math

[Beldaran]

I'm doing trig for the first time and I'm really struggling. I don't enjoy it anymore.

I'd like to hear from people regarding their experience with math. Has it always been somewhat easy for you? Or have always struggled somewhat?

[Daarkseid]

I was awesome at math right up to Algebra 2, then things got difficult. I had missed several weeks worth of Algebra 1(school systems here break it up into two different classes, one preceding Geometry, the other proceeding Geometry) and several weeks of Geometry, that I never really made up, so when I got to Algebra 2, we started working with concepts I never fully understood or even learned, so I got confused 1/4 of the way through and then just started missing classes for that too...

[Ich]

I didn't have problems in trig, you shouldn't either. Math comes easy to me.

Just remember: S o/h C a/h T o/a or Sohcahtoa for short. Or, Oscar Had A Hold Of Alice (long Mr. Jensen story, don't ask)

[Starfalcon2]

Sometime I forget a formula, so I wrote programs in TI-83 Plus calculator to remember the formula that what I need. When I take test :laughing: I use my calculator!

[plith]

My own math teacher's complaint about Oscar had a hold on Alice (SAXON MUST DIE!) was 1) you can't remember which is sine, which is cosine, and which is tangent, and 2) it's very suggestive, even worse that our book's version was "Oscar had a hold on Arthur."

[AtmaWeapon]

I didn't really struggle with math until a summer precal class I took. There's a reason for that. There are no real Honors classes at my school, so every class I took up until then was watered down. Trig is somewhat difficult if you don't put your mind to it. My advice is to memorize everything, and work all of your assignments more than once. My precal instructor told me this: "I never believe anyone who says they are good at trig unless they have taken it at least three times." That's why I say do your assignments more than once. Trig is more about memorization and working lots of problems than anything else.

[KJAZZ]

*shudders*

I hated tangent ratios, sohcahtoa..isn't that some cheap kinda cereal that is like, K-mart brand? You know that cheap imitiation stuff...I bet Sohcahtoa is wheaties..

[millmill]

I never had any trouble with math class clear throughout high school. However, that changed dramatically when I reached college and took my first calculus class. I took two of them and really struggled to keep up in both of them, mostly because I never had to study high school math, but had to work my ass off just to get respectable grades.

[Drunken Tiger]

The trig im soing now is quite easy....

I have a good teacher so it makes Maths a bit easier..

All you really have to remeber is SOHCAHTOA..;)

[inori]

For me, the easiest way to understand any mathematics (including trig) was to make sure I understood the real-world applications. Saying that the tangent of a 45-degree angle is 1 is all well and good, but seeing that in the real world is better. You might try using your trig to go out and measure a few flagpoles ... or do like me, and use it to make bad guys move in circles and in sine waves for a space shooter game. :D

[goKi]

sohcahtoa is all you have to remember till you get to all those damn rules.. my mid courses next week involve trig, hope i can remember it.

[Drunken Tiger]

Rules?!?!:confuse: What rules?!?!

Oh boy Im screwed!!!

[goKi]

someone correct me if im wrong

sine rule (sides?) = sin A / a = sin B / b = sin C / c
sine rule (angles?) = A / sin a = B / sin b = C / sin c (i think)
cosine rule (sides) - c² = a² + b² - 2AB cos C

cant remember cosine for angles, better study.

[CH@O$]

math is a walkover, but in the uk so are most things:naughty: :naughty:

[obi]

I'm not to sure on the cosine rule there Goki, but the others seem fine...

I myself, hate surds. I like everything else though.

My fave is algebra, but I tend to leav all my workings dissorganised...

[ctrl-alt-delete]

I have always been really good at math. It is my favorite subject. I also like history.

[Toolie]

Make sure you remember your radain/degree conversions....

pi = 180
pi/2 = 90
pi/3 = 60
pi/6 = 30
2pi = 360

etc...

And what is especially helpful is remembering "All-Star Trig Class", marking from +x,+y as A, and moving counter-clockwise marking each quadrant A S T C.... in the A quadrant, all trig functions are positive, in the S quadrant, Sine is positive, in the T quadrant, Tangent is positive, and in the C quadrant, Cosine is positive.

And secant ( SEC ) is the opposite of the cosine ( COS ), cosecant ( CSC ) is the opposite of the sine ( SIN ), and cotangent ( COT ) is the opposite of tangent ( TAN ).