My weblog ELECTRON BLUE, which concentrated on science and mathematics, ran from 2004-2008. It is no longer being updated. My current blog, which is more art-related, is here.

Fri, 06 Oct, 2006

Calculus Review Panic, episode 2

I have now spent more than four months on learning about limits and instantaneous velocities. Yet when I returned to the sets of problems that I had already done (in August) I found that I had forgotten how to do them. This was dismaying, but not unfamiliar. I doubt whether I could solve any of the trigonometric identity problems I solved back in 2004, let alone the logarithm problems I struggled over later that year. And if I were called upon to do one of those sliding block problems in first year physics, I couldn't work it right away. I'd have to look back at my notes and the relevant text in the book before I could solve it.

As a solitary learner, I don't know whether this is typical or whether I am just, well, dim. I found pencilled notes in my calculus textbook from a couple of months ago, that made no sense to me now. In fact, one of them was completely wrong, a result of mistaking one problem for another, and I had to erase it. I patiently went over the instructional chapter again on finding limits for various kinds of functions. "Divide the numerator and denominator by the highest power of x that occurs," says author Anton helpfully. Then set x to zero, or find out what would make the various denominators go to that forbidden zero. Somewhere in that process, a limit emerges.

These are techniques that are still new to me. I guess I will have to do these calculations many, many times before they become familiar. They are mechanical and remind me of clockwork, or a mathematical crank that I can turn as long as I have the right handle or key. It has a kind of Enlightenment early-industrial feel to it, just like the seventeenth century era in which calculus was born. I will have to turn a lot of wheels before I can make this engine work.

Posted at 3:01 am | link


Why the Title?
About the Author
What this blog is about: the first post
Email: volcannah@yahoo.com
Pyracantha Main Page

RSS Version

Archives:

November 2014 (4)
October 2014 (16)
September 2008 (5)
August 2008 (5)
July 2008 (7)
June 2008 (4)
May 2008 (6)
April 2008 (5)
March 2008 (8)
February 2008 (9)
January 2008 (8)
December 2007 (9)
November 2007 (9)
October 2007 (1)
September 2007 (7)
August 2007 (6)
July 2007 (10)
June 2007 (7)
May 2007 (10)
April 2007 (7)
March 2007 (11)
February 2007 (10)
January 2007 (6)
December 2006 (9)
November 2006 (9)
October 2006 (8)
September 2006 (8)
August 2006 (10)
July 2006 (9)
June 2006 (10)
May 2006 (10)
April 2006 (8)
March 2006 (12)
February 2006 (10)
January 2006 (11)
December 2005 (11)
November 2005 (9)
October 2005 (10)
September 2005 (10)
August 2005 (12)
July 2005 (9)
June 2005 (10)
May 2005 (8)
April 2005 (7)
March 2005 (8)
February 2005 (9)
January 2005 (7)
December 2004 (7)
November 2004 (7)
October 2004 (8)
September 2004 (5)
August 2004 (9)
July 2004 (9)
June 2004 (8)
May 2004 (6)
April 2004 (13)
March 2004 (12)
February 2004 (13)

Science

Cosmic Variance
Life as a Physicist
Cocktail Party Physics
Bad Astronomy
Asymptotia
Jennifer Saylor
Thus Spake Zuska

Listed on Blogwise