Just how much math have you learned?

[Kodiak]

I have a BSME in Mechanical Engineering and went all the way through Ordinary Differential Equations, Partial Differentials, and a class on "Math for Engineering Analysis".

[Metatwaddle]

I am completing a physics degree. So far I've learned some ordinary differential equations and linear algebra. I've had trouble with my last couple of math classes, so I'm not sure I'll go on to partial differential equations.

[starslayer]

So far, just through integral calculus. Next quarter I start the real math sequence for physics majors: ODEs, linear algebra, real and complex analysis, Fourier analysis, PDEs, tensors (basic), and God knows how many other topics... packed into three classes, so one per quarter. Oh my, is that going to be fun... [/sarcasm]

And Metatwaddle, you can get a physics degree without PDEs?

[Metatwaddle]

Technically, you only have to take ODEs and linear algebra. I'm not sure if it would be beneficial for me to have PDEs for some of my classes though - a lot of people do take that class.

[starslayer]

PDEs are used motherfucking everywhere in physics. Surely you've seen the three-dimensional Schrodinger equation, or some other form of the wave equation (EM waves, maybe)? That's the classic PDE. What are you looking to do with the degree?

[Metatwaddle]

I've seen the three-dimensional Schrodinger equation, yes - but it was simple enough and the professor was competent enough that I didn't need an entire semester on PDEs to understand how to deal with it. And I have no idea what I'm doing when I get out of college. I have a year and a half until I need to deal with that.

[spaceviking]

I took Calculus in highschool, though I think the highest that i was actually good at was Trig, though for the life of me I cant remember anything i learned.

[Magus]

Calc AB ~= Calculus I = differential calculus. If you're serious about developing software, though, I'd suggest you take some probability and linear algebra if you can.

I've had some probability as the situation called for it - most of my programming is either extremely low-level stuff, like audio microcontrollers, or extremely high-level stuff such as server-side scripting for the web. I haven't really run across any linear algebra in either type of application as of yet.

[Uraniun235]

I got up to integral calculus while I was still at Oregon State learning that I didn't want to do computer science. I've since forgotten a great deal of it, though.

[starslayer]

I've seen the three-dimensional Schrodinger equation, yes - but it was simple enough and the professor was competent enough that I didn't need an entire semester on PDEs to understand how to deal with it. And I have no idea what I'm doing when I get out of college. I have a year and a half until I need to deal with that.

I'd still take it, but that's just me (anyways, I have to to get my degree). You're right in that most ones you see during undergrad are pretty simple so far as they go, but if you take something like advanced quantum or fluid dynamics, they'll get much harder, IIRC (fluids especially).

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

I would personally think PDEs are essential, but some universities may or may not assign serious classes for it. PDEs are also found in mechanics, particularly in explaining anything to do with oscillations.

On the other hand, I did a double in Physics and Math, but I never got a hang of doing proofs and as a result stayed far away from classes that did proofs too much after getting burnt in a few classes. On the other hand, I did applied math classes like Fourier analysis, Asymptotic analysis, Complex Analysis etc.

Yes, I'm a lousy Math major. Physics on the other hand was more my cup of tea.

Though... where do I vote though?

[dragon]

Have a B.S. in Mathematics with a minor in Physics along with three years of Aeropspace Engineering. So while I have a lot of the book learning for the math I don't have much pratical experience with it. I am good with physics as long as you leave the math out of it

[Terralthra]

Partial degree in Computer Engineering, with all the math that implies. I've forgotten a decent amount of it, but I can do up through differential and integral calculus without really thinking about it.

[Ace Pace]

Pretty good high school math (Integral and differantial, trig, some trig functions) but it's in the wrong language for the internet. Still keep it in shape in preparation for doing some university level stuff.

[Grog]

I'm getting a math degree.

Real and complex analysis, measure theory, differential equations, topology, fourier analysis, linear algebra, algebraic geometry, differential geometry, combinatorics, some statistics and probability and numeric analysis. Probably something more.

[Count Chocula]

First two years in college on the Engineering track: 1 year calc-based physics, 1-1/2 years of calculus up to and including partial differentials and triple integrals. I was going to take matrix algebra post-calc but life got in the way. Living in San Diego (where I got my degree) was too damn expensive for me to transition to day classes, and at the time no California university within 100 miles offered Engineering curricula after 5PM. I wound up with a Business degree and I've lost most of the math I learned. Bah.

[Coyote]

Painfully struggled through the minimum required years of High School algebra --in the bonehead division-- then brushed up on it again with the minimum required semester of, basically, "Math for Art Majors" in college. I kinda wished I'd tried something like geometry (and may yet take an evening course if I can find one).

I don't know if it was my learning or their teaching (maybe a bit of both, my mom tells me she she remembered how I struggled and felt most of my math teachers were bozos) but I got to the point where I can manage my finances well and stopped there. An 800+ credit rating, so I guess I did pretty well in that respects.

[Sriad]

Calculus II. If I knock the rust off I can do all the important things on a Cartesian Plane, but I am utterly helpless in three dimensions.

[Tsyroc]

Both of my degrees end in "Arts" so my highest math class was College Algebra.

Better still I took it self paced. Parts 1 & 2 I completed in 1988. Part 3 I completed in 1994.

So it shouldn't be hard to figure out that I don't remember much in the way of even high school level algebra other than some basic bits and pieces. I do use some math in my job but it's pretty simple multiplication, division, percentages etc...

In some of the math question threads recently I was doing one of these when read some of the questions and then saw things that I had completely forgotten existed. It was somewhat frightening and funny at the same time.


Anyway, let me just say to anyone who is thinking there might even be an outside chance that they are interested in a career or degree that requires a lot of math, make sure that you don't stop taking math. Math classes build on each other and if you think that you are going to have to take some higher math make sure you keep in practice. It is a pain in the ass to go back and try to pull things together after being away from it.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

B.Sc. Computer Engineering here. Which meant taking the best of computer science and electrical engineering, throwing them into a blender, and then hanging on for dear life. For that, I had to complete the full three semester sequence of calculus for engineers and scientists (all the way up to vectors, multi-variable functions, partial derivatives, multiple integrals and other such goodness.) I also took applied ordinary differential equations, linear algebra, discrete mathematics, and a course on statistics and probability as applied to engineering.

[Solauren]

Let's see...

Grade 13 Trig, Grade 12 Calculus (forgotten), and Grade 12 Business Mathematics (whatever that would be called). All Introduction to Business Mathematics in College (or as I called it, Grade 11 math, version 2)

All largely forgotten. Haven't used them in 12+ years, but I could probably relearn it and work out of a textbook if I needed to.

[NoXion]

Arithmatic, and perhaps a bit of algebra. I'd really like to learn more however.

[Spin Echo]

PhD in physics. To be honest, I don't feel like I remember as much of the math I learned as I should. I took differential equations when I was 15 and then I didn't have an opportunity to take any higher math courses until university 3 years later. By that point, my math was rather rusty. I could do the math I needed for other courses, but I felt a little intimidated about going up against other student in pure math classes who had the material fresh in their minds. I wish we had lived nearer to a large university so I could have kept up going with math classes throughout high school.

[Gil Hamilton]

Soon I'll have completed my BS in Chemistry with a Mathematics minor, so I'll have been through to Calc III, linear algebra, and statistics. Sadly, I couldn't take the diffy-Q class I wanted, since my scheduling for chemistry kind of nixed it. However, I will be taking it and a formal multivariate calculus class in grad school if I can help it. Of course, I'm getting differential equations out the ass in physical chemistry anyway.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

PhD in physics. To be honest, I don't feel like I remember as much of the math I learned as I should. I took differential equations when I was 15 and then I didn't have an opportunity to take any higher math courses until university 3 years later. By that point, my math was rather rusty. I could do the math I needed for other courses, but I felt a little intimidated about going up against other student in pure math classes who had the material fresh in their minds. I wish we had lived nearer to a large university so I could have kept up going with math classes throughout high school.

You are an experimentalist?