Math

[Sapphire]

I have no choice but to take Calc II this semester. I scared! Not to mention, I've forgotten all of my Calc I, so I have to relearn that.

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What level of math did you go up to? Do you use math in your job/major/life?

[Assertn]

I had to learn Calc 1 - Calc 4 in my senior year of high school. It was fun, but forgot about half of it. :[
I mostly just do algebra, trig, and some physics formulas with my work.

[Buffalobiian]

Highschool Education: Maths B (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics_education_in_Australia#Mathematics_B), Maths C (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics_education_in_Australia#Mathematics_C).

University: Pharmaceutical calculations. (mostly remembering formulas and when/how to apply them when working out concentrations/diluting factors for drug production, absorption/elimination rates, working out the quantitative significance of the findings of medical studies and comparing them to established treatment outcomes to grasp an accurate view of the proposed treatment's benefits/risks)

After graduation, the line of work would involve working out dosages for children of varying mass, as well as compounding.

Current job: counting change, working out discounts after applying X%...

[bagandscalpel]

Calc III, here, even though I took a slew of math classes at my previous college.

Not quite sure how I missed the transfer equivalent for this one...

[Death BOO Z]

because of math I dropped out of my first choice in the university.
I couldn't figure out how all these non-existent numbers work (and lots' of other things), so I had to give up on statistics major.

most of what I do now is normal statistics. and I use programs for that.

[David75]

In France we have specific classes called "Classes Préparatoires" for high level Education in Maths and Physics. You go there in order to prepare for Top level "Engineer Schools". Been there, entered one of those schools.
Thing is, the difficulty are those "Classes Préparatoires" and of course being selected after that, but the selection is a small -yet extremely intense- period of time.

There, I had topology, and all sorts of exotic maths I didn't even know exist. I remember being astonished we even retraced all the process for math research dating something less than 20 years.
Same in Physics.
Honestly, it was Hell on earth. Literally.

And now, 15 years after that, I think I forgot almost everything I learned back then. Maybe I still have some thought process and the like, maybe reading maths and physics vulgarization papers is easier (I still do that everyday after all). But that's it.
For some reason, I often feel like I wasted those years, yet at the same time I often understand things far ahead of everyone, understand why things are as they are... but it does not give me the edge in anything. Maybe because I clearly lack other qualities and I'm not at the right place right now who knows...

What I want to tell, other than speaking about myself, is that no matter what you do, it might not be as important as you think it is in the long run. Yet, it might be important to experience them. I feel like I'm paraphrasing Gandhi here (I really think I did that... spank me :D )

My understanding of society is that if you have qualities you need to work on, they mostly are social... How can you have people do what you want them to do for you... and they do it like it's natural and they even are happy doing so.... for example.

[Sapphire]

My friends were just talking about how ridiculously difficult colleges in France are.

[Buffalobiian]

For some reason, I often feel like I wasted those years, yet at the same time I often understand things far ahead of everyone, understand why things are as they are...

A quote from Albert Einstein:

"Education is what is left after you've forgotten everything you've learned."

[Sapphire]

It sounds like the experience taught you how to think. Which is invaluable.

[David75]

A quote from Albert Einstein:

"Education is what is left after you've forgotten everything you've learned."

Maybe, I can't really tell.


It sounds like the experience taught you how to think. Which is invaluable.

Since I had this experience, I can't know how I'd be without it. I just wish I took some psychology classes, I mean advanced people management, including the self. I could still do it now, just that my schedule isn't very compatible with education schedules.

[Uchiha Barles]

I majored in math and chemistry. Orginally, I was ok at math, but started having problems when those pesky upside down Es and As started appearing and they wanted me to do proofs...I figured I'd bite the bullet and take set theory and try to learn the "math language" that made the subject such a pain. I had a hard time but it served its purpose and at that point I decided to pick up math as a major, figuring if I'm going to be a scientist, I should be a mathematician of sorts as well.

[Ryllharu]

I took at least one math class every year I was in university.

Calc I - Easy once you get to the shortcut techniques.

Calc II - Failed it the first time because I didn't do the homework. It's not hard, you just have to practice.

Multi-variable Calc - #@#&*!@. I still don't understand that class. Needlessly hard systems to solve.

Differential Equations - A lot less obtuse than multi-variable. I also got drilled on these during every Engineering class I took Junior and Senior year. Why they made us take this after multi-variable is beyond me. I might have understood the other better if I had.

Linear Algebra - Kind of like the latter parts of Calc II, but with a much stronger focus on methods for solving. Once you knew the procedures, it was a cakewalk.

Geometry (college level) - I took this one for fun. And it was. I loved the hell out of college level geometry, from Euclidean to Poincaré.


Amusingly enough, I barely use any math at all, and I'm in engineering. The engineers that actually do calculations...it's all plug and chug from ASME forms and international standards documents.

[Carnage]

I had to learn Calc 1 - Calc 4 in my senior year of high school. It was fun, but forgot about half of it. :[
I mostly just do algebra, trig, and some physics formulas with my work.

I have a hard time believing you learned up through Calc 4 in highschool, did you end up going to Stanford? Lol

I learned Calc I and Calc II in my junior and senior year of highschool respectively, and am now taking Calc III. Calc I is a cakewalk, Calc III looks like it'll be similar, but oh boy learning all those series and shit in Calc II was a pain in the ass. I probably wont ever take Calc IV as its not necessary for my major.


I have no choice but to take Calc II this semester. I scared! Not to mention, I've forgotten all of my Calc I, so I have to relearn that.

Yeah I would definitely brush up on it, it'll probably make your life much easier.

[Lucifus]

Middle: Alg I
High: Geometry, Alg II, Trigonometry
College(Current):Calc I, Calc II, Stats, Combinatorics, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra. Only one's I've taken thus far. Calc I & II were hell for me because I just didnt study/read/do many problems. Was a bad student back then. Managed to pull off passing C's for em.

Combinatorics is by far the most fun math course I've had to take. For one, I'm behaving like an actual college student(Studying, Reading, Practicing) and just thinking about the different ways to count something with constraints is so difficult but satisfying when you finally figure it out. Its like I better understand risk assessment and I feel like I understand more, at a faster pace than others. I dunno, maybe I'm just conceited. LoL

Shooting for a Math & Comp Sci double major.

[enkoujin]

Calculus I + Applied Mathematics equivalent (derivatives)

Calculus II + Applied Mathematics equivalent (integration)

Linear Algebra (matrices

Currently taking Calculus III in its Applied equivalent form (series, differential equations).

I might have to take financial engineering and maybe a few mathematics courses for fun, but that's probably it for me.

Here's a good website that shows you how to do all your necessary post-secondary education mathematics that I found to be useful:

http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/

[Xelbair]

I took at least one math class every year I was in university.

Calc I - Easy once you get to the shortcut techniques.

Calc II - Failed it the first time because I didn't do the homework. It's not hard, you just have to practice.

Multi-variable Calc - #@#&*!@. I still don't understand that class. Needlessly hard systems to solve.

Differential Equations - A lot less obtuse than multi-variable. I also got drilled on these during every Engineering class I took Junior and Senior year. Why they made us take this after multi-variable is beyond me. I might have understood the other better if I had.

Linear Algebra - Kind of like the latter parts of Calc II, but with a much stronger focus on methods for solving. Once you knew the procedures, it was a cakewalk.

Geometry (college level) - I took this one for fun. And it was. I loved the hell out of college level geometry, from Euclidean to Poincaré.


Amusingly enough, I barely use any math at all, and I'm in engineering. The engineers that actually do calculations...it's all plug and chug from ASME forms and international standards documents.

What does calc II cover? we use different naming system over here(it is just general math I, II, etc in universities), i've finished Math II, and had: analytical geometry, multi variable calculus(no differential equations), differential equations with one variable x(solving for y) and matrixes. I assume that calculus II covers integrals up to triple.

[Ryllharu]

Pretty much what enkoujin posted. Calc I is limits, derivatives, and an intro to integration. Calc II is a continuation, so formal integration, infinite series, and an intro to vector (linear) algebra.

The first two classes don't teach you any of the shortcuts right away, because you're learning the method and theory behind them (as how limits lead to derivatives). That makes them a pain because you have to do everything the formal way until the end of each topic.

[Carnage]

The first two classes don't teach you any of the shortcuts right away, because you're learning the method and theory behind them (as how limits lead to derivatives). That makes them a pain because you have to do everything the formal way until the end of each topic.

Not necessarily, it definitely depends on the professor/teacher.

[poopdeville]

I majored in math. It was fun in a mind bending kind of way. The course of study covered:

Introduction to Calculus
Introduction to Analysis
Multivariable Calculus I (Linear approximations to functions in any dimension)
Multivariable Calculus II (Stoke's theorem)
Linear algebra
Abstract algebra
Complex Analysis
Real Analysis
Mathematical logic
Differential geometry
Galois theory
Elliptic Curves

I wrote my thesis on "descriptive set theory", which is the theory generated by considering extensions to the Borel sigma-algebra for a topology on a Polish metric space. So, it was in the intersection of topology, set theory, measure theory, and mathematical logic.

Also, I had a lot of freedom in designing my course of study, so I ended up taking a lot of logic courses from the philosophy department.

[enkoujin]

I majored in math. It was fun in a mind bending kind of way. The course of study covered:

Introduction to Calculus
Introduction to Analysis
Multivariable Calculus I (Linear approximations to functions in any dimension)
Multivariable Calculus II (Stoke's theorem)
Linear algebra
Abstract algebra
Complex Analysis
Real Analysis
Mathematical logic
Differential geometry
Galois theory
Elliptic Curves

I wrote my thesis on "descriptive set theory", which is the theory generated by considering extensions to the Borel sigma-algebra for a topology on a Polish metric space. So, it was in the intersection of topology, set theory, measure theory, and mathematical logic.

Also, I had a lot of freedom in designing my course of study, so I ended up taking a lot of logic courses from the philosophy department.

You know, it turns out I'm one of those guys who's quite interested in maths.

Do you know any websites where I can obtain large volumes of this information that you have learned?

[Sapphire]

Get textbooks if there aren't any. I use Essential Calculus (but you're already past that so nevermind).

[Uchiha Barles]

You know, it turns out I'm one of those guys who's quite interested in maths.

Do you know any websites where I can obtain large volumes of this information that you have learned?

MIT has an open courseware site that offers a lot of free materials including class notes and assignments, though they don't provide textbooks.

http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm

Also, look up "math complete" on a torrent site...

[Killa-Eyez]

About that, a friend of mine recommended a website with a lot of free material including math. I told him I was planning going back to school and he said that if I wanted to brush up on math that I'd visit this site: http://www.khanacademy.org/

It's a step-wise educational program and I think you can start anywhere you like.
I was told the inventor of the organization had ideals that education should be free and started out with some youtube vids.

Thought it might be useful.

[Uchiha Barles]

Oh yes, I saw the site creator on The Daily Show. I haven't checked out the site but from what we saw on the daily show, it seemed incredible. I'll check that out now.

[Sapphire]

He has hella videos on Youtube. I use them for Orgo, etc.

[Animeniax]

I haven't taken a math class in a while, unless computer logic counts, where we used formulae and proofs just like in math class.

I'm not sure free learning is a good idea. It interferes with the established power structure where only the social and economic elites can succeed without a lot of effort. Also, free learning is dangerous because terrorists can finally learn what to do with the glowing rocks they acquired but have no idea how to use to kill people en masse.

[Sapphire]

I'm not sure free learning is a good idea. It interferes with the established power structure where only the social and economic elites can succeed without a lot of effort. Also, free learning is dangerous because terrorists can finally learn what to do with the glowing rocks they acquired but have no idea how to use to kill people en masse.

You're trying too hard.

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Free learning is awesome. It's also an exercise of motivation and will power.

[poopdeville]

You know, it turns out I'm one of those guys who's quite interested in maths.

Do you know any websites where I can obtain large volumes of this information that you have learned?

Websites... not really. You can sometimes find big packs of mathematics text books on the torrent sites.

Here is a list of books online. Oh, and the AMS had a series of free books in PDF format.

http://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html

Wikipedia is surprisingly good (especially in breadth), but its depth is limited.

I suggest getting Dover editions of math text books. Dover republishes older books and sells them at good prices. Also, Alibris.com is a good resource for used text books. I have bought books in good condition for as little as 99c. I can write up a list of good books if you want.

[poopdeville]

I found another good source for free textbooks. There is a lot of stuff there.

http://www.e-booksdirectory.com/listing.php?category=3