/sci/ - Science & Math

>>7496335
Of course you don't remember everything. You only remember that which you actively use, but due to the fact that you probably studied and practiced the concepts earlier it is much easier to call upon the knowledge, review and swiftly remember when needed.

>>7496335

If you don't remember your algebraic rules and manipulations you will be dogshit at calculus.

Then there's the domain of working within trigonometric functions that will pop up again in calculus that will again make you dogshit at working with those functions. If you want to do any kind of applications with math, trig functions are all over the place and you will be further fucked.

Feeling comfortable with graphs will also help tremdously and they won't go away in calculus.

Geometry comes in though visualization and simplification of more complex problems.

Protip: Most people are bad at calculus because they were bad at algebra.

>>7496349
how do i know if im bad at algebra

>>7496335
you don't remember everything on the spot, but you know what to look for, and where to look for it.

>>7496349
is a 630 math SAT bad at algebra

Of course you remember everything, what an absurd question. It would be like asking if you can forget what nouns are after learning about verbs. Everything you learn in high school (and your first few years of college) is essential and should be absolutely obvious to you, otherwise, you're not doing it right.

>>7496353
yes

>>7496380
how?
i was one of the highest scorers in my class

>>7496380
>mfw i had a 500 math SAT but liked maths and want to go into engineering
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

granted i didn't study and stayed up the night before so was up for like 36 hours but
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

>>7496381
Your class did bad on sat math that's how.

But fret not kind anon, this shall be your call to not accept mediocrity. Just because you are better than a certain group of people, you now shall now that you should look at the group of people that are better than you rather than the one you are better than.

>>7496388

so I'm fucked?
I kind of wanted to major in Economics and maybe minor in Actuarial Science

>>7496335
>pre-algebra/algebra

Of course

>geometry

Nah, trigonometry + calculus + linear algebra replaces it for all your geometric need.

>>7496379
>not doing it right
h-how do I do it right, a-anon...

>>7496381
>>7496386
I got an 800 in math on my first try without any prep classes but I was taking multivariable calc and linear algebra at the time

>>7496393
>tfw doing khanacademy and told to read basic mathematics by lang
just got the pdf. maybe that's how to do it right

>>7496386
Dam dude I was in Seattle the day before the test and my parents drove all the way to Portland where I went to school. I took the SAT and got a 670 on math I didn't even have time to study.
Protip: SAT don't really matter work ethic is what makes you good at anything.

>>7496393
What are you doing wrong ? What class are you ?

>>7496399
I mean what level* (not a native english speaker)

>>7496403
I finished high school at pre-calculus, but I'm now going to uni two years later so I'm trying to refresh myself with all of it and currently at pre-algebra...

kill me

>>7496396
is this book actually worth reading for this?

>>7496422
But I don't understand how you can go to uni for two years and not remember pre-algebra. I mean isn't that rules about exponents, fractions, expanding products ?
If it wasn't obvious in HS it should be natural to you now, don't you need it all the time ?

>>7496442
>don't you need it all the time
When in the hell do you ever need to use exponents or square/cube roots in daily life?

>>7496447
Oh yeah sorry, I thought you were in uni the whole time...
Either way, this stuff is pretty much common sense: for example, to see why exponents add when you multiply two powers of the same number, you just have to expand the product: <div class="math">a^m \times a^n = \underbrace{a \times \dots \times a}_{m \text{ times}} \times \underbrace{a \times \dots \times a}_{n \text{ times}} = \underbrace{a \times \dots \times a}_{m + n \text{ times}} = a^{m+n}</div>
It just expresses the fact that doing the same thing m times then n times is the same as doing it m+n times.
In the same way, to see that exponents multiply when you raise a power of a number to another power, you just expand it: <div class="math">(a^m)^n = \underbrace{a^m \times \dots \times a^m}_{n \text{ times}} = a^{m + \dots + m} = a^{mn}</div>
Hopefully it shouldn't be too hard to catch up

>>7496485
1st formula
<div class="math">a^m \times a^n = \underbrace{a \times \dots \times a}_{m\ \text{factors}} \times \underbrace{a \times \dots \times a}_{n\ \text{factors}} = \underbrace{a \times \dots \times a}_{m + n\ \mathrm{factors}} = a^{m+n}</div>

2nd formula
<div class="math">(a^m)^n = \underbrace{a^m \times \dots \times a^m}_{n\ \mathrm{factors}} = a^{m + \dots + m} = a^{mn}</div>

Not knowing basic algebra is like not know what protons and electrons are as a future chemistry student.

>>7496485
1st equation
<div class="math">a^m \times a^n = \underbrace{a \times \dots \times a}_{m\ \mathrm{factors}} \times \underbrace{a \times \dots \times a}_{n\ \mathrm{factors}} = \underbrace{a \times \dots \times a}_{m + n\ \mathrm{factors}} = a^{m+n}</div>

2nd formula
<div class="math">(a^m)^n = \underbrace{a^m \times \dots \times a^m}_{n\ \mathrm{factors}} = a^{m + \dots + m} = a^{mn}</div>

>>7496335
I slacked in HS and don't remember shit from precal, but so far have gone up to complex analysis in college. It always bites me in the ass. I can understand the new concepts fine but my foundation is such shit, I have to constantly review stuff like the unit circle.

I feel like I remember geometry and algebra more than, lets say, Taylor Series.

>>7496335

I don't know how you forget Algebra when it is used in every Math class after Algebra. When it comes to trig, only things one needs to remember is the unit circle and some trig identities.

>>7496536
>it is used in every Math class after Algebra
anon

>tfw i never understood the unit circle and it annoyed the hell out of me in pre-calc

>>7496589
You should learn it. It's interesting and not that difficult to derive from just the pythagorean theorem and knowledge about the sides of 30-60-90 triangles.

>>7496561
Not that anon but still, everyone will assume you know your trig because of course they will. They're some of the most basic functions you can imagine. Any time you do something with some kind of analytic/geometric flavor there is probably going to be some trig functions involved because they're very well understood and make for good examples.

>>7496561

Algebra is used in Pre-Calculus, Calculus I, II, III, and Differential Equations.

>>7496611
algebra is used everywhere, period. It's the only computational tool we have

>>7496611
>>7496604
>all of these algebra plebs
stay cucked

>>7496615
Which I said in >>7496536

>>7496386
>aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
fucking kill yourself underageb& faggot

>>7496349
>If you want to do any kind of applications with math, trig functions are all over the place and you will be further fucked.

Taking calc class in a couple weeks here (not underage b&, my country just doesn't require calculus until university)

What knowledge of trig is essential to excel at calculus? Obviously you need to know things like special triangles and the unit circle like the back of your hand for polar coordinate system, but do I need to have a good grasp on trig identities as well?

What are these pre-algebra and pre-calculus people talk about? I kinda understand the concept of pre-calc, assuming it is something like using trigonometric functions in the context of triangles with degrees instead of as continuous functions of real variables.

>>7497547
>my country just doesn't require calculus until university
m8 i live in bumfuck turkey and even we have to learn calculus in high school, where the fuck do you live?

>>7497547
Make sure you actually understand what the trig functions are, and you didn't just memorize what sin and cos look like (easy first step, but lots of people who fail do so because they memorized their way through trig).

From there, make sure you know the basic pythagorean identity offhand (sin^2 x + cos^2 x = 1), and that you can derive related identities if necessary.

Lastly, know your sum formulas, these come up all the fucking time. That is:

<span class="math">sin(a \pm b) = sin(a)cos(b) \pm cos(a)sin(b)[/spoiler]
<span class="math">cos(a \pm b) = cos(a)cos(b) \mp sin(a)sin(b)[/spoiler]

And be sure to remember that you can derive sin(2a) and cos(2a) from this by setting b = a.

That's the stuff that comes up most often, and every Calculus student should know without issue.

>>7497547
>but do I need to have a good grasp on trig identities as well?

Yes. You NEED to know your sum and difference functions, as well as your product and sum formulas, identities, and double angle formulas, they will come up in Calculus.

I AM THE SATAN THAT IS GOOD, THE CHRIST THAT IS BAD
I AM MAN, I AM NA'AM, I AM THAT I AM

>>7496390

Econ major here, you probably wont need that much math in your econ program, it varies school by school but most schools don't require any math or at most something like calc 1.

If you want to go into grad school however, then you need to take up to calc 3, linear algebra, real analysis etc.

>>7496351
X^2 = 4X find all solutions for X

>>7498057
mfw I never came up with those identities in any Calculus course. I was in a CC, though.

Never learned much in highschool so calc was hard in college when I didn't know half of the algebra I needed

>>7497994

I'm in Canada, and it's an option but not required here your final year (Grade 12).

Not sure about in US/UK or what have you, but here you can either spend the whole year doing Advanced Function (Non semestered school, so you have the class every other day), or take Advanced functions everyday from September till January, then switch over to Calc (counts as 2 credits).

Might be something similar for >>7497547

No.

My calculator does that no need to remember for calculus.

>>7498390
Are you an engineer?

>>7496335
>he went to college

>>7498390

>tfw calculators not allowed in calc 1

>>7498416
Yes.

Scientists only make 300k a year what fags.

>>7498265
x=4
x=0

?

>>7498559
Are you saying that you use a calculator for just about everything in your calc classes that isn't calc?

>>7498540

tfw in CC and Calculators weren't allowed in Calculus I, II, or III. Scientific Calculators allowed in LA and DE, though.

>Only ever use algebra and geometry in my engineering work
>Barely ever use basic calculus
>Used the advanced stuff once, it was way off
>Never ever used anything higher
I have noticed that advanced models are actually less useful than the basic ones; if you're problem is too advanced for geometry and algebra you may as well use numerical methods.

have mercy! my question will require some pity... if not sympathy but I'll be starting pre-algebra 2 in college and linear equations and mastering factoring are on my agendy are you peeps cool enough to help? or should I play the "I'm holier than thou, so I pass judgment" like a basic neanderthal chan troll? no offence real talk need a hand

>>7498802
>pre-algebra 2 in college
>pre-algebra
>2
>in college

That exists?

>>7498809

he's probably meaning college level algebra and related material for non-majors

>>7498741
Yeah but do you think Calculus helped you think better analytically / get better at geometry and algebra.

>>7498802
Post any questions in the stupid questions general. That's usually the best place on here to get help.

>>7498741
depends on what you're using the math for

i use calculus frequently

>>7498831
how do I become a calculus god anon

>>7498845
pls respond

>>7498853
doodle stuff, always

>>7498845
This
I have one year of literally nothing to prepare myself for calculus/ teach myself it
what's a good introductory textbook and then what can I use to continue building into calculus 2 and 3 subjects

>>7498865
Are you not going to uni until next fall? I go this spring so I'm basically doing the same thing but in four months.

>>7498821
Of course. It's good to know as well.
>>7498831
Right now I'm making a gearbox so don't need calculus for that. Even when I did some turbomachinery work it was all basic vectors. Next I'm gonna be making a gyroscopic stabilization device, again only algebra, no calculus.

>>7496352
This. A lot of times when reviewing with my students, I'll think "that looks familiar." Then I'll skim through an old textbook or google it to find a relevant theorem I learned 15ish years ago.

Other times, you'll be able to straight up derive your childhood theorems/results using things you learned more recently. Those are good feels.

>>7498872

I'm not taking calculus until next year
I start in spring as well.

I want to teach myself Calculus though, and be good at it.

>>7498887
spring buddies

why do so many people have trouble with calculus?
is it a matter of not reading the textbook or is calculus genuinely extremely difficult?

>>7498900
I think its neither.
I think the big picture in calculus is fairly easy to grasp. The real difficulty comes in because most students aren't good enough in algebra to manipulate equations for calculus questions.
Tack onto that a couple new tricks that you have to learn everytime you see d/dx and you'll get a students stumbling on multiple parts when its really just the algebra they are struggling with.

>>7498887
https://www.math.wisc.edu/~keisler/calc.html

Covers all three calculus courses including vector calculus

You don't study to remember

You study to understand