I crushed my first Multivariable Calculus test of the semester. Porsche longtails for your time.

"71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors" (adamprotter)
09/25/2018 at 09:41 • Filed to: None

I’ve always really struggled with math so this is a massive win for me. I feel like I’m really on my way to being an engineer.

DISCUSSION (33)

E90M3 > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
09/25/2018 at 09:48

What is that like calc 1, calc 2, calc 3, or diff eq?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
09/25/2018 at 09:49

Well done!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > E90M3
09/25/2018 at 09:50

Calc I - B
Calc II - C
Calc III - D
Diff Eq - nope... Nice knowin’ ya, engineering!

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > E90M3
09/25/2018 at 09:50

That’s Calc 3 for me. I ended up with a low A overall in Calc 1 and a really high C in Calc 2 so I’m pleased that I started Calc3 strong. I’m also in AC/DC circuit analysis and Engineering Statics at the moment so this has given me a good boost.

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
09/25/2018 at 09:57

Thank you very much. Dyslexia has not made my journey through college math an easy one but I think I might be starting to hit my stride.

bshappy > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
09/25/2018 at 09:58

Congrats! I am thankful I never have to use most of the calc I learned on the day to day.

WRXforScience > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
09/25/2018 at 09:58

I don’t remember if I had to take Diff Eq once or twice, but I do remember needing to turn to the guy behind me to ask what, “arfa” was. Turns out the Chinese professor meant “alpha”, I was relieved that I was just confused due to his accent and not because I was the only one in class who hadn’t heard of this new variable.

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > bshappy
09/25/2018 at 09:59

Are you working as an engineer?

bshappy > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
09/25/2018 at 10:01

Yup. Structural.

The calc is important to understand but its rare I’ll actually have to use it.

RutRut > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
09/25/2018 at 10:05

couple years into engineering career, have used basically zero calculus. Powertrain, Applications for sensors and air suspension and now going to program management for a well known aftermarket company.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > WRXforScience
09/25/2018 at 10:06

Three years of engineering was more than enough to tell me I wanted to do something else with my life. Maybe if I’d chosen mechanical instead of civil I would’ve stuck it out... doubtful. I did have a class (Soil Dynamics) where Dr. Prakash was the lecturer (couldn’t understand him...) and wrote the book. Not that that was the reason my engineering career ended, but that was right at the inflection point.

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > bshappy
09/25/2018 at 10:08

That’s really good to hear. I think structural engineering is cool but my true passion is in aerospace engineering. My parents were both pilots (for fun) so I grew up around airplanes and it basically infected my entire life lol.
How do you like your job and do you have any advice for an aspiring engineer?

Future next gen S2000 owner > bshappy
09/25/2018 at 10:08

This. Understanding why a function works is more important. I had a prof teach an entire course where we derived every function from a base energy/motion conservation equation.

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > RutRut
09/25/2018 at 10:09

That’s so cool! Any advice for an engineering student?

Future next gen S2000 owner > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
09/25/2018 at 10:09

Day to day you don’t derive any thing but once in a while a problem comes up where you need to understand how to do it from scratch . When you find the correct answer and it doesn’t come out of a book is when you impress people.

Spanfeller is a twat > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
09/25/2018 at 10:10

I failed a circuits lab, it went a little bit like this.

Me: Hey I finished

Prof: I told you to use nodes instead of meshes

Me: Um, where

Prof: here, you’re failed.

*points to a tiny disclaimer in the bottom of the page*

it’s on me for not reading, but I’m not expecting that kind of bait from my professors.

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > Spanfeller is a twat
09/25/2018 at 10:12

Luckily I’m at a community college at the moment so the professors aren’t really trying to weed people out like that. I’m getting my foundation here before I transfer to a 4 year and get my second bachelors. (I already have a BA in Biology but that’s a different story)

bshappy > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
09/25/2018 at 10:14

I love my job. Construction is a very dynamic field and every project presents its own set of challenges (especially in New York City).

As for advice: Go to office hours. Get an engineering internship every summer if you can (even if its not in your exact discipline ). Network as best you can. The biggest lesson I’ve learned transitioning from school to industry is that your real education begins on day 1 of your job. School will give you the background to know what’s going on but you’re only scratching the surface.

Also, although this wasn’t a problem for me, make sure you have fun in college!

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > Future next gen S2000 owner
09/25/2018 at 10:15

That honestly makes a lot of sense. I’ve heard from friends that the most important thing is knowing how to apply your knowledge and that WolframAlpha covers the rest (though they’re physicists and I take everything they say with the appropriate grains of salt)

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > bshappy
09/25/2018 at 10:19

Thank you. I’m already looking for summer internships and I’m making the office hours I can (though living like 45 min away from school does sometimes prove a bit of a challenge). I applied to about a dozen internships last summer but they all rejected me so I’m hoping for better luck this summer.
I had my fun in my first bachelor’s program so I’m trying to grind through this one with as much efficiency as I can.

Future next gen S2000 owner > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
09/25/2018 at 10:22

Engineers are just practical physicists. Understanding when to trust your answer is very important. I don’t use WolframAlpha, did a bit in college though. I live in the Steel manuals. Tables/charts/graphs will get you through a design.

Spanfeller is a twat > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
09/25/2018 at 10:22

That’s a really good strategy. Everyday that passes I think more and more about going to the free, public colleges, I know those are more competitive but the added benefit is that at least if I fail a class it’s not a 750 dollar mistake. I respect my college a lot but it has some clear shortcomings, as everything does I suppose.

My teacher is sort of weird s he fails 40% of students that take the course but she’s so good otherwise. She’s great at explaining, her exams are difficult but in a good way, and her homework /reading material is really useful.

At my college I’m getting a mixed bag of great profs and shitty profs, thankfully we can review them. I am absolutely going to tare my mechanism design prof to shreds. The man sent us sexist slack messages and also doesn’t seem to understand that batteries aren’t 100% recyclable.

I’m eager to finish and study my masters degree elsewhere.

RutRut > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
09/25/2018 at 10:23

When you are looking at co-ops/internships, first couple of jobs out of school focus less on the employer/salary and more on the skills you can acquire. I knew roughly what skills I needed to get a career I really wanted and took positions that let me gain the skill even if it wasn’t the highest salary. I made ~62k counting bonuses at my first job out of school doing cal work and testing, 4 years later I have more than doubled that and landed a dream job.

E90M3 > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
09/25/2018 at 10:27

I thought it would be the equivalent of a calc 3, but I haven’t really thought about classes like that in years, I finished my ChemE degree in 2012. What engineering are you majoring in?

E90M3 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
09/25/2018 at 10:28

Calc I - B

Calc II (round I) - D

Calc II (round II) - W

Calc II (round III) - C

Calc III - B

Diff Eq - B

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Spanfeller is a twat
09/25/2018 at 10:31

I had a chemistry professor once who had a thing about folks not reading directions. On the final, the directions on the top of the page said to answer “C” on question 76 (or whatever it was) and turn in the test. I read directions, read them again to make sure it said what I thought it said, answered “C” on the indicated question, and then handed in my test and left. As I left, I noticed almost everyone else in the room actually taking the test. I got a 100 on the final, and I understand everyone that didn’t follow the directions got whatever grade the earned on the rest of the test they didn’t need to take .

Spanfeller is a twat > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
09/25/2018 at 10:42

They did that to me... in the 4th grade. I understand the inclination, but to me it’s an abuse by part of the teachers. I do want to complain about my circuits prof. She is great! but she needs to give us more specific directions because she makes many assumptions about how we think the cours e needs to be carried out. Shamefully I just learned her husband is the director of student services (ie, the one that makes the surveys) so I’m worried my suggestions will not be heard.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > E90M3
09/25/2018 at 10:47

Haha - way to stick it out!

TorqueToYield > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
09/25/2018 at 11:01

Diff Eqs is actually easier than Calc III. at least IMHO. And Diff Eqs are actually useful for practical engineering.

Parts of Calc II/ III are silly, they don’t even fully explain why you would ever need to ever use something like a Taylor series until grad school when I learned you can use them to approximate differential equations with no closed solutions.

My whole problem with a lot of the way they teach math in school is they don’t explain why or how to ever apply any of it.

TorqueToYield > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
09/25/2018 at 11:08

Wolfram Alpha is amazing. I use it daily.

It’s important to be able to verify your simulation models with ‘hand’ calculations or be able to ballpark answers with some rough math. But I let Wolfram Alpha do the heavy lifting on any calculus stuff and use excel for the ‘hand’ calculations.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Spanfeller is a twat
09/25/2018 at 11:13

In this case it was cumulative final, so there was no new information being tested. This was a lower division class with a lot university/department rules for how it was taught. Given a choice, I don’t think this professor would have given a cumulative final at all.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TorqueToYield
09/25/2018 at 11:46

Never took it. Wasn’t the math that pushed me out of engineering. I was just not enjoying the rest of the work, and didn’t think I’d really enjoy any job I’d end up with in the field. Ended up with a graphic design degree and then took some GIS post-grad - very fortunate to end up with a really good job as mapping/software support for a group of geologists & engineers (oil & gas), with a bit of equity in my company and making more that I probably ever would’ve made working as a civil engineer. Sometimes, things work out.

kanadanmajava1 > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
09/25/2018 at 11:47

C r u s h e d l ike this? I t ’ s a w i n but you might be facing a rematch l a t e r o n ...

Kinja'd!!!