How hard is calculus?

[Shubee]

Still I think the only serious way to help php is for those familiar with these standards to give him an idea of what he's in for, without equating cats and leopards.

Equating cats and leopards. That's a perfect analogy. The leopard will be more difficult to handle, but in trying to visualize a leopard after seeing a cat will be no great surprise.

[Qfwfq]

Suppose your kid just loves cats and has always taken excellent care of them, at the zoo he's insisting to be let into the leopard's cage 'cause he says it's really just a big cat. Would you agree to let him in, thinking he's in for no great surprise?

[Shubee]

Suppose your kid just loves cats and has always taken excellent care of them, at the zoo he's insisting to be let into the leopard's cage 'cause he says it's really just a big cat. Would you agree to let him in, thinking he's in for no great surprise?

I already agreed that a leopard is more difficult to manipulate. But that is true of everyone. My point was that trying to understand calculus after algebra is like trying to visualize a leopard after seeing a cat. Consequently, your analogy of putting a naive child in a cage with a leopard doesn't hold. Students that are competent in algebra aren't naive. They are very qualified to handle baby calculus.

[Qfwfq]

I already agreed that a leopard is more difficult to manipulate. But that is true of everyone. My point was that trying to understand calculus after algebra is like trying to visualize a leopard after seeing a cat. Consequently, your analogy of putting a naive child in a cage with a leopard doesn't hold. Students that are competent in algebra aren't naive. They are very qualified to handle baby calculus.

It was you that said perfect analogy and drew your own conclusions, differing from mine; it's like arguing whether the bottle is half full or half empty. There's no point insisting with this silly discussion, it doesn't help php so please cut it out.

[LaurieAG]

This was all in the USA, so unless the curiculums have changed drastically, this should apply.

 

Calculus 1 was Analytical Geometry and intro to Differentials. The geometry part was the hardest, I think, but no harder than trig in high school. Differentials were easy after I understood what they were all about. Using geometry to explain this stuff made it all "visual" and easy.

 

Calculus 2 was advanced Differentials and intro to Integration. Again, geometery was used to explain everything, and we learned that integration was the "converse" (or reverse) of differentiation. This was probably the easiest of all four semesters. :lol: I aced the final without even trying.

 

Calculus 3 saw the introduction of infinite series and other tricks. This became not so easy because I could not visualize what was going on. More memory work, and the problems got trickier. But I made an A.

 

Calculus 4 saw the introduction of lots of things like partial derivatives, Calculus on vectors, Calculus on surfaces, gradients, infinitesimals, residual error. Some of these topics were no harder than Calc-2, some of them were very difficult, but overall, Calc-4 was only a little harder than Calc-3. Calc-4 was the last of my "easy" math classes. From there and on into graduate school, math required lots of sweat and total dedication.

 

Hello Pyrotex,

 

In Australia, as referred by Jay-qu, we do (and did in the past) things a bit differently. From my experience in Queensland (before they dumbed down the syllabis and the dedicated maths teachers retired) we did Calc 1, Calc 2 and many parts of 3 and 4 in senior high school. The only real difference between high school Advanced Maths and the same maths covered at university was that the university subjects covered the complete derivation of proofs from first principles.

 

In answer to the question "how hard is calculus":-

 

If you can do multiple steps in your head and maintain an examination average of 95%+ you will find calculus easier than someone who does all the written steps and gets the same average (or better, in twice the time). If you are not in one of the above two groups you will probably find calculus hard.

[php111]

I minored in math in college -- and majored in physics. Fortunately, my high school algebra and trig grades were high enough that I did not have to take college algebra. This was all in the USA, so unless the curiculums have changed drastically, this should apply.

 

Calculus 1 was Analytical Geometry and intro to Differentials. The geometry part was the hardest, I think, but no harder than trig in high school. Differentials were easy after I understood what they were all about. Using geometry to explain this stuff made it all "visual" and easy.

 

Calculus 2 was advanced Differentials and intro to Integration. Again, geometery was used to explain everything, and we learned that integration was the "converse" (or reverse) of differentiation. This was probably the easiest of all four semesters. :lol: I aced the final without even trying.

 

Calculus 3 saw the introduction of infinite series and other tricks. This became not so easy because I could not visualize what was going on. More memory work, and the problems got trickier. But I made an A.

 

Calculus 4 saw the introduction of lots of things like partial derivatives, Calculus on vectors, Calculus on surfaces, gradients, infinitesimals, residual error. Some of these topics were no harder than Calc-2, some of them were very difficult, but overall, Calc-4 was only a little harder than Calc-3. Calc-4 was the last of my "easy" math classes. From there and on into graduate school, math required lots of sweat and total dedication.

 

Pyrotex,

 

What college did you go to for calc 1 through 4? Have you ever took the class called Differential Equations with Linear Algebra? How was that class? What it about? Have you ever took Analysis and Topology? What was in those classes? I know they require calc 3 before you take it.

[Jay-qu]

Pyrotex,

 

What college did you go to for calc 1 through 4? Have you ever took the class called Differential Equations with Linear Algebra? How was that class? What it about? Have you ever took Analysis and Topology? What was in those classes? I know they require calc 3 before you take it.

php, have you read the course outline for the uni/college you are applying at? I would think this kind of info would be institution specific for the most part.

[php111]

php, have you read the course outline for the uni/college you are applying at? I would think this kind of info would be institution specific for the most part.

 

 

Yes i have but it only gives me a brief description.

[Jay-qu]

Then did you try and contact someone for the university? because we can only give you so much information.