To Any Engineers Who Will Answer

"Joey Quinn" (michaelkg) 12/05/2013 at 00:39 • Filed to: None

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Does the math ever get consistent? I ask this because I am in AP Calc right now and I get As on half the units and C-s on the other half. I can't for the life of me figure out what is changing. I've tried all the usual solutions like talking to my teacher and asking friends to explain it but half the math just doesn't click. If anyone knows what I'm talking about I would love to hear your thoughts, also does this mean I'm screwed for college calc? I may just be panicking because I'v been trained that only A's will do.

My offering is a TVR

Kailand09 > Joey Quinn 12/05/2013 at 00:43

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Calm down, not a big deal honestly.

What units/topics specifically are you generally doing worse on / which are easy?

I'm a senior biomech engineering student, so I have had lots of maths.

matthewklein220 > Joey Quinn 12/05/2013 at 00:44

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I've found that is depends on what the very basic foundation of the problem is. Some are algebra, some are trig, some are both. And, like you, depending on whether we're working on a chapter that builds off trig or a chapter that builds off basic algebra, my grade fluctuates accordingly. (At least, that's how my professor explained the way it works to us and why some of us tank one test and ace the next)

Ian Duer (320b) > Joey Quinn 12/05/2013 at 00:49

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Mathematician with a physics/engineering background reporting. An A is nice but I'd take a C and understanding the course material any day of the week. Are you still at the point where math is just a set of memorized procedures? Example from earlier maths: the "rules of algebra" you should not have them memorized per se. but rather when questioning if you are preserving both sides of the equality you should be able to logically see if the substitution works. If math feels like semi blindly following procedures I highly suggest trying your hand at elementary proofs. The type of thinking it develops will help. It will mean the difference between looking at a real world problem and saying "I can use this" vs "someone once said to use this, wonder if I'm remembering that correctly"

Flat Six > Joey Quinn 12/05/2013 at 01:02

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Regarding consistency, and always expecting A's: once you get to AP level / college level you'll find that not everything comes equally easy. Math is a big field and different concepts take longer to understand than others, and may require different types of thinking and levels of effort.

mrazekan > Joey Quinn 12/05/2013 at 01:44

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"Math is hard" - Barbie

Wait until you get to linear algebra. Let us know what units were more challenging and which were easier. 1st year of real calculus is a real scattering of concepts.

Trin-Engr > Ian Duer (320b) 12/05/2013 at 02:03

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Seconded.

Problem approach matters more than specific techniques, regardless of if you're dealing with mathematics, engineering or any other problem-solving field. Depending on what engineering field you get into, a safe bet is that only a very limited amount of what you're going through will actually ever be used, but the proper problem-solving mindset will be developed by the math classes.

I struggled in math classes as well, in the same way you are now (memorization is a weakness for me), but once I learned to systematically approach problems, the rest kind of followed along. Sorry if this doesn't make sense and seems like rambling, but I guess that's also why i'm and engineer and not a writer...

Good luck, and don't give up. Persistence is must in engineering/science.

Ian Duer (320b) > Trin-Engr 12/05/2013 at 02:07

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I think you summed it up more elegantly than I did. With "problem approach matters more than specific techniques." Certainly it is better, to learn early on, to fully think through the problem rather than blindly following steps.

McLarry > Joey Quinn 12/05/2013 at 02:22

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Some things click, some things don't... Some things you need to hear a few times to get it in a way that works (my experiences with vector calculus were pretty crappy until I got it in an engineering class rather than a math class...). But, as another guy said, a C in a class you learn well is better than an A in a class you breeze through...that A won't help much in the next class. I guess what I'm saying is I've always found math to be something that needs to be approached from several different perspectives to be understood properly, and being in AP classes you've got plenty of alternative perspectives yet to come in engineering classes.

erspimp03 > Joey Quinn 12/05/2013 at 04:41

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Nah I think as long as you put the work in, you'll be fine. If you're passing AP calc, you'll be ok for at least the first half of calculus. I don't know how other schools do it, but in mine the math finals tend to be 50-60% of the final grade, so you can afford to f up a little during the year. Just make sure you do all the assigned homework, because otherwise you are not gonna know anything.. they will show you easy examples in class and then on the test BAM! hit you with the craazy shit!

Also first and sometimes second year calc classes usually have a 30-60% fail rate. C's aren't too bad and they won't get you kicked out of school or anything.

Turk > McLarry 12/05/2013 at 09:33

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Two engineering degrees and a few years into my career here. I checked the replies to make sure I could add something new here, but in short I agree in two parts with the above:
1. Sometimes you need to hear things a few times
2. approach from different perspectives can help

I didn't feel like I understood calculus or diff Eq til I went through it with engineering professors. Relating it to more practical engineering issues (as opposed to hearing it from number theory guys) was the difference I needed, and frankly it seemed very simple after that change in perspective. In the meantime, keep trying for A's, but just an idea, maybe look into an engineering course at your local community college - maybe applying a few of the concepts to other problems will help.

Inflame333 > Joey Quinn 12/05/2013 at 12:57

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C's get degrees buddy... take a step back and enjoy life.