Is Calculus hard?

[stonecold3169]

Originally posted by: brunswickite
calc 1 = intermediate (derivatives, limits)
calc 2 = difficult (integration by parts, series)
calc 3 = intermediate (multicvariable)
calc 4 (differential equations) = easy

Agree completely. Calc 2 is one bitch of a class. Integration techniques will have you pulling your hair out by the time you get to the final and have 40 different methods to try and in a set amount of time... integration by partial fractions sucks ass, and integration by trig substituation, depending on how you think things through, could quite possibly be the hardest thing you ever learn...

On the other hand, calc 1 is cake

 

[Mday]

calc is easy =)

i first touched calc some 6 years ago =\

first math class that made any sense to me...

 

[pX]

Originally posted by: AlphaWolf829
What part is the hardest? Im taking it next year and I would like to know what I got myself into.

no, next question

 

[SpongeBob]

and one of those classes they make college students take that never apply to real life.

I hope you realize that your "real life" is governed by differential calculus.

 

[Maetryx]

Math is a sequential discipline. As long as you keep up, you have a good foundation for the next topic in the class. Like someone else said, pay sincere attention in class. I'll add to that: do your homework religiously.

Actually that's good advice for any class. It's just super critical with mathematics.

 

[Ameesh]

Originally posted by: brunswickite
calc 1 = intermediate (derivatives, limits)
calc 2 = difficult (integration by parts, series)
calc 3 = intermediate (multicvariable)
calc 4 (differential equations) = easy

if you thought diff-eqs were easy you had an easy class, solving differntials using power series, some of the ones we did in physics would have made you cry

 

[roncarter]

if ur smart.. u should do fine.. if u study, you should do fine

 

[PrincessGuard]

The UC Davis engineering math series goes like:

1 - Differential Calc
2 - Integral Calc
3 - Multivariable Calc + Series
4 - Vector Calc
5 - Linear Algebra
6 - Differential Equations

Vector Calc and Differential Eqns were the absolute worst, and also the most applicable to my major (electrical engineering)

 

[fluxquantum]

if you are good in math and like math you should do well.

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: brunswickite
calc 1 = intermediate (derivatives, limits)
calc 2 = difficult (integration by parts, series)
calc 3 = intermediate (multicvariable)
calc 4 (differential equations) = easy

Um, I'm pretty sure it's like this:

calc1: differential
calc2: integral
calc3: multivariable
calc4: vector

DE is different as there's not much calc involved. Most of it is numerical methods.

 

[silverpig]

<-- thread killer

 

[tigerbait]

Originally posted by: brunswickite
calc 1 = intermediate (derivatives, limits)
calc 2 = difficult (integration by parts, series)
calc 3 = intermediate (multicvariable)
calc 4 (differential equations) = easy

this is basically what I had to take, but the Diff Eq class was combined with a Linear Algebra class and that part really sucked...vectors, spanning sets, matrices, bleh

I found calc 2 to be the easiest

 

[Omegachi]

not fun at all. i am takin it right now, 2nd day of class in my calc 3 class and i am already a little confused.

 

[SHoddyCOmp]

Originally posted by: AlphaWolf829
What part is the hardest? Im taking it next year and I would like to know what I got myself into.

Im taking precal right now and its.. uhhh.. not so great, im taking calculus next semester, and 2 semesters after that i'll be taking calculus 3 :Q scarry...

Stay far, far away.... It's useless to most people, and one of those classes they make college students take that never apply to real life.

Im gonna be an engineer, i need it But then i can apply it too its not completely worthless.

really like calculus, so I'm taking Calculus for Engineers, even though I'm not an engineer...

You're insane.

Calculus SUCKS big time. If it's not required for your major, stay away. And if it is required, good luck.

I'll take taht too hehe, thanks.

 

[Orsorum]

Calc I and II were fun for me (limits, derivatives, and integrals). Calc III (series, vectors) was challenging for me, but still worthwhile. Differential Equations was, by far, my favorite math class that I ever took.

I'm taking matrix algebra and probability in the fall - I'm excited about those.

 

[AlphaWolf829]

Well thanks everyone. Math for me has always come natural. I never really had a problem. My only problems was people asking me for help in class instead of the teacher, and I would get in trouble. I was just bothered because they actually Warn :Q us about what we're getting into and actually sign some sheet that means that no matter what we're stuck in the course. :frown: Ahhh pre-calc the easiest course I have taken so far. OH and I actually have my notes still. I haven't discarded them since Sequential 1.

 

[ucdnam]

Depends on your major and what you wanna be doing. You do need calculus on other majors besides math and engineering.. those who don't think so have not taken anthing past intro courses in physics, biology, enon, statistics, atronomy, etc.

Of course, I'm sure someone could fit calculus into an english or linguistics class, but it would be quite odd...

I received my degree from UC Davis in Biology and needed calculus all along the way. I started in Engineering and that helped a bit. You have to be able to do simple derivatives and integrations for most classes because there's always something statistical, some sort of pattern, you want to find.

 

[res1bhmg]

It's easy peesy.

 

[DeadHead]

Intergration is the most annoying part. The thing that sucks is if you take it in highschool your more then likely to take it again in college.

 

[B00ne]

calculus is easy and it is the basis for all math afterwards (LA). if u are talking linear Algebra now that really sux especially multiple integrals over recursive series and space transformation and so on eeeek. That was when I started to hate math and now I am an engineer and all I do is add and multiply

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: DeadHead
Intergration is the most annoying part. The thing that sucks is if you take it in highschool your more then likely to take it again in college.

Very, very true. I couldn't believe the number of people retaking the first quarter of calculus, even when they're gotten A's in high school calculus.

 

[PookyBoy]

I took Finite, Algebra and Calculus in high school and got 90+ for all of them. I thought it was "easy" back then.

In university, it's a whole different story. I did alright with the two required algebra courses. The first calculus was ok too b/c it was bascially high school calculus but more in-depth with more theorems and stuff. But the second multi-variable calculus, let's just say I passed. The first half I understood (the basics like paths, partial derivatives, double/triple integrals etc.) But the second half was HARD. All of the vector fields, divergence and curl stuff I barely understand. The path, line, surface, surface over a vector field integral, all those freakin integrals. The hardest part, is all of the theorems at the end of the course. Green's theorem, Stokes' theorem and Gauss' theorem, I had no idea how to apply them to problems.

But now, I'm glad I've finished all the required math courses. And to think I wanted to do a Math Major before lol. Never touching a single math course again. The are evil. Some people like calc, but I guess it's not my cup of tea.

 

[brtspears2]

Calc in university is deathhhhh , pay attention, do homework, study hard or else be run over and your head crushed like a ripe melon

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: Stojakapimp

Originally posted by: abaez
I think math classes depend HIGHLY on the instructors skill to teach the concepts. I got a D in one of my early math classes, then I took calculus and finite mathematics with another and got A's in both because he was such a good teacher.

For me the teacher had very little impact on what i learned. The most important part about the class was simply doing all the bookwork. The book teaches you the most. 2 of my 3 college math teachers have been foreign teachers and not the greatest, but I still learned a ton simply by doing the work from the book

The trick for doing well is.... do the home work.

 

[Thrillhou]

You will use all of these classes in at least one other course. I can't think of a math class I took in college that wasn't tied into another class. Some classes that I took that used a higher than calculus level of math are:

Electomagnetic Fields (2 semesters)
Physics for train drivers (2 semesters)
Solidstate Physics (2 semesters)
Heat Transfer
Lots of circuit analysis classes (too many semesters and beers to count)
Psychology (You can usually find some girls that need help with their homework)

Edit: All of these advanced math classes were easy A's usually because I was in another class where we applied the theories. If you have classes like that then you are a step ahead of your classmates that don't. Basically it gives you twice as many opportunities to practice your knowledge. That is if you keep up with your homework, which even if optional, is necessary.