<p>I think I made a big mistake when registering for Spring classes. To clarify, classes fill up FAST at my school, and I have been frantically trying to find an alternative to fit into my schedule to replace one class I want to drop, and I am not finding anything that would be a good replacement that isn't either already full, at a time I can't take it, or requiring of prerequisites I can't satisfy yet.</p>
<p>Here's the problem: I signed up for Computer Hardware Fundamentals. I did so because NO prerequisites are listed. I noticed other IT courses said things like "Algebra," but this course listed nothing. So I signed up because I am interested in learning how to build and repair computers, and I assumed (apparently falsely) that no prerequisites really meant no prerequisites. HOWEVER, I just skimmed chapter one of one of the textbooks (the chapter available as a free trial) and has a lot of math, what appears to be algebra but I am not even sure. And even beyond that, it is not the kind of "anatomy of a computer" type stuff I expected.</p>
<p>I am absolutely horrifyingly bad at math, and in fact am taking a remedial, zero credit math course next semester to prepare myself for the math requirement course next fall. And now I fear I've dug a real hole for myself, because this late I'm not finding an alternative with available seats. Introduction to IT was the first obvious alternative, but it's full in the times I could take it.</p>
<p>Has anyone taken a Computer Hardware course that can shed some light on whether I am doomed, or whether I can get a great grade in it even if I am terrible at math? I have set very high standards for myself with regard to grades. Also - why would they list no prerequisite if you actually need math? Thanks.</p>
<p>Try emailing the professor and asking how much math is involved. Your academic advisor may also help find alternative classes and finally sometimes emailing the professor of a closed class and asking to be put on the wait list can get you in.</p>
<p>If the class doesn’t list any prerequisites (and there were no particular math subjects required to be admitted to your school), then I wouldn’t expect it to really emphasize math in the class. They will likely either skip over the math or not rely heavily on it (or just give you the solution). When I took classes that didn’t have Calculus as a prerequisite but the subject actually required Calculus, they usually just gave us the answer to the problem, taught us the Calculus we needed to solve it, or introduced it just so we knew it existed but didn’t expect us to be able to reproduce it on the test. The only way to know is to email the professor and ask what sort of math you would be expected to know. If other classes in the department normally list Algebra as a prerequisite when it is required for the course, than I would expect this one too. Try contacting the professor.</p>
<p>Honestly, by the time you’re at college, it’s probably assumed that you can do basic algebra… I don’t say that to be mean, just, it seems silly to list it as a pre-req.</p>
<p>It’s hard to say exactly what your class will cover, we don’t know what kind of school you’re at, and all we’ve got is a rather vague name. The closest thing I’ve taken was Computer Architecture… it didn’t have much math, and the math it did use was pretty much just addition and multiplication. But without more than the course name it’s impossible to tell what your class’ll cover.</p>
<p>I’d say email the professor and ask… it’s impossible for us to guess.</p>
<p>It sounds like the kind of computer science course that introduces you to the basic engineering of transistors, circuitry, logic gates and so on, so that you understand what’s happening at the level of microchips. If so, you would not learn how to build/repair a desktop computer.</p>
<p>The class I took that’s similar to what Wasatch seems I be describing certainly had data structures as a prerequisite and probably would have some listed prerequisites everywhere, so I’m thinking its something different. A whole class on building a computer doesn’t make sense either because you could just go do it for less than tuition costs in an afternoon. </p>
<p>In short, glamorousgirl, what you’ve said about the class doesn’t make much sense to us, you should post either a syllabus or the textbook or something. The class we can think of that would have that name is nothing like what you described and would certainly have prerequisites listed.</p>
<p>I emailed him. He said the only math is “binary hex and decimal conversions.” I don’t know what that means - is it difficult? His email wasn’t very helpful. He doesn’t use a textbook, but recommended reading includes “Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach” and “Assembly Language For x86 Processors.” It is an “IT” prefix course. I hope I can build a computer after taking it, but I’m sure it covers a lot more than that (hope that is included, maybe I’m wrong?)</p>
<p>Binary, decimal, and hexadecimal conversions are just converting between base 2, base 10, and base 16. For example, 65 in base 10 is 1000001 in base 2 and 0x41 in base 16. It’s not really difficult and the only math needed to do it is simple arithmetic. We did it along with things like hexadecimal arithmetic in an intro software course for engineering.</p>
<p>I learned in high school how to convert from binary to decimal; It’s not hard IMO.</p>
<p>More importantly this doesn’t sound like a class where you learn to take apart a PC and put it together. It seems like what ‘was’ said, it’s going to teacher you the basic THEORY of how a computer operates… you should probably drop the class.</p>
<p>As others said, binary-decimal-hex conversions aren’t hard (nor are they even math) so don’t be concerned about the math involved. However, I highly doubt the class would teach you how to build a computer. Nowadays (and for at least the past decade and a half) it’s just about buying parts, making sure they’re compatable, putting them together, and connecting some wires. Seriously, you could do that in an afternoon. If that’s what you want to learn I suggest you just do it.</p>
<p>Thank you for the responses. I’m going to take A+ Certification training offered by a third party. It is not a course at my college but I will ask beforehand to see if I can get some credit. As for the course, I got on the wait list for Intro to IT which I would rather take now. If I don’t get a seat in that I may still drop this course and take something unrelated, or since the math isn’t bad maybe I will take it anyway and still get A+ training soon.</p>