Is anyone here fluent at explaining Calculus?

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BlackTigers

BlackTigers

Diamond Member
Jan 15, 2006
4,491
2
71
Long story short, my professor should DIAF and my learning assistant is incompetent.

Have a test on Tuesday, and can't wrap my head around this concept for some reason, and apparently none of my class can either because none of us completed the assignments.

It's got to do with using the precise definition of limits to verify (I. hate. Proofs.) that they exist, but the whole epsilon/delta thing is not registering in my brain.

So, if anyone would like to engage in some friendly chats with a very disgruntled CalcI student, please let me know, haha.
 
2

2dt Drifter

Senior member
May 23, 2007
253
0
0
I failed Calc 1. My professor would take up 2 and a half white boards with an equation and realized she missed a step on the first board.. then the class would be over. 6 pages of notes = useless. Happened twice. Found out at the end of the semester she had a degree in business or some shit. Waste of my fucking money.

Good luck with your shitty professor. It's only going to get worse.
 
Miramonti

Miramonti

Lifer
Aug 26, 2000
28,653
100
106
I'm fluent in calculus but speak with a lisp so I don't think I would be of much assistance.
 
G

Genx87

Lifer
Apr 8, 2002
41,091
513
126
I failed miserably at the rules\laws of calculus. Then smoked through the actual calculations. My professor was baffled at why my first test which dealt with all of the reading I failed but got a 98% on the final where it was I believe all quad derivatives? I cant remember, been about a decade now hehe.

Once I figured out the calculation part it was actually kind of cool. But I have done zero calculus calcs since that class.
 
R

RESmonkey

Diamond Member
May 6, 2007
4,818
2
0
There are a ton of good websites that can explain calc 1, both through words, flash demos, etc.

Google "limits calculus" or something.
 
PieIsAwesome

PieIsAwesome

Diamond Member
Feb 11, 2007
4,054
1
0
Hahah, I remember hating that part too. I don't really remember though, but I can tell you that after that everything gets better and that definition of limits began to make more sense.
 
Hacp

Hacp

Lifer
Jun 8, 2005
13,923
2
81
I would have recommended you search for Amy Kowatch's videos on Itunes but she deleted the earlier ones so its no help. Good luck.
 
Muse

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,871
10,222
136
I didn't have a problem with epsilon delta proofs. In fact, I got the highest grades in the class (100% on my midterm) in my honors calculus class as a freshman, got A's in both classes. It's all logic. Make sure you understand the definitions/concepts and it all follows like dominoes. It's very easy once you understand the basic concepts. Basically (IIRC, and it's been a looooong time!) you just demonstrate that for any given differential of f(x), a sufficiently close x will get you there. Pretty damn simple.

It feels good to walk out of an exam early knowing you aced it.
 
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Jeff7

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,596
20
81
Calc1: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHTHEPAINOHGODLIMITS!!!!

Calc2: AAAAARRRRGGHGHHHHKIILLREVOLVESOLIDSVOLUMEPAIN!!!!

Differential equations: I don't care anymore. Just slit my wrists. I'll fill out the test with my blood.

Fluent enough?



2dt Drifter said:
I failed Calc 1. My professor would take up 2 and a half white boards with an equation and realized she missed a step on the first board.. then the class would be over. 6 pages of notes = useless. Happened twice. Found out at the end of the semester she had a degree in business or some shit. Waste of my fucking money.

Good luck with your shitty professor. It's only going to get worse.
Click to expand...
Mmmm, nice. Yeah, those are fun.
You could always go for the opposite end of the spectrum. The education background for my Calc II professor:
B.S. in Mathematics, M.S. in Applied Mathematics, M.S. in Computer Science, Ph.D. in Mathematics

Yeah, I think she pretty much knew what she was talking about.:eek:

I think the main issue I had with calculus was that I only saw theory. "Great, I can torture and torment numbers and variables until the cows come home, die, and get resurrected by aliens. But why am I doing these things?"
 
Muse

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,871
10,222
136
2dt Drifter said:
I failed Calc 1. My professor would take up 2 and a half white boards with an equation and realized she missed a step on the first board.. then the class would be over. 6 pages of notes = useless. Happened twice. Found out at the end of the semester she had a degree in business or some shit. Waste of my fucking money.

Good luck with your shitty professor. It's only going to get worse.
Click to expand...
I was lucky. I qualified for honors calculus based on my high school grades. I loved the professor. I've always remembered him. He loved math, loved teaching it (he told us in an aside once why he loved math above other less rigorous "disciplines") and his humanity and integrated sense of humor were obvious. He eventually became the head of the department and this was Cal. Murray Protter was his name.
 
mesthead21

mesthead21

Platinum Member
Jun 5, 2004
2,378
3
0
I would honestly just google and youtube whatever you want to learn. Most everything I learned in Calc 1,2, and 3 all had youtube videos to help

edit: holy crap use the link tenshodo13 provided. That definitely helps
 
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M

Matthiasa

Diamond Member
May 4, 2009
5,755
23
81
Those limit things suck, but good thing is after calc 1 you will never see them again, unless you're a math major.

Only real help I could give is look at what wikipedia has then whatever else google can find. That or you could also find a good math book to help, but those can get quite expensive.
 
dullard

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
26,032
4,676
126
Don't fret, ALL calculus students feel the same way. Then something clicks. It'll be a piece of cake after that. The problem for some people is that clicking moment may be after the final.

For me, it took a good month until it went from confusion to the easiest thing ever. But once it clicked, I loved calculus. That said, I was the top student in calculus in high school and all of my honors calculus college classes and it STILL took a month before I didn't feel the same way as you feel.
 
Kadarin

Kadarin

Lifer
Nov 23, 2001
44,296
16
81
My last calculus class was in '89 I think. Since then I've managed to pretty much entirely forget it.
 
GodlessAstronomer

GodlessAstronomer

Lifer
Oct 27, 2007
17,009
5
0
derive-while-you-derive.jpg
 
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