.
.
The last parts of my calculus study material has arrived! Oh, I know, to many that does not sound fun. But to me it is great fun. Now to settle down and get to it. I could easily help others through calculus, once I knock some of the rust off. I would not, however, call myself a great mathematician. I am merely slightly familiar with it and I obtain some pleasure in doing it. To be honest, calculus is done on computers, looked up in manuals, or sent to the math departments of engineering and other businesses. Most engineers I have spoken with, including smaller firm electrical engineers and a big power company electrical engineer, do no know how to do calculus, mostly, anymore. Of course, that is a small sampling and anecdotal, but...
I am still wondering about school. In any case, I would like to hop up my math skills and then get into physics after that. As I said, I may have a friend who has never had calculus (though he has the precursor math education) with whom to study. I also have a number of actual course books to use to expand the study. And more, I may now have access to a book with the answers... perhaps. I am quite excited. Yes, personal. Perhaps not interesting at all. But to me, it would be like someone else finding a large group of happy old family pictures or finding wanted volunteer flowers blooming way before there time or figuring out how to do something that has plagued a person for years. I really am pleased as punch!
Have a great day.
I've likely said this before but there's a decent chance you will never use calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, and most other advanced math as a practicing engineer, unless you become a "rocket scientist" or similar. You will, however, definitely use algebra and probably some trigonometry. There's where your everyday skills need to be.
ReplyDeleteHowever if you really like the math, you could always shoot for being part of that "math department" that some larger firms have.
Eh? No. I like calculus the way I like cooking. And, should I ever become professional, I would only keep it active if I wished to go on for a masters, to understand some of the material I might be working on a bit better, or as I said for the simple fun of doing it once in a while.
ReplyDeleteI have been in a lot of math classes to build up to this point. I have EARNED calculus. I have decided to like math just to get through it. I am not going to now simply abandon that. Further, I do not fully understand why anyone would abandon it. Perhaps in time I will have too much going on to participate, but it is my goal to keep it around the mental block and kick a few problems around from time to time. Just not independently professionally per se.
Oh mate, good luck with the calculus, just thinking about that stuff gives me nightmares.
ReplyDeleteMK,
ReplyDeleteReally? Then again, I think that is how they try to present it. I initially didn't understand their game, and am with you. So, I got a tutor. Actually, the tutor did the same thing I did, went into theory. That actually hurt my grades, as all they really wanted was fast work and to use the course to eliminate people, it was not meant to teach.
Since I don't do that (just do things by wrote), I did actually catch on and begin to see the world behind the math. It is neat, calculus, but it is a rather limited and small tool, but somewhat fun if you can get past the way most engineering schools present it (though they do that for a reason, too, so I won't complain too much anymore).
Still, I won't bore or freak you too much with more detail. It might Curl your mind into a K, if you go that far? (or something like that) :p
There are no parameters on joy.
ReplyDeleteCalculus makes you pleased and excited? Then I say wallow in it.
Ah, thanks. Was it Linus, in the Charley Brown comics and such, who played his little piano? That is what comes to mind when I think of people's little joys. Each to our own and I wouldn't want it any other way, mostly.
ReplyDelete