Race
« Last Edit: December 01, 2008, 07:10:18 AM by Race »
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Offline RTHolmes

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Re: Calculus...
« Reply #24 on: December 01, 2008, 07:50:43 AM »
hehe my mistake it was laplace transforms (for electronic circuit analysis). did alot of maths a long time ago, hard to remember which bits i've applied where :)
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Offline moot

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Re: Calculus...
« Reply #25 on: December 01, 2008, 09:19:29 AM »
Moray the context here is for him to pass this test.  Not to build a whole career on 6 weeks of crash course.  6 weeks of cramming as a gateway to a 6 month reduction in his curiculum is worth it, if he keeps everything on track over the next 6 weeks + following semester.
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Offline MORAY37

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Re: Calculus...
« Reply #26 on: December 01, 2008, 12:04:31 PM »
Moray the context here is for him to pass this test.  Not to build a whole career on 6 weeks of crash course.  6 weeks of cramming as a gateway to a 6 month reduction in his curiculum is worth it, if he keeps everything on track over the next 6 weeks + following semester.

Exactly, which is why I said it may work for him, if he is really good.  I wasn't great with Calculus, so it would not have been a good idea for me.
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