<p>Hey guys so I've been lurking around this forum and it's a great place for info. Finally decided to ask a question thats been tearing me apart. </p>
<p>Im currently undeclared but i know for sure i want to do computer engineering (i just transferred out of my old school and didn't get accepted to the school i'm at now for my major..i did, however, get accepted undecided, so i just went ahead and transferred). Here's the situation: at my previous school (bryant university) I took a pre calc/calc hybrid class and received an A in it. I didn't think it was a challenge at all. So now at my current school (umass amherst) my adviser recommended i take pre calc again (math 104). She told me that it would be a breeze because i've already taken it.. but this would put me one semester behind everyone else if i was to apply into computer engineering. I'm really good with algebra and pre calc was a breeze..the only problem is I don't think I did trig so i don't know much, if any. My question is, do you guys recommend i take this pre calc course again, or should i just go into calc and use the free tutoring on campus to get help with trig?</p>
<p>Sorry for the long post guys, but I really don't know what to do.</p>
<p>Cliff notes:
-Took pre calc/calc hybrid class at previous school (business) got an A
-Transferred to new school with different major in mind
-Don't want to be behind, so i don't wanna take pre calc over again
-I don't know much trigonometry </p>
<p>Should i take calculus 1 and use tutoring if need be? or will this completely destroy me?</p>
<p>Course description for the pre calc/calc class i took:
"Session Cycle: Fall and Spring Yearly Cycle: Annual MATH110 is an applied mathematics course. Although it is weighted more heavily toward calculus and its applications, many pre-calculus topics will be reviewed prior to the corresponding calculus topic. Topics covered will include differentiation, integration, curve sketching and optimization techniques. Applications are keyed to management, economics, finance, and the social and natural sciences. A brief unit on Mathematics of Finance will also be covered. Prerequisite: Math Placement Exam"</p>
<p>I wouldn’t take precalc again. Precalc doesn’t have that much to do with calculus. I had no clue what was going on in precalc but I am doing great in calculus. The trig topics aren’t hard to learn and you can probably learn it pretty fast. You could probably find resources online to learn the trig stuff (KhanAcademy for one).</p>
<p>It sounds like you took calculus for the social science/business majors, which is a little of calculus w/o trig. Personally, I would take the pre-calculus class, and focus on the trig then try the calculus without a trig background. Trig is really important to calc, and as a tutor on campus, I can say that a lot of time, students who don’t know trig in calculus are just asking to be shot in the foot. Is it possible? Like a lot of things, yes. But for it to work best, you’re going to need to know a lot of the trig before you get to class, and trig is going to be essential for Calc II as well, and a whole bunch of other things. It’s surprising how many little ways a bad trig background can affect a student, but it’ll show up in things like improper integrals all the time, or integrals with trig, and I’ve seen it be a mess.</p>
<p>I’m not an engineer. I used to be a computer programmer. Back in the day I took Calc.
I am thinking about going back for an MBA. So last fall I took Calc again this time it was Calc for Business majors. My DS is taking AP Calc in high school. My calc was so much easier and did not go over half the stuff he covered in his class. I’m done I have my A meanwhile he is still has another semester of it before the AP exam. </p>
<p>Unless you are certain you can do well I would retake the class. Engineers need to be good in math and you don’t want to play catch up in calc class.</p>
<p>Howdy…how yo’all doing this evening?..my thing is manly-man will always take real thingy. So, I were you, I aint gonna take calc wannabe (pre-calc). You didn’t do Trig doesn’t mean you cant do real calc. Yo’all gotta move forward dont do it backward…But, then again it is up to yo’all…</p>
<p>See thats my problem guys, i don’t wanna do bad in calc and mess up the chances i have of becoming an engineer. I just don’t wanna be behind a semester. I really feel that I can get screwed over both ways. I really don’t know what to do. I’m already enrolled in the calculus class so i’m gonna show up to that class and see how the professor is. I might play it safe though… i’d rather be a semester behind rather than setting my self up for failure.</p>
<p>Think about it this way: if you don’t do well in Calculus, you’ll have to drop the class and take pre-calc again the next semester (happened to a friend of mine). At that point, you’ll be two semesters behind. At a large school, nobody cares if you are a semester ‘behind.’ There are a lot of students who transfer in/out or change majors that it’s not that big of a deal, as long as the semester won’t push you over the limit for financial aid.</p>
<p>I would honestly not do it. I know it sucks being a semester off where you thought you’d be, but I’ve seen a lot of students have a weak conceptual understanding of trig who are /killed/ not just once in calc, but four or five times throughout the sequence. Even if you learn enough to catch up for that one topic, you’ll struggle through it everytime you hit a new trig thing.</p>
<p>I honestly can’t remember using anything from pre-calc in any calc course. I don’t even know why they call it pre-‘calc.’ Or maybe my high school teacher taught us the wrong material.</p>
<p>"Applications are keyed to management, economics, finance, and the social and natural sciences. A brief unit on Mathematics of Finance will also be covered. "</p>
<p>OP - In my post I was trying to tell you that it sounds like your precalc was for business majors. If that is the case you most likely did not learn what you would have in the regular pre-calc class. Business calc is different they use some of the same stuff but then they go in a different direction. Again I honesty think business calc is a lot easier.</p>
<p>I would take a good look at the book you are going to use for the class to make sure you can hit the ground running.</p>
<p>“Pre-Calc” applies to the trigonometry and unit circle. Considering the OP said “I don’t know much trig…”, I say take the pre-calc class. Your calculus professor will assume you know those basics and wont slow to answer your questions thats for sure. </p>
<p>Knowing those elements is a huge basis for a lot of engineering, math, and physics based classes. NOT just calculus. You can always take a class over the summer if you want to get back on track. </p>
<p>If you weren’t taught the periodic nature of the unit circle and how it’s derived, take the pre-calc class. You will see it again and again in other engineering courses.</p>
<p>Are you talking about choice of math course for the current (spring) semester? If so, enroll in pre-calc. If next fall, then you have plenty of time to self-study trig between now and then. You could also take (or self-study) pre-calc now, then calc1 over the summer, and be ready for calc2 in the fall, if that is your desired schedule. Your school should have a placement exam that would allow you to place into calc2 in the fall.</p>
<p>But don’t take calc1 now if you haven’t had trig.</p>
<p>Guys i really appreciate all the replies!!!</p>
<p>I decided to drop the calc class i was enrolled in and took up the pre calc. This way i should be able to breeze through the course and learn trig. If i feel i’m up for it, i’ll take calc 1 over the summer and be right on track. I just enrolled in comp sci too so that should get me started towards my major.</p>