Calculus, anyone?

[integratedvelocity]

So, we have a thread devoted to geometry and algebra, but nothing for the great subject that is calculus.

Does a good Riemann sum make your heart race?

Do you have Fubini's Theorem engraved on the inside of your wedding ring?

Have you made jokes about the cross product of a mountain climber and a fishmonger (they're scalars, idiot)?

If so, than this is the thread for you! Tell us of your best and worst experiences, how superior multivariable is to single variable, how linear algebra is even better, whatever your brain desires!

[AgentofGaming]

Good experiences:
Green's Theorem, Divergence Theorem, Stokes Theorem - Anything to reduce the integration.
L'hopital's Rule - take that 0/0 and infinity/infinity although not always 100% guaranteed solutions when solving limits.
Differentiation - because the derivative most likely exists if its continuous

Bad experience:
Getting a non-homogeneous 4th order differential equation with cosine sine and exponential functions all meshed in everywhere for my final exam for Linear Algebra and Differential Equations
Epsilon Delta Limit Proofs - After 3 semesters I still have no idea what this is, someone enlighten me
Integration -when you can't get a proper antiderivative it's self-explanatory
Trigonometric Reduction formulae - Cosine^m - Sine^n and that weird integration
Sequences, Series and Convergence - What the heck is with that guess approach and proof too
Parametrization - There's no one procedure... guessing stuff.

There's more I probably forgot, luckily I have passed my 3rd and final semester of university calculus and if I pass EMF may it never be invoked again.

[eternaltriangle]

Hey baby, I'd like to take your derivative, so that I could lie tangent to your curves.





(not my line - I stole it from a facebook group... I did once use a pickup line involving characteristic roots... baby - all pickup lines should start that way - I feel like you are my characteristic root, for when we are together my vector gets longer, but its direction does not change)

[integratedvelocity]

I HATE PARAMETRIZATION!!! It is the bane of my existence (after required writing courses). And trying to integrate curve lengths can be very fun. That was sarcasm, if you didn't notice.

[TheLastMohican]

Who wants to have a nice chat about multi-variable calculus? I hear it makes for great date conversation.

[AgentofGaming]

Calculus pickup lines are all over my campus.
Engineers write them on hearts and stash them in lecture rooms all over campus on Valentines day.

[bubbles]

L'hopital's Rule was so cool and differentiation was too, especially after do ugly limits way back in the first weeks of Calculus I. We used to call it "Hospital's Rule" :rolleyes:.

Calculus pickup lines are all over my campus.
Engineers write them on hearts and stash them in lecture rooms all over campus on Valentines day.

Seriously? What school do you go to?

[Zirka]

Ugh I hate calculus.... and AgentofGaming goes to the University of Toronto.

[integratedvelocity]

Hey, you are being sacrilegious. Calculus is even better than sliced bread.

[vkut79]

I HATE PARAMETRIZATION!!! It is the bane of my existence (after required writing courses). And trying to integrate curve lengths can be very fun. That was sarcasm, if you didn't notice.

We're going over that right now in Multi-Calc. Probably haven't gotten to the tough part yet.

[Shadow]

Calculus is slowly draining my life away. I just had a test on it: rates of change, dist/vel/acc, curves, rational functions and optimization. The parts that confounded me were graphing the problems, probably because I messed up somewhere in the sea of derivatives. My class is moving onto Exponential and Logarithmic functions next, then Integration. Then the mid-year exam. In all, I've got another term of calculus before we go onto the next section. Although probably most of the people posting on this thread would think this is just easy stuff, wouldn't you?

[TheLastMohican]

Although probably most of the people posting on this thread would think this is just easy stuff, wouldn't you?

I have not really started calculus. I am familiar with the basics (like integrals and derivatives), but I have not taken any official course in it. But I did explore it a bit, and I don't see what everyone else seems to find so intimidating about it. It's still just good old mathematical principles, just applied to more complex problems.

[bubbles]

Calculus is slowly draining my life away. I just had a test on it: rates of change, dist/vel/acc, curves, rational functions and optimization. The parts that confounded me were graphing the problems, probably because I messed up somewhere in the sea of derivatives. My class is moving onto Exponential and Logarithmic functions next, then Integration. Then the mid-year exam. In all, I've got another term of calculus before we go onto the next section. Although probably most of the people posting on this thread would think this is just easy stuff, wouldn't you?

It's hard when you are first learning it, but then it becomes as easy as doing arithmetic once you have learned it. It takes a lot of practice.

[Shadow]

It's hard when you are first learning it, but then it becomes as easy as doing arithmetic once you have learned it. It takes a lot of practice.

Yeah, I've got most of the processes down (First principles, derivatives, the product/quotient/chain rules, sign diagrams). The only problem is when I'm putting it all into graphs and it turns out that I missed a vertical asymptote or something similar, really just simple errors which end up making the whole problem impossible. Not really much i can do about that except be careful I guess.

[bubbles]

Yeah, I've got most of the processes down (First principles, derivatives, the product/quotient/chain rules, sign diagrams). The only problem is when I'm putting it all into graphs and it turns out that I missed a vertical asymptote or something similar, really just simple errors which end up making the whole problem impossible. Not really much i can do about that except be careful I guess.

Math can seem hard (even after you learned it) because of stupid little mistakes. Arithmetic can be hard for me sometimes...

[integratedvelocity]

No kidding, I figure out how to set up some crazy triple integral only to forget to multiply it for symmetry. Argh!!!

[AgentofGaming]

No kidding, I figure out how to set up some crazy triple integral only to forget to multiply it for symmetry. Argh!!!

and the wacky boundary conditions

[integratedvelocity]

Those can cause problems, too...

I HATE converting into polar! Changing the equation isn't bad, but the boundaries are sometimes ridiculous.

[geonerd]

Calc I and II are pretty boring. I enjoyed Calc III - Green's/Stokes, etc as someone mentioned above. And gradients!!! I'm a big fan - All this has direct application to the earth sciences. I agree that parametrization is annoying.
To this day I have no idea what Calc IV is...wtf is a Jacobian? And who cares?

Abstract algebra is a whore.

Discrete math is more my thing - Graph Theory, Combinatorics, and the like...

[AgentofGaming]

Whoa you get a Calc IV? What major are you?

I remember a Jacobian is some determinant that you multiply when mapping to another co-ordinate system. I remember well because they penalized me 3/5 marks for not multiplying by the Jacobian which I could have done by multiplying to 1/3 but was too careless so I didn't (very verbose sentence)

[Minerva]

Who wants to have a nice chat about multi-variable calculus? I hear it makes for great date conversation.

Mmmm. mutiivariable calculus... now you're talking. :lovestruck:

[nemo]

The Jacobian is basically a generalization of the derivative. ;)

As AgentofGaming observed, the main importance of the Jacobian is that its determinant is used in changing coordinates.

[Deadgod]

Mathematics has recently been reduced to mere robot logic in our current education system. A more intuitive approach to Mathematics would lead to better interest in the subject. I glimpsed through this book at a book store and reading books like this really gives me the incentive to learn Calculus, as opposed to the strict, irrational robotics of modern academia and education:
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

[AgentofGaming]

We got it the painful way via
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

A 2000 page textbook larger than 8'1/2 by 11' that's heavy enough to crush small mammals to death.

[geonerd]

Ah, well there you go. That class was a blur...lol.

AgentofGaming: I have a B.A. in math. My college gave ppl the option of taking Calc IV (or "Advanced Calculus"), or Analysis (which wasn't offered that semester, and I couldn't wait).





geonerd added to this post, 12 minutes and 52 seconds later...

Mathematics has recently been reduced to mere robot logic in our current education system. A more intuitive approach to Mathematics would lead to better interest in the subject. I glimpsed through this book at a book store and reading books like this really wants me to learn Calculus, as opposed to the strict, irrational robotics of modern academia and education:
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

I hope this book works out for you...it is nice to see someone write a calc book in context. rant: I hate the way math is taught in schools. People forget that math was created to explain observed phenomena in this world. Unfortunately, kids are only taught the numbers, and have no idea as to WHY they are cranking out answers to various problems. No wonder so many ppl hate math. It's taught all bass-ackwards. They need to be given some sort of context...some sort of real-world problem FIRST before the equations.

/rant

[Dreamer]

I wonder is there anybody that actually taught themselves Calculus?

In comparaison, how worse or better off do you consider yourself compared to the students with formal Calc training? Did you learn faster or slower than the average Calc student?

[Vardigon]

Mathematics has recently been reduced to mere robot logic in our current education system. A more intuitive approach to Mathematics would lead to better interest in the subject. I glimpsed through this book at a book store and reading books like this really gives me the incentive to learn Calculus, as opposed to the strict, irrational robotics of modern academia and education:
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

I was thinking about getting that exact same book! Along with Conceptual Mathematics: A First Introduction to Categories, later on :).