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What's so bad about calculus?

A

AFB

Lifer
After finishing my AP BC Calculus class this year, I think it was the easiest math class I've ever had. What exactly do people find so challenging about it? Yes, I realize that AP Calc is known for it's reputation of being easy, but our class was far more challenging than the actually AP test.
 
Originally posted by: AFB
After finishing my AP BC Calculus class this year, I think it was the easiest math class I've ever had. What exactly do people find so challenging about it? Yes, I realize that AP Calc is known for it's reputation of being easy, but our class was far more challenging than the actually AP test.
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You found Calc BC to be easier than say... 1st grade math?
 
Originally posted by: fanerman91
Originally posted by: AFB
After finishing my AP BC Calculus class this year, I think it was the easiest math class I've ever had. What exactly do people find so challenging about it? Yes, I realize that AP Calc is known for it's reputation of being easy, but our class was far more challenging than the actually AP test.
Click to expand...

You found Calc BC to be easier than say... 1st grade math?
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Relatively, yes. (i.e., first grade math was harder in first grade)
 
In college, it is only taught by professors with thick foreign accents and no command of the english language. Any class featuring a teacher who speaks English as their first language fills up in .0000002 seconds.
 
Calculus isn't hard, it just depends on how well it is taught to you

In high school I had a terrible calculus teacher. I got a decent grade overall in the course, but I got a 49% on my final exam.

In college I had a brilliant calculus professor who could explain the material such that it made sense. Needless to say I got the highest grade on the final exam as well as in the entire class of 300 kids.

Calculus can be VERY tough if your teacher sucks
 
Originally posted by: Queasy
In college, it is only taught by professors with thick foreign accents and no command of the english language. Any class featuring a teacher who speaks English as their first language fills up in .0000002 seconds.
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Ohh, okay.

That makes sense.

</thread>
 
Don't worry. After a semester of vector calculus, tensor calculus, and/or real analysis, you'll feel like an idiot again.

EDIT: I almost forgot about complex variables. Silly me.
 
So think about a subject you suck at. Then think about why you suck at it. Then apply that thought process to as if it were to be calculus.
 
Originally posted by: xSkyDrAx
So think about a subject you suck at. Then think about why you suck at it. Then apply that thought process to as if it were to be calculus.
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But you forget, the OP is perfect and sucks at nothing.
 
Originally posted by: Brainonska511
I hated the proofs that seemed to make no sense.
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Me too. Why the hell am I proofing this again? Because you told me to? Does this relate to something in real life? It doesn't? Oh. Ok. It all makes sense now. 😕
 
Originally posted by: Queasy
In college, it is only taught by professors with thick foreign accents and no command of the english language. Any class featuring a teacher who speaks English as their first language fills up in .0000002 seconds.
Click to expand...

At my community college, we got this chinese professor who taught like he was from China apparently (a lot say ). For pre-calculus, he starts off with a full class, and then ends up having 3-4 left after two weeks. He won't answer your questions, and will just say "WHATTTTT????" and then go on.

But yeah, after looking over integrals, it seems somewhat easy. But it's not really taught very well... Thus, I have to look at the math book and use tutors to understand what I'm learning. I find the calculus course pretty damn hard. Too bad Calculus BC doesn't count for the 3rd quarter of calculus if you get a perfect score on the AP exam (at least UW doesn't) 🙂.
 
Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Does BC cover things like integrating with trig functions?
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BC is like the equivalent of Calc I and II, so yes it does along with Taylor series, polar functions and improper integrals.
 
Originally posted by: EarthwormJim
Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Does BC cover things like integrating with trig functions?
Click to expand...
BC is like the equivalent of Calc I and II, so yes it does along with Taylor series, polar functions and improper integrals.
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He did very well then 🙂

I took AB in HS, wish I put more effort into it and took BC, and did well, would have saved some time in college.
 
Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Originally posted by: EarthwormJim
Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Does BC cover things like integrating with trig functions?
Click to expand...
BC is like the equivalent of Calc I and II, so yes it does along with Taylor series, polar functions and improper integrals.
Click to expand...
He did very well then 🙂

I took AB in HS, wish I put more effort into it and took BC, and did well, would have saved some time in college.
Click to expand...

Actually, the Taylor series for us isn't covered until Calc III (I'm in calc II).
 
I failed my calc final in high school. (67%. 70% was the lowest D grade.) I didn't learn much of anything, except that the Greek symbol "sigma" was used a lot. I really don't know how I managed that 67%.
College: Calc I. First test: 69.5%. There was one guy there who managed 100% on every test. Well, almost. Sometimes he got higher, since the teacher started adding bonus questions. I devised new laws of mathematics, wherein numbers randomly change into others. x^2 becomes x. 14-7 = 4. 2*2=1. Things like that. These are also known, more commonly, as "stupid mistakes."
That, and I just had trouble keeping straight the various derivative and integral tables. I still have trouble keeping it straight which way sine and cosine go - derivative of sine is cosine. Derivative of cosine.......negative sine. And I sometimes mix up integration and differentiation.

Calc I - got a B. Same with Calc II. Then a C in Differential Equations. If there was no partial credit on the tests, I would still be in Calc I, hoping to manage a C.


Originally posted by: oog
calculus is only hard because people have trouble grasping what infinity means
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Psh, infinity? That's easy. Memorizing integration tables with many equations that are quite similar? Not so easy.
 
My calc teacher wasn't that great in high school compared to the other calc teachers at the school. Hence, students coming out of his class on average scored lower on the AP than other teachers which sucked because the chance of getting a 5 on the AP was diminished because of my calc teacher's poor teaching ability.
 
my calc teacher in high school was really good calc there was a breeze. Calc in college with professors that dont care/cant speak english... a tab bit harder
 
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