For those who made it through Algebra: The next step

I didn't care much for Algebra... When I got to Trigonometry I couldn't believe that they actually needed to teach it - it was all second nature. I was astounded that there were students that didn't understand it - it's just so obvious.

@jim-in-az same with me.

geometry and trigonometry just made sense to meƒ??pictures.

Algebra was baffling?ÿ

thanks for the interesting dive, I'm studying for the FS, and this was a nice deflector for my frustrations and pain with the assinine nature of some of the questions I am seeing for my review.

Algebra was never that bad for me; I tended to look at it as a shell game, moving things around to find the ball (answer).?ÿ Calculus is where things got legitimately difficult mostly because I didn't find it to be very intuitive.

Posted by: @bstrand

Calculus is where things got legitimately difficult mostly because I didn't find it to be very intuitive.

Calculus is not intuitive and by far the worst part of college for me.?ÿ None of the professors spoke English as a first language which made a difficult subject worse.?ÿ Finally at about Calculus III, the chairman of the math department walks in as the teacher, wearing bluejeans and cowboy boots and spoke in a good clear mountain drawl that I could understand.?ÿ That was the easiest semester for me.

Math is not my friend...I need all the help I can get

Thanks for sharing! I do much better with pictures and this helped. I'm going to save the link and watch it later.

Algebra was meh, for me

Trig and geometry are easiest concepts for me to grasp...and yeah...calculus is awful.

Finally got a strong grip on calculus two years after taking the last class.?ÿ Had to take a class on electronic circuits and controls.?ÿ The instructor was a plain spoken, down to Earth, locally-grown fellow.?ÿ By the end of that class I was doing great with tossing around differential equations.?ÿ Somehow, he made it all become clear.?ÿ That never happened in the four semesters of calculus I was required to complete.

I learned the first concepts of algebra by borrowing an older kid's book on the school bus out of curiosity for what algebra was. At that time I don't think they started introducing the concepts in lower grades.

After that there were only a few rules about keeping both sides equal, and a lot of various situations to apply those rules.

The concepts of basic calculus were obvious. The implementations sometimes got difficult, but with diligence I got A's.

What was not obvious was differential equations, because often there was no procedure to find the answer. You had to "somehow" find an answer and show that it checked.

Algebra=most useless math class ever, hands down.?ÿ Never used one part of it outside of the classroom.?ÿ I don't hate much, but I have a special hate for algebra.

This post ain't for Old Farts, it's for newbies currently in Algebra awaiting "the next step". ?????ÿ

Algebra is the 'glue' that allows Trig to work, (think about the functions) and the application of new terminology and symbols in calculus are just combined phrases and sentences using algebra and trig.

I avoided taking Calculus as a premed brat and now will have to take it to get my ABET degree requirements met.?ÿ?ÿ

when I worked with gravity I started seeing the importance of integration etc so I poke around a bit there and learned a few things.

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I don't get the disdain for algebra...it's literally everywhere in daily life. My brother-in-law hates on algebra. He's a software engineer and coder who makes use of it all the time. Doesn't make sense to me.

Analyzing finances. Determining how much of an ingredient is needed for a recipe given other amounts on hand. Estimating building materials (and prices) for a given space/function. Dialing in sprocket size by gear ratios for bicycles/motorcycles. Figuring out what length of board gives me the most bang for my buck for a particular home project.

Proportioning a boundary line is algebra. Adjusting a vertical curve in the field. COGO often makes use of algebra. Linear algebra for best fit lines and 3D analysis. The list goes on...it's just problem solving, which is rarely taught in formal education, outside of mathematics classes.

@rover83?ÿ

Me either, and I actually liked it. I went to parochial school and we started beginner algebra in the 7th grade. ?????ÿ

I believe it was in the Eighth Grade when my teacher introduced me to algebra and logarithms so as to keep me challenged while my classmates were still mastering the basics.?ÿ I had a ton of fun working through the little puzzles that are the meat and potatoes of algebra.?ÿ We all do algebra all the time whether we realize it or not.

Posted by: @holy-cow

We all do algebra all the time whether we realize it or not.

Not where I live. Prior to idiot proof cash registers have you ever watched a cashier try and figure out sales tax on $1? ?????ÿ

Hey, Dude.?ÿ Help me out.?ÿ I snuck this $100 bill out of my roommate's wallet when he wasn't looking.?ÿ I need to put $30 worth of gas in my cousin's old beater.?ÿ How much good stuff can I buy at the dispensary??ÿ Like, when would it be gone?

@holy-cow?ÿ