Algebra Or Calculus?

[cabinetman]

I didn't like either of those in college compared to the female anatomy course (with a lab). But we use math quite a bit to tell us things about the world or to solve problems. So, what do you consider the most difficult math?
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[RAFlorida]

38-20-36.

And all the nuances thereof.

[Uncle Cracker]

Calculus. But that is probably because my college calculus prof, Ting Lu, did not speak a word of English...

[ragswl4]

LOML's budget, now that's hard to understand! 0=$1000, 2 X 0 = $2000.

[Hoakie]

Calc 1 (differentiation) was harder than Calc 2 (integration).

and I didn't enjoy Statistics one bit

[jackellis]

Math is so important in engineering that I took calculus in high school and then took it again in college. One important thing I learned is that you have to understand algebra inside and out before you tackle calculus or you're sc***ed. The theory behind calculus isn't all that difficult but algebra is the foundation.

Unfortunately, I don't use much advanced math at all these days so I've forgotten most of the calculus I learned and only remember some basic principles of statistics. To make up for my utter lack of proficiency with higher math, I reminisce about using a slide rule instead of a calculator when I was in college.

[LCHIEN]

Are we talking simple high school algebra or advanced engineering college linear algebra, like eigenvectors and eigenvalues

HS algebra was simple compared to calculus and linear algebra made my head spin - made calculus look easy.

[Tom Slick]

I found calc more difficult but more interesting.

Like Jack mentioned, calc is only a tool to get the equation to a point it can be solved by algebra. You must be good at algebra to be good at calc, they go hand-in-hand.

[Alex Franke]

HS algebra was simple compared to calculus and linear algebra made my head spin - made calculus look easy.

What he said.

[stormdog74]

HS algebra - easy, Calculus - moderately difficult, Linear Algebra - difficult, Higher Algebra and Real Analysis - very difficult.

Linear Algebra is the first taste of "real math" or rather the mathematics that mathematicians actually work on.

[scmhogg]

I never took calc. I had algebra and geometry in HS. After HS I enlisted in the Army. At basic they told me I had a high math score and was eligible to go to Survey School, if I had taken Trig. Well, I hadn't, so I lied. In the two weeks between basic and survey school, I got a trig text book and studied it. It turns out, all the surveys needed was sin, cosine and tangent. I learned a lot more trig than I needed.

When I got out of the Army and started college, I signed up for first year college algebra. I had done well in HS algebra, and I hadn't forgotten everything in three years. Well, the first week, the professor seemed like he was speaking a foreign language. It turns out, that between 1961 and 1964, they had invented "new math" with something called "set systems". It was like the twilight zone. I had to take remedial algebra, before I could advance.

Steve

[gsmittle]

Ummm… I got left behind in the fourth grade. You guys might as well be speaking Sanskrit…

Music theory was a bear. Neoclassical theatrical criticism was a walk in the park.

g.

[Alex Franke]

Music theory was a bear. Neoclassical theatrical criticism was a walk in the park.

Music theory made me change my major from music to computer science!

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned topology...

[drumpriest]

I loved my music theory class! I found algebra easy, and calculus was a breeze, I think I had the hardest time with computational linear algebra, but mostly because the prof was no good. Now I use it every day in my job, so it's old hat. At the moment radiance transfer functions blow my mind.

I think most math can be fairly easily learned with the right teacher.

[Lee4847]

Differentiation Calc... The prof studdered... All I heard all quarter was Dadadadadadadadadadad....

Lee