What is most important to prep for Statics?

<p>I am a non traditional student starting an engineering degree in January. I start with Statics that semester and go from there. I have not had Calc and Physics for many years. I have been brushing up on my Calc and Physics for the last few months by going through the Calc and Physics I and II books cover to cover. But it's too much stuff.</p>

<p>Can someone who has taken Statics before tell me specifically what concepts you NEED to know from Calc and Physics for Statics. The most important. Other stuff that is necessary for Statics too, if you could. And Linear Algebra, or Chemistry, etc...</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>For statics, the calculus required is quite trivial; integration using a linear function is the one aspect used in the class that I can think of off the top of my head. In later structures clases (plates and shells, stability, etc) you use a lot more calculus. Statics is a lot of understanding how forces are reacted both internally and externally on an object.</p>

<p>You might want to brush up on vectors. There are a lot of those!</p>

<p>That’s it? Integrals and vectors?</p>

<p>Are you serious?</p>

<p>So there will be more calc later on though. OK.</p>

<p>statics at my school was cake, dynamics was pretty hard</p>

<p>Statics is pretty chill. Vectors is a big one and integration as well. You learn fairly simple concepts, but it teaches you how to analyze a system which can be difficult. Like there will be only one way to solve a problem (sum moments about a certain pin to cancel out certain forces) and you have to be able to find it. You will be prepared going in, just make sure to do the homework and you’re good to go.</p>

<p>You need to review multivariable calculus, mostly integration part, and vectors in physics. Thats it.</p>

<p>I’m pretty sure I didn’t see any multivariable calc.</p>

<p>For my school, we had to use multivariable for a section of statics, multi is a co-requisite. I guess it’s different for everyone.</p>

<p>vectors and systems of equations. plus the occasional most twisted problem humanly possible.</p>

<p>@noleguy33 covariance…</p>

<p>The reality is that amount of calculus required depends on which concepts you go over/what you learn.
For most intro stats courses, the bulk of it requires little more than integrals.
Intermediate stats courses will require a fair amount of linear algebra.</p>

<p>More advance statistics courses may require ito integrals</p>

<p>I think he’s talking about statics, not statistics. </p>

<p>I think when you start to see multivariate in statics is mass and moment of inertia for 3D objects. Most of the time you just use the tables to find the moment of inertia, but for a hyperbolic shape you need to integrate to do that.</p>

<p>Yea, I think you’re right, the moment of inertia part. It’s too long ago I don’t remember.</p>

<p>@chaoswithinthed,
My bad, completely misread topic.</p>

<p>The only thing I remember is that the one trick problem I got had the thing moving. I finally decided that it must have been moving at a constant rate, because it was still statics class and not dynamics class, so no acceleration. So I just ignored the fact that it was moving and treated it like any other statics problem. Alot of people were stumped by that problem. The math on it was probably super simple. The concept of a thing in motion tends to stay in motion and therefor is considered static was mind bending after weeks of nothing moving.</p>