Is Calculus in community college easy? Should I take it at a community college for aerospace engineering?
S Calculus in community college easy? Should I take it at a community college for aerospace engineering? People been saying that Calculus in college is way hard than in high school. Unfortunately, my high school doesn't offer calculus, so it looks like I'm going to be taking it in college. Should I take it at a community college then transfer or wait and take it at the university? I'm scared because many have said the calculus is really hard and that the college level goes way faster. I wish I could take it in high school so I could be more prepared, but I guess some people are just going to have to work harder than others, huh? Which is better? Will pre-cal help me with calculus? Also, is it wise to take calculus at a community college and then take it at the desired university? Additional information: I would like to be a Aerospace Engineer and would like to go to maybe Boston University or Texas A&M. I am thinking about taking classes at Houston Community College then transferring over. Please someone help me, I'm so confused!
What kind of math should you take in the first year of college?
In addition to what others are saying about your major it also depends on your current knowledge and ability. If you've had strong preparation in high school starting at calculus can be entirely reasonable. However, if you've only had one or two algebra classes then calculus is not reasonable. The college should be able to recommend what is appropriate for you based on you SAT/ACT score. Community colleges will often administer an aptitude test to help place their students.
College Algebra or Pre calculus for freshman year in high school?
It depends on you, and also how many years of math your high school has. Take a look at the Pre-Calculus book and see if you get the concepts, if you can do the work. Some kids are good at certain types of math, but not good at others. You might be good at Calculus, or you may not. Better to make an informed decision. You'll want to take 4 years of math in high school to be competitive for admission to a top college. If you take Pre-Calc as a Freshman, then you can take AP Calculus AB in 10th, AP Calculus BC in 11th and Multivariable Calculus & Differential Equations in 12th, if your high school offers that, that's what my son's private school offers. But, some schools don't offer much past basic Calculus, so then you'd have to take something like AP Statistics, which is a class you can take after Algebra 2. So see if being on the more advanced track is really worth it. Good luck with your decision!
What courses do you take in the first 2 years of college?
Generally the Gen-Ed (GE) requirements are broken down something like this: Laboratory Science (w/ Lab) [Biology, Chemistry, Astronomy, Physics]: 2 classes English [Composition, Writing, Rhetoric, etc...]: 2 Classes Communications [Public Speaking]: 1 Class Social Science [Psychology, Economics, Government, Anthropology, Sociology, etc...]: 2-3 classes (at least 2) Humanities and Fine Arts [Art, History, Dance, Theater, Music, etc...]: 2-3 classes (at least 2) Math [Math, or Statistics]: 1 class (but maybe more if you do not qualify for the required course, which is generally college algebra or higher; also note that different majors require different levels of math: ie Biology needs more than Philosophy) Those are generally what you are doing for your first 2 years, but you are still taking some classes from your major.
Should I take Calculus 2 or Calculus 3?
I'm going to be a freshman in college and a declared math major (with also a double in economics). I took AP Calculus this past year and had a mid-high 90 in the class and also took the BC exam in May. I did well on the exam and now understand the McLaurin and Taylor Series as well as the Parametric equations and Infinite Series a little better. I only have 2 weeks until classes start for me and was wondering if it would be too hard to start in Calc 3? I'm really strong in mathematics and think it wouldn't be worth taking a class where I already know everything that's being taught. Also do you feel Calc 2 is harder than Calc 3? I have heard mixed reviews on this. Anyways, any opinions would be great. Thanks a lot for your time.
Anyone taking or that has taken college calculus lab?
If you guys use the maple 11 program for your calculus lab can you tell me if I should get the program for a year for $30, or the whole package forever for like $65 or $75, or if I should get it @ all? I don't know if I will need for other math classes or not. By the way I'm a chemistry major so I'm not sure if I'll be taking a bunch of math classes or not.
Should i go right into calculus right after college algebra?
Precalculus is just a name for College Algebra and Trigonometry. For example, my friend goes to a different college than I do. The prerequisite for calculus there is College Algebra and College Trigonometry. However, here at my college, the pre-reqs are Precalc 1 and precalc 2. I've taken precalc 1 already and it's college algebra. Exactly the same. Logarithms, rational functions, matricies, exponential functions, domain and ranges, series & sequences, induction, graphing, etc. Same exact stuff my friend did. This quarter, I am taking precalc2 (aka college trigonometry). Same exact as my friend's class too. Graphing trig functions, applications, trig identities, law of sines, cosines, conics, vectors, etc. So, to answer your question. You should take a trig class first as you will supposedly need it for calculus.
Is it better to go through one whole high school year of calculus or one semester of college calculus?
Just because you take calculus in high school, doesn't mean that you won't be taking it in college as well. It all depends if it's an AP class, and if the college or university feels that class is an adequate equivalent to their calc course. They might make you take a math placement exam, which could place you back in to calc I class (or lower, depending on your score). High school math is a bit weird in structure after algebra II. It's dependent on the school district and the course material isn't meant to be college equivalent or as a replacement. I believe this is the reason AP class system was developed for HS, so the course work would closely model the college course work, and thus possibly qualify as a transfer credit. From what I've been told, it's not a guarantee. That said, if you plan to attend a university (instead of a smaller 2 year college for later transfer), I would recommend taking the calc course in HS and then taking it again in college. The first year is always the most difficult for students at university, so it might be a good idea to have a familiar class to help ease with that transition period. There will probably be some differences between the two classes anyway. In my calc I class in college, about a 3rd of the students in my class had already taken calc in HS. The scary thing, was that they weren't passing with flying colors either. I personally didn't think the class was that difficult. If you're looking to get credits out of the way before attending university, you might want to try the community college route (take a class there while you're still in HS), or take the calc CLEP test right after finishing that HS calc course. Though that seems overkill for just one course. If you have a university in your town/city, I would make an appointment with the math department to discuss this matter. Universities tend to be decentralized in their structure, so you'll need to find the math college (or whatever college the math department belongs to) and setup an appointment with an adviser. You don't need to be a student, or even registered, to make this appointment. Even if it's not the university you plan to attend, you'll still get a better idea of how to go about this.
Is freshmen year of college really the hardest?
hell yeah.... I had to take bio, bio lab, chemistry, chem lab, calculus and english my first semester and could barely breathe. Take it easy your first semester so as to get acclimated to college life. There's lots of freedom therefore lots of distraction so use breaks between class wisely so you can go out at night or whenever your works done. Hope this helps.
What will colleges think if I take Multivariable Calculus in freshman year of high school?
A few issues to keep in mind:First of all, calculus is very much based on earlier math classes, such as algebra, trigonometry, and precalculus (such as limits). You need to make sure that you are very solid in these subjects before you take calculus, which you take before you take multivariate calculus.If you are good at math, then it is very likely that you will end up in a field where calculus is used a LOT. As such, you need to make sure that you are very solid in it, and in its prerequisites.If you take multivariate calculus as a freshman in high school and do badly, then you will have set yourself back considerably. Even a B would be unfortunate, since this likely to be material that you need to know well and that you could have handled better in a year or two or three.If you take multivariate calculus as a freshman in high school and do well, then you are going to run out of math classes to take in high school.Clearly top ranked universities are looking for a lot more than just students who take hard classes and do well. Top ranked universities are also aware of very smart students who try to jump ahead and run into trouble, as well as very smart students who take classes at their proper pace and get solid A’s and A+’s.I would be inclined to wait a bit, and make sure that you are very solid in the prerequisites.