On Sat, 2 Dec 2017 17:04:10 -0500, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 12/2/2017 4:50 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 2 Dec 2017 15:26:37 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

Exactly the way I felt. Didn't remember him until I saw his picture. He was a great kid, but had a
bit of a hard time getting started.


I know the feeling well. Math always came hard for me for some reason
which was a major problem in my chosen occupation.

I always had trouble with algebra but geometry always made perfect
sense to me. I suppose that is why I took 2 geometry credits, one trig
and only one algebra.



It's funny. I had no problem grasping differential equations and
calculus when used in solving vacuum pumping calculations and doing
curve fit calcs (probability) for thin film deposition but they only
made sense because I understood what I was solving for. To just learn
how to do the math for no specific purpose was where I always had
difficulty mostly in high school. ET school in the Navy helped a lot,
because again, the calculations, vectoring, etc., had a purpose.


I took three semesters of Calculus and one of Advanced Calculus. I started to understand the first
semester's Calculus about halfway through the next semester. That continued clear through
differential equations.