What's the highest level of math you've taken?

[tmckay2]

i made it through diff q and matrix theory before i switched majors, but honestly i don't remember a thing about any of the math i learned really. i suppose it taught me how to solve things on my own with that background but when friends ask me about calc 3 and on i can't tell them anything. its literally a blur. calc 2 was probably the hardest all things considered. math is great but frankly a lot of it ends up being useless unless you are dealing with physics directly in your profession.

[Tim K]

Got a math minor while getting my engineering degree. Didn't want to, but just meeting the minimum requirements forced me to.

I read an interesting book a while back called "100 math concepts you need to know", or something like that. Pretty dorky, but the author made a very interesting observation about the amount of math a person has affecting overall success in life. Apparently, good math skills translate into good analysis of some of life's decisions, and in the long run predict a higher standard of living. I think Calc I is the practical limit of usefulness and all the rest has little added benefit.

[d_striker]

Got a math minor while getting my engineering degree. Didn't want to, but just meeting the minimum requirements forced me to.

I read an interesting book a while back called "100 math concepts you need to know", or something like that. Pretty dorky, but the author made a very interesting observation about the amount of math a person has affecting overall success in life. Apparently, good math skills translate into good analysis of some of life's decisions, and in the long run predict a higher standard of living. I think Calc I is the practical limit of usefulness and all the rest has little added benefit.

Agreed.

Making your brain perform math equations "trains" it to solve problems algorithmically which is vital to most any profession you go into.

[BPTactical]

Something about this thread just doesn't add up............

When I worked on a survey crew we got into some interesting math, closing polygons and such. Confused the bejesus outta me for a while but just about the time the "cross training" assignment ran out I started to get it.

Want to confuse the hell out of somebody? Hand them a calculator set up for Reverse Polish Notation

[Irving]

I changed majors in college because I struggled with whatever calculus class I had to take. I actually switched Economics, which is all math classes, but did better and was glad for the change. I really wish I was better at math. I'm the guy who can't do algebra, but got A's in statistics. Statistics was actually the only math class I ever got an A in.

[Ah Pook]

I changed majors in college because I struggled with whatever calculus class I had to take. I actually switched Economics, which is all math classes, but did better and was glad for the change. I really wish I was better at math. I'm the guy who can't do algebra, but got A's in statistics. Statistics was actually the only math class I ever got an A in.

Same here. Statistics made sense and had a point. Never could get my head around algebra.

Never could do fractions either, until I started taking drafting classes.

[Irving]

Same here. Statistics made sense and had a point. Never could get my head around algebra.

Never could do fractions either, until I started taking drafting classes.

Doing conversions is what kills me. Also, I'm embarrassed with how many times in my adult life I've had to look up how to do long division, and even long subtraction.

[Tim K]

Want to confuse the hell out of somebody? Hand them a calculator set up for Reverse Polish Notation

Or hand me a traditional calculator. I've been using the same HP with RPN since 1985. Damned if I can run a normal calculator without breaking out in a sweat.