[Guardsman]

Hey all,

Another question regarding math, engineering, school, etc.

What kind of math would I be doing in engineering school, and using day-to-day?

I've been trying to figure the whole algebra thing out, and a guy's example for his elementary school-aged son has been the best help so far (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) -

http://www.osteele.com/archives/2004/12/gr...grounded-proofs

The algebra itself is stupidly simple - one problem I'm having is deciphering the intent of the problem.

In any case, I'm seeing that there is a "theoretical math", where guys who apparently have nothing better to do discover that there was some number that we didn't really know about yet (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

Then there's the math that normal people actually use to accomplish things.

I'm going to take the College Math CLEP test for the math requirement for my Associates.

That has the "what is the square root of i?", and other similar philosophical math questions, and, as I understand it, a lot of statistics.

So, do I just need to learn enough to pass the CLEP, and then concentrate on the higher math, or is the "square root of i" going to come into play in electronics engineering?

Thanks again guys.

John

[bigshoe]

well, i started studying around 10:30, and thought of this thread, and just felt I have to say this,

no matter how much you hate math, after you take some of these courses, if you have any respect for logical thinking, you will learn to appreciate it, and probably even like it. After taking calc 1, and seeing the relationship between numbers (and i mean more than 4 is twice 2 and such), and how you can use things like l'Hopitals rule to get around roadblocks, or how the first or second derivative can be used to find increasing or decreasing acceleration - or even max and min when optimizing for something, and now in calc 2 where we are workign with sequences and series, to find things that i would have never guessed possible with so little information, like a simple equation.

you will never look at numbers the same again when you get this far, and I have yet to go farther....

I have to say, I hate doing the work, but its the only way to learn it. now with that said, i want to learn it, i just don't want all the monkey wrenches thrown in there, like ln and e (if you don't know what it is, natural log and eulors number), sicne I don't understand them well, it screws me up in every problem.

as far as looking at the subject of math as a hurdle that you hope not to cross down the road, I think its the wrong attitude (I share alot of that same attitude though), whats more important is (and I think you need a good instructor for this) to generate a curiosity of numbers and thier relationships, and then you walk away with a lesson that goes far beyond a mathematical theorem, but in the end you end up with a a good excersize in logical thinking that only somethign like calculus can give.

the more I think about it, the only subject i've taken that can compare (and yet doesnt due to limited exposure) is my C programmign class, you will learn alot about how to think logically in a course like that, but 1 programming course doesnt compare to years of mathematical study.

I don't want to go on forever, and I need to get back to studying, but you really should embrace this stuff, if it at all becomes interesting, it wont be much of a hurdle, and I can only see myself benefitting from taking more of this stuff. I hope all this makes some sense, I have to go back to looking at greek letters now (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)