My 16yo son is taking MAC 2311 Calculus w/Analytical Geometry this summer because it’s a prerequisite for PHY 2048 General Physics I which he’s taking this fall.

He says to me, “Hey Dad, I need some help on a couple problems. I think I’m missing something stupid, can you take a look?” Sure enough, he’s evaluating an integral from s to 2s, so a=1 and b=2, which is what he was missing because the s threw him off. He had no trouble finding the anti-derivative and completing the problem.

So there you have it, I’ve been relegated to helping my son with stupid mistakes because that’s what I’m good at.

Good on you trapper!

My answer would have been “go ask your mother”
That woman is a mathematical wizard. I am not. Math and me have never gotten along.
Never made it to a calculus class ability myself.

Some time ago, I forgot how to subtract in columns, if the number on top is smaller than the number on the bottom. I know you carry something, somewhere, but after that, it gets kinda hazy.

So, my Cabulus is kinda weak. My aglebra is pretty good, long as there ain't no subtraction.

I'm more of a History guy...

It wasn’t that long ago I helped him with his 2nd grade Presidents’ Day report. He had John Quincy Adams who was just like John Adams, only Quincier. I got a C in calculus over 35 years ago. I read each chapter this summer to get a basic understanding in case he needed help, but this is it. He’s going beyond my ability to help him with his homework.

I guess it's a good thing... "the student has become the master".

I took two years of calc in HS and a year in college. That was 20 years ago. I don't think I could remember any of it now. Algebra and geometry I'm still pretty good with since I use it from time to time when building stuff, but there's not a lot of cause for calculating integrals in my daily life.

WTF are you people talking about?

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Some time ago, I forgot how to subtract in columns, if the number on top is smaller than the number on the bottom. I know you carry something, somewhere, but after that, it gets kinda hazy.

So, my Cabulus is kinda weak. My aglebra is pretty good, long as there ain't no subtraction.

I'm more of a History guy...

Subtraction isn’t bad- it’s just like addition, only in reverse.


I really enjoyed teaching my boys math when they were little, but one has a masters in computer science and one has a masters in chemical engineering, so they surpassed my math skills long ago. And I’m proud of them and don’t mind- except when the younger one tells me I suck at probability. Just because one time I said the probability of getting a heads out of two coin flips was 100%.

"Sorry I only use furinheight"

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
I took two years of calc in HS and a year in college. That was 20 years ago. I don't think I could remember any of it now. Algebra and geometry I'm still pretty good with since I use it from time to time when building stuff, but there's not a lot of cause for calculating integrals in my daily life.

I was a math major (and physics) for three years. Then the draft hit. But I flunked the physical at the hearing booth. Many years later, when my kid asked me for calculus help I could not remember enough to differentiate my name. Kid is now a doctor. I'm retired

Do math teaches still tell students that nobody will be walking around with calculators in your pockets all day?

At this point if I can't figure it out using my fingers and toes I'm out-

I can make chocolate milk!

Even though my cabulus is weak, my geometry is strong. I can recognize triangles, rectangles, squares, circles, all that shit. Hell, I even know about them weird things like the omnibus. Kind of a smashed square. I don't know what you call a smashed triangle but hey, I'm always learning.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Even though my cabulus is weak, my geometry is strong. I can recognize triangles, rectangles, squares, circles, all that shit. Hell, I even know about them weird things like the omnibus. Kind of a smashed square. I don't know what you call a smashed triangle but hey, I'm always learning.

Ima little suspicious of that Islamic math, Al-Gebra

I'm glad you were able to help. My dad wasn't able to help me much with math classes past about middle school.

The lowest grade I got in high school was in Calculus, and it was also the grade I was most proud of. The teacher was awful. She'd do a terrible job of explaining stuff, and then get mad at any student who asked questions or tried to get further clarification because they didn't understand. When we realized early into the class that we weren't learning much of anything from her, several classmates and I organized a study group that met two evenings a week, and sometimes three if we had a test coming up. We basically spent the semester teaching ourselves calculus, and I clawed my way to a C in that class through sheer hard work.

It was good practice for my college calculus class a few years later. Although that teacher was great, it still required a decent amount of work with a study group outside of class for me to get a high grade, but I was already prepared for that.

Despite all the blood, sweat, and tears shed on those two calculus classes, I've never actually used calculus since. At least they weren't a total waste, since the process of struggling to pass calculus (twice) built character. I do use algebra and geometry quite a bit, though.

I'm glad you are able to help him. I home schooled my daughter until 11th grade, I did not remember enough math to help her. So, I sent her to community college and she graduated high school with her associates degree.

All the math I recall is solving for x, anything else I actually need I'll do a web search.

Graduated years ago with a mech engineering degree. I had no trouble with advanced math. In fact, I enjoyed it.

My granddaughter is about to receive a degree in actuarial science. The math she does (and tutors) may as well be written in Martian.

It’s a typo, change the “s” to “b”.