what is your highest level of math reached?

[Rot 911]

Calc 2 and statistics. Never really used either one as I ended up an attorney.

[stevej37]

[Bill Douglas]

51 out of 100. Back in the day that was a pass.

Funny thing is I can do maths in my head better than most can do it on paper. It must have been growing up with maths cubes which were wooden blocks coloured different colours for lengths and numbers.

[dw1]

Originally Posted by zakthor

Come on some jerk's gotta pick the 'good will hunting' answer.

That kind of "math" is more in the realm of ivory tower theoretical philosophy, imho.

I took enough math to know what things like Peano space, Koch curve, Cantor ternary set, Sierpinsky gasket, and Mandelbrot set are, and to stay far away if I want to avoid my brain turning to jello....

Just give me a good 3D fluidic tensor field analysis to sink my teeth into... like maybe fuel-air mixtures flowing through a manifold into an array of combustion chambers....

[Superman]

Originally Posted by gacook

I don't really count statistics as a math class...more a class about how to use numbers to manipulate people.

Statistics is math, in every sense. It is based on probability. The Central Limit Theorem, for example, is a discovery, not an invention. Manipulation of people is not statistics, and not limited to statistics. Any "math" can be used to manipulate, as can non-math information. My business card says "statistician."

My path was similar to Vash's. For a time, I was not trying to understand math. I was just studying enough to pass the tests. That got harder and harder, so I decided to actually learn it. Math became lots more interesting once I actually understood what the formulas were doing. For example, the integral is a way of measuring the area under a curve by creating a series of rectangles of that area, and then collapsing those rectangles so they are infinitely thin and there is an infinite number of them.

It is unsurprising to me that actual mathematicians/actuaries work on theorems in their minds with their spare time. It is fun.

[aschen]

I am not prepared or interested in a debate on if statistics is math or not. However, I think a statistical view of the world is one of the most useful practical skills to have.

Too much drama in the world related to anecdotes and population sampling traps

[red-beard]

I passed Differential Equations, but that is all.

[rusnak]

Ha.. applied statistics kicked my ass in college. I went from an A in the more theoretical statistics, to C/D territory.

If you math nerd guys have a strong opinion on math, maybe you need to go get some nookie and not be so uptight.

[Superman]

Math and science are fundamentally different. Science is dependent on the Universe. Matter and energy and stuff. Math is not.

[red-beard]

Well, I did several applied statistics classes, but they made sense...

[gacook]

Originally Posted by Superman

Statistics is math, in every sense. It is based on probability. The Central Limit Theorem, for example, is a discovery, not an invention. Manipulation of people is not statistics, and not limited to statistics. Any "math" can be used to manipulate, as can non-math information. My business card says "statistician."

My path was similar to Vash's. For a time, I was not trying to understand math. I was just studying enough to pass the tests. That got harder and harder, so I decided to actually learn it. Math became lots more interesting once I actually understood what the formulas were doing. For example, the integral is a way of measuring the area under a curve by creating a series of rectangles of that area, and then collapsing those rectangles so they are infinitely thin and there is an infinite number of them.

It is unsurprising to me that actual mathematicians/actuaries work on theorems in their minds with their spare time. It is fun.

“There are three types of lies -- lies, damn lies, and statistics.” ― Benjamin Disraeli tags: attributed-no-source, lies, lying, misattributed-mark-twain, statistics, truth

So, if your business card reads (not says, unless it's audio :P ) "statistician," I take that to mean you have attained the highest degree of liar?

Perhaps I misstated my view of statistics...some maths require very difficult formulas and lots of work (some problems in my Boolean algebra course would take 5 pages to fully flesh out). Statistics was boringly easy (as a class).

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Superman

Statistics is math, in every sense. It is based on probability. The Central Limit Theorem, for example, is a discovery, not an invention. Manipulation of people is not statistics, and not limited to statistics. Any "math" can be used to manipulate, as can non-math information. My business card says "statistician."

My path was similar to Vash's. For a time, I was not trying to understand math. I was just studying enough to pass the tests. That got harder and harder, so I decided to actually learn it. Math became lots more interesting once I actually understood what the formulas were doing. For example, the integral is a way of measuring the area under a curve by creating a series of rectangles of that area, and then collapsing those rectangles so they are infinitely thin and there is an infinite number of them.

It is unsurprising to me that actual mathematicians/actuaries work on theorems in their minds with their spare time. It is fun.

When I took Calc 1-3 the last time, and paid better attention and thought about what was happening, it was a lot more interesting. Realizing and thinking about things like the relationship between the formula for distance, speed, acceleration, jerk, etc... and calculus is interesting. Vectors and calculus is interesting.

[Bill Douglas]

A friend of mine was doing something maths post-grad at uni. She said the banks and insurance companies were fairly much in a bidding war to get her to work for them.

Funny thing is she said she didn't really like maths but did it because others couldn't do it.

[Bob Kontak]

Took my final in business Calculus which got into differentials but not integrals. 82 or 83.

I was the only one left taking the exam because I went over everything two times.

Mark Leeney, the graduate instructor at Kent State lit a cigarette and went to the chalk board and started drawing strange looking circles.

I smoked a cig and finished the test. It was a surreal moment. Butted it on a piece of notebook paper and wrapped it all up for safety.

I walked up to his desk where he had a small hardback book titled Modules and Rings. I didn't even ask. Shook his hand and walked out.

[TimT]

I'm an Engineer... have worked in Construction Management in and around NYC... the Mid -East... for 43 years...

Years ago I was doing some homework at work.. on the Williamsburg Bridge.. when an Ironworker walked by going to break... He leaned over and looked at my work and told me It was wrong... I was like wtf.. later talking to him.. he explained the problem and how to derive the solution... This Ironworker was actually an actuary... he help me with Calculus and Diff EQs...

But he hid it he never wanted the other Ironworkers to know he was a brainiac...


I asked why he was working as in Ironworker... NYC Ironworkers make huge coin... but have short careers....

He said when he was done working for Local 40. he could have an easy life as an actuary...

[Erakad]

I graduated in a science field, only went to pre-algebra, calculus was required the year after I declared (thank god!)...I'm terrible in math! Statistics was required, and believe it or not did well!? Required again in post grad...and did well. Statistics was the only "math" I found useful, used it all the time in my jobs...but never needed (ever) calculus.

[look 171]

Calculus was it. It kicked my ass in college. That was required for my Industrial Technical Management degree. Took Calculas in high school and got a D. Math isn't much fun for me (likes Geometry and Trig) and neither was English or most subjects, so I decided that if I ever need to figure thing out something, hire and engineer. Problem solved. If a Plane is going to NYC with a head wind, bla, bla, blaaaa. Just give me my peanuts and let me sleep.

[hbueno]

Mechanical engineering degree FTW

[plain fan]

The trick is to take Linear Algebra before you take Diff Eq

[masraum]

Originally Posted by plain fan

The trick is to take Linear Algebra before you take Diff Eq

The trick is to quit before you get to DE.