Focus in Core Curriculum

[trs4ece]

I'm a computer engineering major and have a strong interest in electronics, computers and making things. Unfortunately I've been spinning out repeatedly in my core classes like "Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems (Math 303)" and "Electricity, Magentism and Optics (Physics 255)"

Now the physics I can kinda deal with since I can see how the various chapters would directly help me in my major but the math class is a killer. I can't remember ever having a more abstract and complicated math class before. I'm not majoring in math, the subject just doesn't interest me but I need the class to go on to my other engineering classes.

So the problem is that I find this class so intensely boring and complicated that when I crack the book and get through about 1.5 pages I suddenly find myself completely sapped of energy and could easily take a 20 minute nap. My eyes glaze over and I just feel like bashing my head against my desk repeatedly. I need to pass this class or I'll never graduate but because of the battle I'm having to fight with myself to digest the material it's taking me at least 10x longer to learn the material than it does to learn other material.

I've tried "tricking" myself into finding it interesting because it will help me move on to more interesting classes but my brain just won't buy it. Ugh, I just now looked at the book and seriously felt my energy start draining again.

What can I do to efficiently learn this material that I find to be so dull, complicated and yet so critical to my major?

[cdn2wheeler]

Oh, man, can I EVER relate to this. Same thing happened to me when I was studying calculus (the mathematics stuff, not the goop on one's teeth). Try as I might, I just could not get a grip on what the profs and books were trying to tell me; it was just too abstract for my highly-left-brained head to handle.

Now, I didn't have any luck with it at all, so all I can tell you is what I did as a warning, not as a suggestion:

I worked my farking tail off trying to understand it, but I didn't use the resources that were available to me. I tried to do it alone, white-knuckling and gritting my teeth through it.

Bad idea. At least for me.

I should have somehow hooked up with a study group, or created one, to use the brains of others as well as mine.

[Rose of Cairo]

I second that: learn together with other people. Solve the problems with them, meet regularly to discuss the exercises, talk about it a lot together, that will give you many many ideas and keep you interested. But don't choose people as bored as you are by the matter, even though it might be pleasant to find like-minded people... Take people who are passionate about such things and good at it. They will pull you.

I find abstract mathematics sexy and fun, but it's just me...

[12357]

Originally Posted by trs4ece

I'm a computer engineering major and have a strong interest in electronics, computers and making things. Unfortunately I've been spinning out repeatedly in my core classes like "Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems (Math 303)" and "Electricity, Magentism and Optics (Physics 255)"

Now the physics I can kinda deal with since I can see how the various chapters would directly help me in my major but the math class is a killer. I can't remember ever having a more abstract and complicated math class before. I'm not majoring in math, the subject just doesn't interest me but I need the class to go on to my other engineering classes.

So the problem is that I find this class so intensely boring and complicated that when I crack the book and get through about 1.5 pages I suddenly find myself completely sapped of energy and could easily take a 20 minute nap. My eyes glaze over and I just feel like bashing my head against my desk repeatedly. I need to pass this class or I'll never graduate but because of the battle I'm having to fight with myself to digest the material it's taking me at least 10x longer to learn the material than it does to learn other material.

I've tried "tricking" myself into finding it interesting because it will help me move on to more interesting classes but my brain just won't buy it. Ugh, I just now looked at the book and seriously felt my energy start draining again.

What can I do to efficiently learn this material that I find to be so dull, complicated and yet so critical to my major?

If you truly want to master this, you need to understand the logic behind the math. If you're having trouble grasping the concepts, you might have a somewhat limiting mathematical foundation. Since math is cumulative, a few holes here and there can really inhibit your understanding of higher level math.

If you do not understand every simple building block that builds up something complex, it's hard for to grasp the complex stuff, and if you're busted after reading 1,5 pages it might be a good idea to review the foundations that this subject builds on before you try to tacle it.

Good luck!

[Rose of Cairo]

hey, 12357, I like your nick! but why the 1?

[12357]

Originally Posted by Rose of Cairo

hey, 12357, I like your nick! but why the 1?

hehehe, I know, the 1 does not fit in there, but it sounds better than 2357

[trs4ece]

Originally Posted by 12357

If you truly want to master this, you need to understand the logic behind the math. If you're having trouble grasping the concepts, you might have a somewhat limiting mathematical foundation. Since math is cumulative, a few holes here and there can really inhibit your understanding of higher level math.

If you do not understand every simple building block that builds up something complex, it's hard for to grasp the complex stuff, and if you're busted after reading 1,5 pages it might be a good idea to review the foundations that this subject builds on before you try to tacle it.

Good luck!

Yeah, I have a feeling that this may be the culprit. I've experienced the energy sapping before with other classes and the problem was frequently lessened if I understood the base material. Probably why the first sections of a class are o-kay but then the later sections are murder. An example of thoughts as I've been studying tonight are, "phi of t equals P of t times x... wait, what the heck is P? *skims back through section* omg P's not even defined--how retarded is that. oh well, ignoring that let's keep going... okay, so now this equation is equal to sqrt(2)cos(t)+sqrt(2)sin(t)... wait, why? what the heck they just skipped over like 20 steps... ugh, this sucks I quit."

[12357]

Originally Posted by trs4ece

Yeah, I have a feeling that this may be the culprit. I've experienced the energy sapping before with other classes and the problem was frequently lessened if I understood the base material. Probably why the first sections of a class are o-kay but then the later sections are murder. An example of thoughts as I've been studying tonight are, "phi of t equals P of t times x... wait, what the heck is P? *skims back through section* omg P's not even defined--how retarded is that. oh well, ignoring that let's keep going... okay, so now this equation is equal to sqrt(2)cos(t)+sqrt(2)sin(t)... wait, why? what the heck they just skipped over like 20 steps... ugh, this sucks I quit."

Here is a tip that might benefit you: Make a list of all the variables/concepts you don't have in memory and/or don't understand completely and look them up in the books and analyze them. Then make a list of them and make a solid effort to memorize every one of them, what they mean, what they imply, the logic behind them and so on.

Of course this subject is going to be hard if you have to check a lot of things in every proof When you can read everything and know what it implies instantly, this is gonna be a blast. (this is kind of like learning how to read, it's pretty difficult in the beginning since you have to focus on both the meaning of the letters and the words and sentences they build up, but once you know the letters good enough you don't even think about it any more and reading becomes second nature.)

oh well, ignoring that let's keep going..

Remember: Math is cumulative, ignore one thing, and a lot of stuff is gonna be hard to grasp

Get those fundamentals commited to memory and you'll blast through this math class