what topic scares you? (1 Viewer)

[Trebla]

Calculus rules, without the simpson rule and trapezoid rule.
(NB: spot the lame pun...)

Calculus is something that will be emphasised a lot in Year 11 and Year 12. Basically, it's finding the gradient of curves (differentiation, which you learn in year 11) and areas regarding curves (integration, which you learn in year 12).
Ever wondered how they worked out the surface area and volume of a sphere as well as the area of circle? That's where calculus comes in. According to my Year 11 teacher, calculus is "powerful" mathematics like algebra being a "powerful" way of solving some problems.

 

[pLuvia]

If your not sick of calculus you can always do more in uni

 

[airie]

It's not random, it's an actual rule

To answer your question calculus is a branch of maths that allows you to find the gradient of any point on a curve (differentiation) and the area under a curve, sounds wierd now but you'll see it actually works (integration) and also we can use Calculus in the physical world, i.e. find the maximum area a paddock can be. (Physical application of calculus)

With the Simpsons rule, it is a rule that you have to remember for integration, it's an estimation of the area under a curve, and you will also cross the Trapezoidal rule Another estimation of the area

Nothing hard about the Simpsons rule samuelblayden it's just

∫[b to a] x dx ~ h/3[f(a) + 4[f(x₁) + f(x₃+ .... + f(x_n-1)] + 2f(x₂) + f(x₄+ ... .+ f(x_n-2)] + f(b)]

Where h = (b-a)/n

Not hard to remember just have to realise that some text books expand the whole equation out making it confusing

*cough* ok i'm gonna sound real dumb, but you know what, when i saw 'simpsons rule' i though he was talking about the cartoon the simpsons and was saying that they rule! *ROFL* man, honestly, i can't believe myself sometimes!

EDIT: forgot to say thanx for both of you, sorry. too absorbed in the dumb scene i made

 

[klaw]

*cough* ok i'm gonna sound real dumb, but you know what, when i saw 'simpsons rule' i though he was talking about the cartoon the simpsons and was saying that they rule! *ROFL* man, honestly, i can't believe myself sometimes!

EDIT: forgot to say thanx for both of you, sorry. too absorbed in the dumb scene i made

bhahahahaha

 

[pLuvia]

*cough* ok i'm gonna sound real dumb, but you know what, when i saw 'simpsons rule' i though he was talking about the cartoon the simpsons and was saying that they rule! *ROFL* man, honestly, i can't believe myself sometimes!

EDIT: forgot to say thanx for both of you, sorry. too absorbed in the dumb scene i made

lol, not problem.

 

[Rax]

Noice, Got to love the Calculus. We just starting Integration next lesson but we have finished up a lot of 2 unit crap.....and yes for some reason 4U locus does seem a bit easier than 3 unit locus.
Crap I got a test on wednesday may do some study..........
I dont like probability never have and I doubt I ever will....i seem to stuff up fractions

 

[airie]

hmm...just remembered, actually, i think there's a way to find the volume of spheres without using calculus...by imagining to place a half-sphere in a cylinder plus an upside-down cone or something...but for the surface area, wow. i haven't known anyone talking about it without mentioning calculus

 

[Wackedupwacko]

because its much easier with calculus

 

[pLuvia]

It is very easy with calculus

 

[Riviet]

Did you know that the volume of a sphere is derived from integration? XD
Also an interesting application of integration is finding the volume of a donut, with all that rotating about the x/y axis, it's very cool to be able to find 3D curved areas hehe.

 

[airie]

Did you know that the volume of a sphere is derived from integration? XD
Also an interesting application of integration is finding the volume of a donut, with all that rotating about the x/y axis, it's very cool to be able to find 3D curved areas hehe.

cool @.@ whoa sounds quite interesting...hopefully i'd be able to understand it hehe. feeling so dumb now seeing my superficial knowledge...

 

[Wackedupwacko]

isnt the sphere also from calculus?
i mean honestly past the general shapes in 3D (ie cubes, prism,pyramids, spheres uno waht im on about) you will struggle to get anywhere without calculus...

eg. try and work out the volume of an eclipes (all i nteh first quad) rotated along the line y= x now you see where calculus comes in handy?

 

[pLuvia]

Yes it is, it is indeed

 

[bananasmoothy]

But it is still good to learn how to do questions without calculus, because there is the chance that you'll get a question with "without using calculus" tacked onto the end...

 

[pLuvia]

Is there something like that? I'm not sure

 

[bananasmoothy]

I've seen a few, but can't remember exactly where... always useful.
Anyway, it was like, "sketch ----- without using calculus" ... and it might've been a four-unit question, actually...

EDIT: Just found some questions on this, actually... and it IS maths ext. 2 stuff... would you like me to post these up in the four-unit forum?

 

[pLuvia]

Just use polynomials etc etc

 

[bananasmoothy]

Mmmm basically. Not that hard - but some people become dependant on calculus 'cause it's so easy, and so forget other methods...

 

[pLuvia]

Yeh, and there's also trial and error but you can also use Approximation rules, Newtons and bisection method which is polynomials

 

[bananasmoothy]

Yup, and asymptotes always help...

Apparently, some schools don't even learn asymptotes 'cause the teachers' don't know how to do them. That would suck. Majorly.