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/sci/ - Science & Math

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9952522 No.9952522 [Reply] [Original]

>bust my ass for 3 years getting from precalc to Calc 3
>struggle in math in high school in one of worst ranked school districts in state
>transfer to a good school after hardwork pays off
>start Calc 3
>have neglected other courses focusing on this one
>professor makes no sense to me
>study almost 6 hours a day for this one course
>professor asks how many students in the class are freshman
>me and 3 other people out of 30 are the only students in the class who aren’t freshman
>all of these freshman are taking taking Calc 3 as their first college math course
>they’re all doing phenomenal
>talk about playing video games on the side
>”this class is easy”

This isn’t fucking fair, /sci/ it isn’t fucking fair.

>> No.9952524

>>9952522
What do you find hard?

>> No.9952529

>>9952524
Honesty all of it. I was expecting more calculations like 2 but it’s gotten really fucking theoretical and shit and it’s not working for me. I am taking Linear Algebra concurrently and I am doing well in that course with systems of equations, vectors, Gaussian Elimination, homogenous, etc. but anything in this course has been a foreign language to me. Maybe it’s my professor? But everyone else is doing just fine. Maybe I’m just retarded

>> No.9952536

calculus is for boubakian retards who care about ZFC

switch to topology directly, especially constructive or predicative topology

also, try category theory, you may enjoy that

>> No.9952538

>>9952536
so that you learn about toposes and see that most of this stuff is topology with arrows

>> No.9952548

>>9952536
But how does this help me in my Calc 3 class. I’ve really always hated calculus. I enjoyed discrete math, and linear algebra so far a lot more

>> No.9952553

>>9952522
Then quit and do something that "comes naturally" to you

>> No.9952566

>>9952553
I’m not complaining about it being hard, I expected that. I’ve just never had a class where I genuinely feel like the dumbest person in the class until this one.

>> No.9952575

>>9952566
This is how math is get used to it. If you feel like the stupidest person in the class it means you're pushing your limits.

>> No.9952577

>>9952575
>pushing my limits

So does that mean that I’m just supposed to give in to being a brainlet and sacrifice 3 years of University? I still have to take a Mathematical Statistics class before I’m done with math in my undergrad

>> No.9952611
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9952611

>>9952575
>tfw about to graduate withmy bachelors in math
>each class I feel like a complete retard and scared I'm going to fail out
>always end up above average grade wise (all classes are curved)

Its an alright kind of feeling. It's kinda lame how even upper level classes are just "intro" level to the graduate classes.

>> No.9952617

>>9952522
I had a lot of trouble in calc 3 too
I think it's one of the first really toolkit-based math classes people take, it's not so much the spatial reasoning that's the problem as the fact that you've got a bunch of formulas to use for different situations and you don't really understand why they work
many of the people who say the class is easy probably are good memorizers who don't worry about theory

>> No.9952621

>>9952566
That's how "good colleges" are in general. Even at my modestly ranked uni, I was one of those freshmen taking calc 3 as my first college course, spending most of my time thinking about and playing video games because calc 3 way trivial to me. But you know what? I felt the exact same way in other courses. Sure I got my A in undergrad analysis and whatever, but it was clear that I was an average math student. There were people for whom this shit just came plainly and naturally. And god forbid we compare ourselves to the (deserving) students at MIT, Princeton, Caltech, etc.

My point is, there's levels, just like in any endeavor where you might be compared to others. You can push yourself to the limit of you really want to, but at the end of the day it depends on what you want. That was years ago; I pushed myself to where I have a comfortable job now and I'm happy with where I am, financially and academically. I can only recommend that you have the same mindset.

>> No.9952700

>>9952617
>many of the people who say the class is easy probably are good memorizers who don't worry about theory

No, most people are lazy shits who think everything should be handed down to them. I had no trouble acing calc 3 despite not really understanding stuff in classes. But I would take notes and every other Saturday I would spend 3 or 4 hours solving problems. You can only solve a problem so many times before you've memorized the formulas needed to ace any exam.

>> No.9952964

>>9952700
buddy, some people are worse at memorizing than you. I'm worse at memorizing than you. I have had classes where I spend that time or more on problem sets and then completely forget the formulas. And you said it yourself
>despite not really understanding stuff in classes
the people who try to focus on understanding what they're doing get screwed in the classes because the correct strategy is do the work and don't worry about it.

>> No.9952987

i struggle at upper level engineering courses sometimes and I even sucked ass at math in high school, I even got a D in precalc. But I don't understand how you could not whiz through calc 1-3, given the appropriate respect they're so straightforward, with so little abstract thought involved at all
>inb4 you have worse memory
I have an adhd diagnosis and terrible working memory, I still didn't even have to study that much, you just do your homework correctly and then if you didn't bullshit it you will have learned

>> No.9953004

>>9952611
>tfw exactly me
>tfw I got accepted into grad school cuz spic
Wew

>> No.9953032

>>9952522
>>bust my ass for 3 years getting from precalc to Calc 3
Mate, wtf. Aren't you supposed to be done with calc 3 by the 3rd semester? How do you even spend 6 semesters in uni without taking calc 3? I'm not trying to be an asshole, but you should consider that you might just not be cutout for it.

>> No.9953041

>>9952522
I had a lot of difficulty with calc 1 because I skipped pre-calc due to enrollment bullshit, but calc 2 and 3 were pretty easy for me

>> No.9953051

>>9953032
>How do you even spend 6 semesters in uni without taking calc 3
if you're in a soft science it's really not pushed at all, lots of people stop after calc 2 (not that I think it should be this way)

>> No.9953072

>>9952987
>I don't understand how you could not whiz through calc 1-3
You must be really smart. Some people aren't as smart as you.

>> No.9953074

>>9952987
Maybe it’s just the first week of Calc 3 at my school. All it’s been is a Turkish female professor explaining vector fields in 3D and stuff. Partial derivatives as things like that are ez pz

>> No.9953079

>>9953004
>tfw I got accepted into grad school cuz spic
Same. Doesn't it feel good bro?

>> No.9953089

>tfw my K-12 education sucked ass.
>boring
>nothing special
>no special programs
>uninterested in studying anything after high school so I went straight into the workforce
>got tired of wagecuckin it
>enroll in community college
>all these kids who were learning molecular techniques in high school
>all these kids who already have engineering and calc done
>I only have precalc done

>> No.9953173

>>9953051
Hadn't really thought of that. Then I guess it's fine. Most people on soft sciences I know don't even take calc 2. You're doing alright, OP.

>> No.9953284

>>9953089
That feel is real.

>> No.9953314

>>9953072
>must be really smart
oh my GPA certainly says otherwise
>>9953074
the theory can get a bit daunting but for the most part its just calc 1 with the added dimension and some new techniques, I find calc 3 to be less abstract than calc 2 even. I bet once you practice a bunch of problems it will come together quickly

>> No.9953410

>>9953079
Si

>> No.9953412

>>9952522
Math alone is really not the pinnacle of intelligence anyways so I wouldnt necessarily equate this to being stupid.

>> No.9953432

>>9952522
Calc 3 was fucking cake bro. It was my first college math class and the midterm was my first exam. Got a D, learned that you need to try a little bit in college, got a B+ in the class, graduated with the highest gpa in my major, etc. If I'd taken that after first semester it would've been an easy AF A.

>> No.9953770

>>9953432
No one cares about your over inflated ego. Sad that you have to post on an anonymous image board to feel validated. Your accomplishments are meaningless to everyone that read your post

>> No.9953776

>>9952522
you're not studying well enough

>> No.9953799

I heard a lot of hardworking people from bad schools get into good schools, quickly fall behind and then commit suicide. Very common

>> No.9953899

once you know topology, you learn differential geomwtry and you will know evertyhing in your calc3 stuff

>> No.9953946

>>9952522
if you need a spacial representation, try https://www.khanacademy.org/math/multivariable-calculus

>> No.9953948

>>9953074
curvature, curl, and stokes' theorem will destroy you

>> No.9954159

>>9953004
>Get accepted into grad school because of hard work & achievements
>Only a Master's program because I'm a white male who cares more about research than smalltalk
It's a mixed kind of feel

>> No.9954207

>>9952522
I am stuggling with Calc 2. Like holy shit, I am dumb.

>> No.9954211

>>9952529
>linear algebra
that's not linear algebra, that is "applied linear algebra"
>maybe im just retarded
yes

Regardless, how do you expect to do well in a course that requires proficiency in linear algebra while you're doing the engineer tier version concurrently?

>> No.9954481

>>9954207
You're not dumb, Calc 2 is a weeder in many colleges so if you weren't fortunate enough to take it in HS colleges just make otherwise fine material into hellscapes.

>> No.9954531

>>9954481
Thank you for your kind words. I'm a freshman
if that matters in stats but even harder stat courses seem easier. Never knew calc2 was globally considered somewhat difficult.

>> No.9954560

>>9953799
>tfw this might be me
How do I prevent this man? I know I'm only doing good because my school has really easy profs and I'm scared I might be completely destroyed once I transfer.

>> No.9954569

>>9952536
Imagine thinking that people who are taking Calc 3 or let alone struggling with it give a shit about ZFC or lmao cat theory

(I mean, neither do many mathematicians doing actual research)

>> No.9954597

>>9953089
Same boat here. Going back for eng and having to start at Calc 1.
Feels... ok

>> No.9955620
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9955620

Don't worry OP, you'll never be a stupid and worthless as I am.

>flunk course after course in middle school and high school
>am 1 year behind my peers in math and sci in high school as a result
>manage to reach algebra 2 without splitting my skull in two
>finesse my way into mediocre engineering program at some party school (go broncos)
>spend the entirety of the year flunking every course of the semester, including pre-calc
>drop out after one year, still dumb as ever
>take community college full-throttle, make it past Pre-Calc on my first try
>fail calc 1 three times
>go to new CC, pass Calc 1 with a barebones C likely because professor had pity on me
>switch major from EE to CIS, alternative is raiding my siblings college fund (which I don't deserve)
>have high gpa at new CC and enjoy new major
>still filled with regret and bitterness over failed ambitions

Being a lazy POS is god awful. OP don't sweat it, just remember there are retards like me out there making society less efficient and functional.