## KonradZuse 4 years ago What is the horror known as Calculus actually used for?

1. anonymous

Since I'm done with Calc 2 now I still am curious what exactly I can use this for... I'm a Computer Science major and I'm curious what exactly I could do.

haha yeah Cliff, you should have been here during the summer :P

4. UnkleRhaukus

curves

5. anonymous

Say horror one more time o calculus and 1 life will be "removed" . (kidding...)

6. anonymous

IT wasn't that bad, I really enjoyed calc 2 when I got the help I needed to understand it fully.

calc 1 completely konfused me....

9. anonymous

Alright, friend, I'll answer your question with some rigor. Give me a short while.

10. anonymous

Calc 1 is easy O_o .

11. anonymous

It's general purpose is to model phenomena that undergo continuous changes, or to model discrete changes as continuous to simplify solutions.

I took both calcs online, calc 1 while I was working like 60+ hour weeks...

Calc 2 I learned a lot from the people on here.

What I want to know is wtf is taught in Calc 4 and 5?> LOL....

@experimentX @TuringTest @lgbasallote iggy @Outkast3r09

16. experimentX

what topics have you learned so far? are you still in school/university?

Experiment you should know what I learned you were with me :P

18. anonymous

Calc 3 is mostly 3-dimensional vectors from what I remember, then there's differential equations, partial differential equations, mathematical modelling . . .

I heard about diff eq :)

A lot of it has to do with area from what I remember.

21. anonymous

Differential equations is a class that simply teaches you many ways of solving a differential equations.. it's used for such things as population growth, decay, finding rates of change

shell method and such

23. experimentX

you were doing basics ... probably you are still in high school/or first year of university

24. anonymous

Diff Eq is more of a how to solve the same problem different ways

26. experimentX

http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/ here you get to know about calculus

28. anonymous

"Calculus" is a very broad term that I have seen with reference to all analytical maths. This includes complex analysis, real analysis, and even abstract algebra. Abstract algebra is a useful way of determining exactly how to perform operations like multiplication and division in very extreme circumstances, like as applied to quantum mechanics and our understanding of atomic (and subatomic) theory. The analysis branches, from real analysis to complex analysis, help us engineer virtually everything. Risk assessment with financial investment is done with real analysis. Engineering approximations with series is done with real analysis. Materials science is done with complex analysis. Relativity is done with complex analysis. Etcetera, etcetera. But this is all analysis. Let's use "calculus" in its narrower conception. It is the study of quantitative change. It might seem obvious to you that numbers like $$\pi$$ exist, or $$e$$, both numbers incredibly important for things like engineering, science, finance, etc. But it's questionable whether they do actually exist. They're irrational numbers. They can't be expressed as a fraction $$\frac ab\mid\forall b\neq0$$. For people at the time, grasping the concept of an irrational was much like grasping imaginaries today. How can we know they exist? What does it mean for something to exist in between fractions? To definitively prove that $$\pi$$ and $$e$$ exist, we need to use calculus, because they are both directly related to rates of change. Like a ratio (fraction), but with less of a defined boundary. $$e$$ for instance is a number whose rate of change is itself. That cannot be defined as a fraction. But it's used in virtually all electrical engineering (Fourier transforms are proved with concepts like $$e$$). And I'd say electricity is pretty important. Calculus many would argue is the first real math class a person takes. Everything before it is "common sense". I guess this makes math difficult to access, but it's a unfortunate property of the field. It gets much easier as you go along, though; like learning a language.

29. anonymous

Correction to my previous post. Relativity is not done with complex analysis. Field and gauge theories are. Be on your way.

Experiment is a meany poo poo head :P

31. experimentX

On these three you learn (probably first/second year of university) 1. Single variable calculus 2. Multivariable calculus/ Vector calculus 3. Differential equations (<--- this can be quite difficult) I had Partial Differential equations/Complex Variables Analysis/ A bit of differential geometry on my final year.

Yeah I've heard of some funky math classes... Glad I don't have to take em, nor care to :P.

I've heard of multi variable calc, wouldn't that just be like calc 2/3? x/y and/or z?

I heard the only thing calc 3 adds is a z coordinate.

35. experimentX

+ Revision of all what i learned in previous year PDE I encountered in Math was quite different PDE i had in Physics.

36. anonymous

Yes and no. You learn to operate imaginary numbers. You also learn to integrate along surfaces and other coordinate systems.

ic.

38. anonymous

@experimentX I'm surprised you've encountered PDE's in any great amount, unless you're already in graduate school.

PDE?

40. anonymous

Partial differential equations.

yeah ew.

42. experimentX

I'm half way though Grad school in physics. I tried to earn extra math degree in undergrad but failed in Analysis II and Algebra II

Algebra II hehe noob. :p

44. anonymous

Outstanding. :) Do you have a research focus?

Astro Physics...

46. anonymous

I'm looking at grad schools, haha.

No moar school 4 me

That's for people who want to pay loans back forever :P

49. anonymous

Or go to community college, get a 4.0, go to a state college with a full scholarship, get 4.0's again and a 35+ on GRE's, and then get into grad school with a fellowship.

yes :)

51. anonymous

I admit, the last two are difficult. The first is easy, though.

:) :p

All this posting and I'm still lebft konfused :)

gtg now tho thanks

55. zzr0ck3r

the simples answer that should not confuse you is........."everything you can think of"

56. zzr0ck3r

If time is chaning and you want to talk about anything that is in that time, then you need the calculus:)

57. experimentX

@badreferences not really ... I lagged behind seriously so I'm still learning. We generally have thesis after second year. I still have time to think of. probably by then I hope i'll find something.

58. experimentX

probably i'll appear these two exams this year. I hope I'll pass this time.

59. Hero

For the answer to this, watch the following online video: http://www.montereyinstitute.org/courses/Introductory%20Calculus%20I/course%20files/multimedia/unit1intro/Container.html

60. Hero

It's kinda old-school, but it delivers

61. anonymous

"Hard to be a physics major at Rice University if you have flunked calculus." -Elizabeth Moon