What branch of Mathematics did you find most difficult?

[Hanpan]

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle

Originally posted by: gopunk
i have to say i'm really surprised at all the people saying discrete math.... imo, that's a lot easier and more fun than calculus. but i guess this just goes to show that everybody is different...

I can't believe no one else said PDEs or BVPs. Has anyone here solved any Dirichlet-Neumann problems? Or solved Schroedinger's equation perhaps?

IMHO, DEs and BVPs as a whole are more complicated than Calculus because there is no set way to solve everything, you sort of have to hack your way through it using various tricks.

I'm with you on this one. Chances are however most people have not taken that level of math. It's not for everyone.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Mallow
geometry b/c of those lame ass proofs!

Close second for me, I had hella trouble doing fractions when I was younger. My teacher just skipped me to decimals and I took to that like fish-to-water. Calculus seemed to be easy.

 

[Spac3d]

Linear Algebra owned me

 

[VBboy]

How about NONE? I aced them all...

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: Hanpan

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle

Originally posted by: gopunk
i have to say i'm really surprised at all the people saying discrete math.... imo, that's a lot easier and more fun than calculus. but i guess this just goes to show that everybody is different...

I can't believe no one else said PDEs or BVPs. Has anyone here solved any Dirichlet-Neumann problems? Or solved Schroedinger's equation perhaps?

IMHO, DEs and BVPs as a whole are more complicated than Calculus because there is no set way to solve everything, you sort of have to hack your way through it using various tricks.

I'm with you on this one. Chances are however most people have not taken that level of math. It's not for everyone.

Yeah, I think you're right, I'm seeing waaaay too many "Calc 2 is damn near impossible" answers

 

[Ynog]

Never a large fan of Graph theory

 

[Random Variable]

IMHO, DEs and BVPs as a whole are more complicated than Calculus because there is no set way to solve everything, you sort of have to hack your way through it using various tricks.

Differential equations is a branches of calculus.

 

[Random Variable]

Classes on mathematical logic are difficult because they're not very interesting.

 

[MaxFusion16]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
Calc1 was really easy. I slept and i got an A-. Calc2 is a little harder, but it takes getting used too. The most challenging thing in clac 2 is using the shell method and finding center mass and moments of inertia (Physics actually mad ethat stuff easier cause there was no deriving) I luckily ended up with a B+ even thpough i still cant do the application stuff. Calc3 is a ok, right now i am just doing differential equations, which is not hard, but it takes practice, however, in the coming week, i start infinite series, and that definately looks challenging.

BTW, Algebra was a breeze after the pre algebra class. It is the same concept over and over again. Goign down more years, I remember that i sucked in math. I rememeber in teh thrid grade when my tecaher asked how i got teh answer, i just responded "it says so in the book"

wow, where do u go to school? At my school, the materials from all 3 of your calc classes are taught in a single calc course over a regular school year. I'm in that class right now, and I've learned all of those things including infinite series. The course is very dense, it goes very fast, and I find it hard to keep up, but I get by. BTW, infinite series is not hard at all compared to all the derivatives and integrals, you just need to memorize about 10 or so tests of convergence.

 

[phatj]

Number theory... my friend is currently working on proving what 1 is.

 

Originally posted by: MailBoxHead
Addition

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: Vespasian

IMHO, DEs and BVPs as a whole are more complicated than Calculus because there is no set way to solve everything, you sort of have to hack your way through it using various tricks.

Differential equations is a branches of calculus.

While I agree that calculus and diff eqns are related, I don't think you can say that diff eqns is a subset of calculus or vice versa. For example, though you need calculus to define a differential equation, some forms don't use calculus to obtain a solution (eg. the ones that are solved using eigenvals)

 

[OulOat]

Add probability and stats, definately one of the harder ones (300 level intro class compared to 100-200 level intro classes you listed)

 

[Vadatajs]

Discreet math, most of it isn't too bad, but I lack the proof techniques to really do well in this class. Calc is only hard if until you get the hang of it, then it is second nature.

 

[MrCodeDude]

Trig screwed me over. I have a habit of going from one place to another skipping steps inbetween. !
-- mrcodedude

 

[davestar]

as has been noted many times, this poll leaves out essentially all of the most difficult undergrad math courses. some examples:

- engineering probability (mathematics to be used for designing communications systems, mostly)
- discrete/DSP (haven't taken a pure math discrete class, but i imagine digital signal processing is on a similar level)
- complex variables
- topology
- euclidean and non-euclidean geometries
- number theory

 

[JC]

Calc was my nemesis :| Differentiation was easy, but integration fscked me...and Taylor Polynomials blew my mind that was as far as I pushed it.


JC

 

[troglodytis]

addition is the hardest part of mathmatics, no doubt.

 

[Ferocious]

I got a perfect 4.0 in all my math classes.

For the ones listed in this poll......the most troubling in general for me was probably geometry.

 

[silverpig]

I know at my school the two feared math courses are PDEs and Analysis II, with Complex Analysis not too far behind.

 

[SuperTool]

The one that was at 8 AM on MWF

 

[Kev]

i chose discrete math because i never took it. i finally got done with my math requirements and i stopped. i hate math.

 

[wyvrn]

Calculus. Right now I'm in Calc II doing differential equations. Diff EQ is probably the only area where I really suck, everything else has been pretty easy. But no matter how much I study, I don't "get" Diff EQ. My grade this semester before Diff EQ was 94, after it's dropped to around an 86

I loved Geometry and Algebra. I was pretty good at Trig. I have never taken Discrete Math and don't plan on it anytime in the future

 

[BlamoHammer]

Originally posted by: Mallow
geometry b/c of those lame ass proofs!

My sentiments exactly

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: AngryPirate

Originally posted by: Mallow
geometry b/c of those lame ass proofs!

My sentiments exactly

i love proofs