OK my math skills are severely lacking. I knew this, and I knew my desired field (civil engineering/land surveying)was math intense. I thought as long as I put effort every day, Study every day, and practice my math outside of class for at least an hour a day every day would definitely help me overcome my weaknesses. My first semester math class is elementary algebra. Keeping in mind I never attempted algebra in high school. I'm doing OK, I have a tutor once a week, and I'm putting in the time outside of class so I can fully grasp and understand everything. My intro to engineering class is proving quite difficult. The prerequisite or corequisite was elementary algebra. That's it. My academic advisor suggested I take this class and said I would be fine. Well here I am barely treading water and struggling to keep my head up. The map in this class is intense for me, it's all physics. I've never had physics before, but I understand the concept. What's troubling to me is chaining conversions. Here is an example of where I am stuck and need some help. The class only meets once a week, and unfortunately I cannot get a tutor for this class. I can see what needs to happen, I just do not know how to chain it out The professor wants. This first picture is how he wants it done. This next picture is where I'm stuck!! Number nine just has me straight up confused, I have no idea what a radiant is. Number 11 and 12 I know what needs to happen I just don't know how to make it happen using the chaining conversions Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Units. Units Units Units Units. I have a degree in civil engineering and our professor one of the first things he said is when we graduate you will need to work 16 a day. 16 what? 16 seconds? 16 min? 16 hours? Everything always needs to be thought in units. Every number you write on a piece of paper you need to write what it is. That is the first thing you need to remember and get in the habitat of doing. Now where you are stuck units come in to play. They want the answer in ft. You are going to have to put a conversion in there. There are 5,280' in a mile. So add that conversion to cancel out the units so you are only left with feet at the end.
Joe , I didn't sit in your class so I don't know all the in and outs of what he wants but this is how I would do it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
LOL that's what I originally had done, but i started thinking about it to much! Thank you, I was hoping you would see this thread!!! EDIT: Yes, that is exactly how he wants to see it done!
Learn units and conversions well. It's important and you will be doing it often through your schooling. These answers may seem easy but I went to my structural analysis binder from school and pulled this out to show you later on it isn't as simple to just do with a calculator and you need to actually use these skills. Its all the same Joe than what you are doing now though. Nothing really different other than more of it. You will get it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
LOL don't worry about it. I didn't that in there to scare you. I put it in there to show you this is one of the most important things to get good at. You will be fine.
LOL!! Yeah, I know you didn't. I WANT to get good at it, and have confidence in it. I can definitely see where it will come into play. When I worked as a draftsman/ Survey field tech, it was so embarrassing NOT having the math skills that everyone else in the office had. That was one of the main reasons why I went into driving a truck, because without proper schooling I would be stuck at the entry level position. Thanks for the help, and encouragement, I appreciate it!!
The FT cancel themselves out and you are left with seconds. Which is the units they want the answer in. So you don't need to do anything else the way I see it. Ask yourself how do I get rid of all units except for what I want the answer in. If the givens don't provide the units you want the answer in you have to put a conversion in. See what I am saying?
Yeah, I see what you're saying. I guess what's confusing me is, I don't understand the mathematical rules, what I can do and what I can't do. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
For example on number 11. I didn't know I could take the two from the two hours and put that on top as part of the numerator. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
IN most cases if something is on the bottom you need to cancel that on the top. If it is on the top you need to cancel it on the bottom. For example, on problem 11., since miles was in the numerator on the left we have to put it in the denominator in the conversion to the right.
You were able to do that by multiplying in the inverse. So you moved it to the top by multiplied it in the numerator that cancels it out and is equal. Those rules you are talking about is what algebra teaches you. So would of been nice to have that class first.
