Teaching myself calculus
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InternationPlayboy
Crow
I give respect for you trying to better yourself and all, but when would you use calculus? Don't you think there are better things you could do with your time. Why not learn a language? I mean if that's really what you want to do, go for it. But it just doesn't seem logical to me unless it's going to help you make money. But if that's what you want to do, more power to you.
Learning calculus for fun? You motherfuckers sure know how to party.
+1 for IP above though, learning a language is a better use of your time unless you are dead set on calculus.
+1 for IP above though, learning a language is a better use of your time unless you are dead set on calculus.
It's cool that you want to learn it and expand your mind. You probably won't have any practical use for it in real life though. I enjoyed my classes though.
My professor had us calculating the surface area of weird 3 dimensional shapes spinning through space at different speeds at each other. Then he had us figure out the shared area at different points in time as they collide. Crazy stuff. It'll blow your mind.
My professor had us calculating the surface area of weird 3 dimensional shapes spinning through space at different speeds at each other. Then he had us figure out the shared area at different points in time as they collide. Crazy stuff. It'll blow your mind.
RichieP
Pelican
Yeah, its the cool 3d stuff that makes calculus come alive.
Once you "get" what a double or triple integral is "doing", its just... really cool. I dunno why. I think because you get this kind of kinesthetic feel for this infinite sum of infinitesmal slivers of this abstract shape... makes my brain happy.
Or when you do integrals in polar co-ordinates, and you realise the integral is adding up these tiny elements of surface area, rotated around a point on the axis, and then that happening for every point on the axis and being summed along the shape... haha. It's like a weird brain massage.
It's that marrying of the hard analytical solution with the "aha!" of visualising the dynamics and the geometry. Something about that is cool.
Then again, I think lots of things can give you that same "aha!" kick. Visualising data flows/transforms in programming too. Also, human languages... once you've grafted a nice base of 1000+ words and basic grammar, and your brain starts just soaking up more and more meaning as you hear it spoken, it's delicious.
Once you "get" what a double or triple integral is "doing", its just... really cool. I dunno why. I think because you get this kind of kinesthetic feel for this infinite sum of infinitesmal slivers of this abstract shape... makes my brain happy.
Or when you do integrals in polar co-ordinates, and you realise the integral is adding up these tiny elements of surface area, rotated around a point on the axis, and then that happening for every point on the axis and being summed along the shape... haha. It's like a weird brain massage.
It's that marrying of the hard analytical solution with the "aha!" of visualising the dynamics and the geometry. Something about that is cool.
Then again, I think lots of things can give you that same "aha!" kick. Visualising data flows/transforms in programming too. Also, human languages... once you've grafted a nice base of 1000+ words and basic grammar, and your brain starts just soaking up more and more meaning as you hear it spoken, it's delicious.
Personally, I think you should go for it. Who cares if it helps you get laid, you should try to improve yourself for your own sake anyway.
InternationPlayboy
Crow
I just don't get the "improving yourself" value out of it unless you are going to implement it. When would you ever use calculus if you don't use it at work? It's not even fun. Learning a language is hard, but also mad rewarding and I find it fun to speak a second or third language with people. Learn guitar, do something that will be beneficial. It doesn't have to get you laid, it just has to be worth learning.
"... those who have a natural talent for calculation are generally quick-witted at every other kind of knowledge; and even the dull, if they have had an arithmetical training, although they may derive no other advantage from it, always become much quicker than they would have been."
Plato, The Republic
Noble pursuit by the OP. It is difficult for one to be considered intelligent if they aren't well versed or at least competent in mathematics.
Plato, The Republic
Noble pursuit by the OP. It is difficult for one to be considered intelligent if they aren't well versed or at least competent in mathematics.
pobreinvestidor
Sparrow
If you want to impress people with math skills, then just learn how to do multiplications and divisions reallz fast
RichieP said:
Beautifully said.
I am a tutor for technical subjects (Calculus, Physics, SAT) and Calculus is surprisingly my favorite subject to teach. It's just so damn fun! Funny considering I was one of the "dumb kids" (albiet in the highest-level math courses).
Try https://www.udemy.com/
They have several calculus courses, many of which are free. Definitely my #1 pick though used Khanacademy in the past.
Icarus
Ostrich
Ace said:
Consider learning Discrete Mathematics instead. Start with elementary Set Theory and Logic. Learn about set operations, ordered pairs, cartesian products, relations, functions, etc. Then learn some Combinatorics: problems that are easy to state, but sometimes very hard. Graph Theory, for example, can be a lot of fun.
InternetMarketer
Sparrow
Is anyone good at calculus on this forum? I urgently need help with some exams, I'll pay for help. Please PM me.
learn statistics instead, more practical
I am not big into all the online stuff. Does anyone have a recommendation to an introductory text on calculus? Preferably an easy read but also rigorous.
TigerMandingo said:
Calculus, by Michael Spivak.
Many consider Linear Algebra to be a more important subject than calculus. For that, I recommend Gilbert Strang's Linear Algebra and Its Applications.
In addition to their own merits, MIT OCW has courses which follow their material.
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