Calculus is EVIL!!!!!

downwithpants · Post by **downwithpants** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 10:33 pm

Jonathan02us wrote:
moonies rule wrote:Most of you have probably already forgotten that i exist but i'm still here, i've been having trouble with calculus and have been forced to study instead of doing other things like posting stuff on the forum. Errrrrr, did i tell anyone that i hate calculus, well i do. It's driving me nuts!!!!
hey u not alone, i didnt like calc at all either, it was a nightmare to take, so what i did was not take it ever again,lol.

actually i did the same. i took linear algebra 221 last year while everyone else was taking calc 112/192. i saw one or two derivatives but that was it.

Toecutter · Post by **Toecutter** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 11:43 pm

The best way to learn calculus is without graphing calculators, and a very light helping of Riemann Sums. A numerical approach really doesn't get the concept of rates of changes across, unless one is really into technology and computer programming. For me, I still can't use a graphing calculator, but I made up for it by doing everything manually.

Jonathan02us · Post by **Jonathan02us** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 12:33 am

Toecutter wrote:The best way to learn calculus is without graphing calculators, and a very light helping of Riemann Sums. A numerical approach really doesn't get the concept of rates of changes across, unless one is really into technology and computer programming. For me, I still can't use a graphing calculator, but I made up for it by doing everything manually.

I agree with not using graphing calculator, u will become soo dependant and then when they say no calculators, then ur out of luck. But i cant say i wasnt dependant on the calculor, mayb thats y i only got a C in that class. Whatever u do dont fall for the calculator trap, learn it straight and u will not regret it.

Trident · Post by **Trident** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 2:15 am

Heh. No calculator? Are you kidding? That's the only way I managed to scrape by with a passing grade in Calc...

Toecutter · Post by **Toecutter** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 4:18 am

Trident, are you joking? I didn't even touch a graphing calculator until AP pre-calc my junior year, and even then, I couldn't do more than turn the damn thing on and off, so I just did everything manually. I haven't improved that much over the last few years. I can graph stuff (finally), and I learned how to do determinants with matricies, but I forgot all of that a few months ago.

Screw it! I guess I'm stuck back in the early 80's when it comes to my grasp of technology.

Savia · Post by **Savia** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 6:10 am

We weren't allowed graphics calculators for most of our examinations =/ So I never really got into the habit of doing that either. The best way to learn integration is to practice an awful lot.

Trident · Post by **Trident** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 2:55 pm

Toecutter wrote:I didn't even touch a graphing calculator until AP pre-calc my junior year, and even then, I couldn't do more than turn the damn thing on and off, so I just did everything manually.

I actually kind of wish I had learned without one. I think we all got our graphing calculators in middle school (granted, I grew up in Yuppieville, USA, so most people could afford them). I couldn't do much with it, but it was incredibly useful. But I honestly didn't actually <i>learn</i> any calculus with it...

Toecutter · Post by **Toecutter** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 4:32 pm

The only thing graphing calculators are really good for are vectors and matricies. But the only way to understand it is if you read the 300 page manual, or do a helluva lot of computer programming.

The only real problem I have with math are vectors. Doing multivariable calc was okay, but messing with all those i,j, and k unit vectors was a bitch. I don't get story problems, vectors, or matricies. I always approach any problem involving statics, dynamics, or physics with linear algebra and some basic trig. It's so much easier just to disregard all units, simplify everything down to a Cartesian coordinate system (polar is great in two dimensions, but you can't really solve for net forces unless you break everything down to a Cartesian plane), and crank everything out with systems of linear equations.

I mean come on, there are very few practical situations that vectors and matricies actually simplify problem solving, unless you're dealing with computational tools (MatLab 6 is great with vectors and matricies, but really slow when it comes to simple mathematical operations).

Savia · Post by **Savia** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 4:49 pm

Toecutter wrote:The only thing graphing calculators are really good for are vectors and matricies. But the only way to understand it is if you read the 300 page manual, or do a helluva lot of computer programming.

The only real problem I have with math are vectors. Doing multivariable calc was okay, but messing with all those i,j, and k unit vectors was a bitch. I don't get story problems, vectors, or matricies. I always approach any problem involving statics, dynamics, or physics with linear algebra and some basic trig. It's so much easier just to disregard all units, simplify everything down to a Cartesian coordinate system (polar is great in two dimensions, but you can't really solve for net forces unless you break everything down to a Cartesian plane), and crank everything out with systems of linear equations.

I mean come on, there are very few practical situations that vectors and matricies actually simplify problem solving, unless you're dealing with computational tools (MatLab 6 is great with vectors and matricies, but really slow when it comes to simple mathematical operations).

But matrices are excellent for most simultaneous equation problems

angelx03 · Post by **angelx03** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 4:59 pm

Savia wrote:
Toecutter wrote:The only thing graphing calculators are really good for are vectors and matricies. But the only way to understand it is if you read the 300 page manual, or do a helluva lot of computer programming.

The only real problem I have with math are vectors. Doing multivariable calc was okay, but messing with all those i,j, and k unit vectors was a bitch. I don't get story problems, vectors, or matricies. I always approach any problem involving statics, dynamics, or physics with linear algebra and some basic trig. It's so much easier just to disregard all units, simplify everything down to a Cartesian coordinate system (polar is great in two dimensions, but you can't really solve for net forces unless you break everything down to a Cartesian plane), and crank everything out with systems of linear equations.

I mean come on, there are very few practical situations that vectors and matricies actually simplify problem solving, unless you're dealing with computational tools (MatLab 6 is great with vectors and matricies, but really slow when it comes to simple mathematical operations).
But matrices are excellent for most simultaneous equation problems

And they can be used to solve large systems of equations that has like 4 variables and 4 rows of the equation.

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Calculus is EVIL!!!!!

Re: Calculus is EVIL!!!!!