Any Engineers out there?

[mjennings]

You could approach your calc three teacher and see if he could give you some help, the one on one time might be more fruitful than the retake. If you understand the concepts and can show him that it's your calc 2 that is lacking he might be able to help you out. Also raid the math section at a bookstore, there may be something useful there as well.

Riemann sums are frustrating they explain why integrals work but not really useful in the long run.

I did calc 1.5 in high school (calc one plus about the first 5-8 weeks of calc 2), so my math study habits got bad as I coasted for a semester and a half, then got beat up the second half of calc 2, and had rough calc 3 as it was at 8 am, that was a bad call. Diffy Q was rough as I had a poor teacher (send a math doctorate to teach engineers who only want real world examples, but he wasn't as bad as the other option) and I really challenging professor immediately afterwards. I learned diffyQ in later engineering classes and I'm brushing up on it now in grad school.

For all the advanced math we do in school, unless you are doing research or a few other things, the vast majority of working engineers rarely touch calculus professionally. My fluids teacher even told us that the only time she's used calculus outside of the class room was when she, her husband (also an engineer), and a few other engineers we drinking and started to wonder what the optimal bear can shape would be, and did the optimization. And it is a tuna can, who wants to drink out of that?

 

[BLKKROW]

You could approach your calc three teacher and see if he could give you some help, the one on one time might be more fruitful than the retake. If you understand the concepts and can show him that it's your calc 2 that is lacking he might be able to help you out. Also raid the math section at a bookstore, there may be something useful there as well.

Riemann sums are frustrating they explain why integrals work but not really useful in the long run.

I did calc 1.5 in high school (calc one plus about the first 5-8 weeks of calc 2), so my math study habits got bad as I coasted for a semester and a half, then got beat up the second half of calc 2, and had rough calc 3 as it was at 8 am, that was a bad call. Diffy Q was rough as I had a poor teacher (send a math doctorate to teach engineers who only want real world examples, but he wasn't as bad as the other option) and I really challenging professor immediately afterwards. I learned diffyQ in later engineering classes and I'm brushing up on it now in grad school.

For all the advanced math we do in school, unless you are doing research or a few other things, the vast majority of working engineers rarely touch calculus professionally. My fluids teacher even told us that the only time she's used calculus outside of the class room was when she, her husband (also an engineer), and a few other engineers we drinking and started to wonder what the optimal bear can shape would be, and did the optimization. And it is a tuna can, who wants to drink out of that?

I know I say it a lot but thank you for giving me this information, but I really do appreciate it.

We have talked to our teacher a little bit and all he did was chuckle a little but and say "Riemann Sums will not help you here". So we are on our own but since we are taking it at a community college and my work is paying for it I am not worried about takins calc 2 again. If anything I may improve my grade in calc 2.

 

[AlexK]

I know I say it a lot but thank you for giving me this information, but I really do appreciate it.

We have talked to our teacher a little bit and all he did was chuckle a little but and say "Riemann Sums will not help you here". So we are on our own but since we are taking it at a community college and my work is paying for it I am not worried about takins calc 2 again. If anything I may improve my grade in calc 2.

I'm starting to feel a lot better about my own math schooling now - I see I'm far from alone in people who took tons of math and the hardest class we ever had was Calc 2. To this day, integration by parts still feels like black magic. My own experience in professional life definitely follows what several others have said: I rarely touch true calculus nowadays. The vast majority of the time when I do something calc-y I'm either taking a numerical derivative (ie derivative of real data for which you can't find a simple function that fits it) or a Riemann sum. I'm more of an analysis guy now than pure design engineering, so I use much more than the guys at my company that do the design work - their required math isn't much more than a scientific calculator can give you.

All bets are off if you want to go into something a bit more specialized. Heat transfer and vibrations both require a good bit of math (Differential equations), and if you go into control theory you'll soon learn that "Control Theory" is just a fancy way of saying "Laplace Transform-o-rama." I spent quite a while in research (the whole Ph.D thing) in a field that splits engineering and physics, so I frequently had to dip into electromagnetism, which is basically vector calculus with a bunch of constants thrown in to make the units come out.

Someone suggested Shaum's Outlines - those are still published, and may make a good study guide for you (I had a class once that used the Shaum's Outline as the textbook, even). Also consider poking around online for integral tables - there are several sites out there, and while they aren't good for learning how to solve them (and pretty useless on an exam) they're great for checking your work.

 

[mwtoelle]

A good library should contain the CRC Reference Books in the Reference section. Several of those volumes have very extensive integral tables. Remember, to check your works on integrals, you take the derivative of the resulting function after you integrate. The result should match the original function that is being integrated minus any constants.

 

[AlexK]

A good library should contain the CRC Reference Books in the Reference section Several of those volumes have very extensive integral tables. Remember, to check your works on integrals, you take the derivative of the resulting function after you integrate. The result should match the original function that is being integrated minus any constants.

Back in school I bought the CRC Book of Mathematical Tables and Formulae: (oblig. Amazon linky: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1439835489/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 ) It's been quite a lifesaver, especially since my brain refuses to remember the formula for a Taylor or Fourier expansion past the final exam in whatever class I was taught it in; I've forgotten them in calc 2, diff eq, PDEs, and a couple more math classes. Once my grades were less dependent on 'showing my work' and more on just getting the answer, I bought the book. It's also great for trigonometric relationships, coordinate transforms, and a few other things.

 

[Sooner Boomer]

Back in school I bought the CRC Book of Mathematical Tables and Formulae

Wow! They still sell those? I thought everything was on line now days. I bought one of those and a copy of the chemical handbook when I left high school. I also talked my high school out of copies of all the math, chemistry, and physics textbooks we used. Still have them. They've proven to be a great way to help someone struggling with concepts because they often give a simpler point of view than (for example) a college text. Kept all of my college texts, too.

 

[mjennings]

I know I say it a lot but thank you for giving me this information, but I really do appreciate it.

We have talked to our teacher a little bit and all he did was chuckle a little but and say "Riemann Sums will not help you here". So we are on our own but since we are taking it at a community college and my work is paying for it I am not worried about takins calc 2 again. If anything I may improve my grade in calc 2.

No problem. Check the company policy on retakes, they may not pay for a class twice.

 

[AlexK]

Wow! They still sell those? I thought everything was on line now days. I bought one of those and a copy of the chemical handbook when I left high school. I also talked my high school out of copies of all the math, chemistry, and physics textbooks we used. Still have them. They've proven to be a great way to help someone struggling with concepts because they often give a simpler point of view than (for example) a college text. Kept all of my college texts, too.

This is one of those times I'm a big fan of the dead tree version of something. Integral tables (and trigonometric identities, coordinate system transforms, and tables of Laplace transforms) are something that should be flipped through, not something that should be mouse'd.

 

[plano-doug]

I am currently studying Aerospace engineering and would love to exchange some emails with anyone who works in this field or any related field. I want to get an idea of what is expected from a student going into the field and other aspects.

Plus I may need some encouragement as my workload is increasing. So if anyone out there would love to take the time to help a student. Please reply or PM your email address.

If you want to study AE, study AE. It's your passion, so that's what you should study. If you want to make yourself versatile, be sure to take some other, non-AE courses to broaden your base. I suggest taking one or two basic EE classes, and a couple of comp sci classes. Consider not taking the EE classes for non-EE's - some of those are not very helpful in the real world - they try to cover too much too thin and end up imparting very little useful knowledge (IMO). Taking the actual Crcuits 1 course for EE's would probable give you more long term useful skills, for example, because it's more rigorous.

Anyway, most airborne systems are rife with embedded real-time electronics. So having a good grasp of that will be helpful throughout your career.

Doug

.

 

[BLKKROW]

If you want to study AE, study AE. It's your passion, so that's what you should study. If you want to make yourself versatile, be sure to take some other, non-AE courses to broaden your base. I suggest taking one or two basic EE classes, and a couple of comp sci classes. Consider not taking the EE classes for non-EE's - some of those are not very helpful in the real world - they try to cover too much too thin and end up imparting very little useful knowledge (IMO). Taking the actual Crcuits 1 course for EE's would probable give you more long term useful skills, for example, because it's more rigorous.

Anyway, most airborne systems are rife with embedded real-time electronics. So having a good grasp of that will be helpful throughout your career.

Doug

.

Thank you for the comments. This applies to everyone!

Sorry I have not responded as you can quess I have been busy studying and working.

I know on my path to get my BA in AE I do have to take some circuit design classes and computer engineering classes.

 

[GuySmith]

If you are going to GHS this year, look me up. I graduated in 1979 from the University of Colorado with a BS in Aerospace Engineering, been working in the industry ever since.

 

[BLKKROW]

If you are going to GHS this year, look me up. I graduated in 1979 from the University of Colorado with a BS in Aerospace Engineering, been working in the industry ever since.

I have been thinking about going to GHS, that is in October correct? Excuse my lack of knowledge I have no time to fly.

 

[BLKKROW]

Well if anyone is following this thread. Today was the second exam in Calc 3 and it seems about 60% of my class will have to retake this class to pass.

The test was on Frenet Vectors, with the vector valued functions he gave us it contained very nasty functions. So when we took the derivative and the second derivative of those it came out to rather large ugly functions that did not clean up nicely.

 

[AlexK]

Well if anyone is following this thread. Today was the second exam in Calc 3 and it seems about 60% of my class will have to retake this class to pass.

The test was on Frenet Vectors, with the vector valued functions he gave us it contained very nasty functions. So when we took the derivative and the second derivative of those it came out to rather large ugly functions that did not clean up nicely.

Well remember the old logical argument for low exam scores in college: IF [nobody passes] THEN [curve heavily]. I once got a 32 on a quantum physics final and still got a B on it (and in the class).

This being said, it's rather obnoxious of the professor to give you a problem with such an ugly and complicated solution. IMHO it's not the best test of whether you can wrangle vectors and their derivatives if the answer looks like gobbledygook - it's kinda hard to do a quickie 'did I do it right' check when the answer is long and ugly.

 

[djfuller]

Well if anyone is following this thread. Today was the second exam in Calc 3 and it seems about 60% of my class will have to retake this class to pass.

The test was on Frenet Vectors, with the vector valued functions he gave us it contained very nasty functions. So when we took the derivative and the second derivative of those it came out to rather large ugly functions that did not clean up nicely.

Could be worse. I had an aero exam where the professor gave us a problem that couldn't be solved with the information given. He had to go back to his office and get the answer book for that question, which didn't even match the problem because he had modified it and didn't run through it himself first.

 

[BLKKROW]

Could be worse. I had an aero exam where the professor gave us a problem that couldn't be solved with the information given. He had to go back to his office and get the answer book for that question, which didn't even match the problem because he had modified it and didn't run through it himself first.

That is what seemed to happen on our test. One of the question you have to derive was ln(x). Pretty simple 1/x but then we have to use x=0, which has no result.

Oh well I am moving onto the next subject matter and will see what happens.

 

[GuySmith]

I have been thinking about going to GHS, that is in October correct? Excuse my lack of knowledge I have no time to fly.

Yep, October 26th and 27th. It will be held at Red Dy Lake, north of Kingman, AZ. See attached flyer.

Hope to see you there!

View attachment GHS Memorial Launch 2013.pdf

 

[BLKKROW]

Yep, October 26th and 27th. It will be held at Red Dy Lake, north of Kingman, AZ. See attached flyer.

Hope to see you there!

I shall talk to my wife and see if we have time to go.