Im a senior in high school, and i have noticed that becoming an electrical engineer involves some high level math, and i am just terrified of math but i am very determined to become an engineer. How difficult are the classes? do you have to be a really smart person or do you just have to be determined to get good grades in engineering school?
2007-03-08 11:54:47 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
you have to be determined and have a supportive study group. a couple of my friends went into engineering and even though i wasn't in engineering they invited me to study with them anyway. my friend wasn't good in math but she did her homework everyday. if anyone in the group didn't want to do their homework the others would push them until they got it all done. they were very blessed to have one another.
2007-03-08 12:00:11 · answer #1 · answered by lilpinay 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
As a senior in high school you should already be taking pre-calculus or at least trigonometry. If you haven't had any significant trouble with these courses, you should be able to handle calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, vector calculus, and similar higher math. The difficulty of these classes depends on your instructor and the text book. If you are an independent person and can teach yourself from book examples, you will do OK. If you cannot teach yourself from a book, then you will need to rely heavily on the professor (teaching assisstant) and/or your peer group to get you through the tough spots. (Speaking as an engineer, if you cannot teach yourself new topics via independent study, you won't make a good engineer.)
Whether or not you have to be "really smart" or just "determined" is a difficult issue to answer one way or another. If your IQ has been measured and is 125 or above you should be mentally capable of doing the work. But it will still take determination to force yourself through the difficult parts. If your IQ is between 110 and 125, you may be able to squeak by with a huge amount of hard work and determination. Anything less than that and you won't be able to grasp the necessary concepts. IMHO
If you are really interested in electrical engineering, play around with circuits using some of the kits available from hobby stores or Radio Shack. They don't involve any of the higher math, but you can get a feel for how real electronics and electrical circuits work so that the math makes more sense later.
2007-03-08 12:56:44 · answer #2 · answered by U235_PORTS 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Math isn't the only issue. You will have to learn microprocessors, these devices are embedded into equipment to control it's operation. Physics will be involved, you have to know how and why various types of instrumentation work. You will be getting into solid state devices such as transistors, thyristors, quadracs, scr's, and all of the passive components that support these components. Math plays a major role in designing with, and understanding these devices. You'll have motor and generator theory to deal with, which will include phase relationships. While there are some simple formulas for some of this, there will also be very complex formulas as well. Can you easily find short cuts in a problem, and be right? You'll need practical experience with some of the things you will be learning as well. If you want to be an engineer, then it is going to take a lot of work, and experience with a wide diversity of related, and seemingly unrelated skills. Time to begin is right now. Get the basics of electronics theory, and electrical theory well in hand before you even get to college. All of the supportive studies such as chemistry, and physics are also needed.
2007-03-08 20:02:34 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I won't lie to you, it isn't easy. But it depends more on your work-ethic than how "smart" you are. Einstein struggled with math, was he "smart"? You see how the word "smart" is vague and misleading? We're all intelligent in one way or another. It's about finding your genius. The unique genius that God gave each of us.
One year in middle school I got a 'C' in math. After that my parents and teachers pushed me to do math assignments over the summer. I resisted, and even hated doing it at times, but at least I could do them at my leisure. I was studying while other kids weren't. I caught up and got into the advanced classes, and stayed there all through high school. I got great teachers and had classes with students who also knew math well, and that made a big difference. Mostly it's about putting in the time and effort. You get out what you put in.
I got through EE school, and heavy math still sometimes intimidates me, but you shouldn't let math scare you. I bet square-roots were scary at first, with their sharp angles and the long line over everything, but now that you know what that symbol represents it's not scary anymore right?
I discovered that if you can take a deep breath, and learn to relax and calm yourself down, then you can get into the mindset where you can focus and learn the stuff. It's the ignorance you're afraid of, not the knowledge. So if you're scared of it, then study harder so you won't be ignorant!
Like anything, you have to want it bad enough that you'll be willing to work for it. Once you have that motivation, you can get anything you're willing to work for. The only thing you need concern yourself with is finding out what it is you like to do...then do it!
Oh, and get plenty of exercise too, it helps a lot.
2007-03-08 12:46:26 · answer #4 · answered by _ 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You need at least b's in maths or don't waste your time. You will have a lot of calculus to do, and complex numbers are a core part of electrical engineering also. Work is important, but you need to be good (at least) at maths to succeed in engineering, otherwise you will spend too much time (which you can't afford) on understanding it. If this sounds harsh I'm sorry, but you need to know this before starting an engineering course.
A diploma course would require less maths if you're really interested.........
2007-03-08 14:12:32 · answer #5 · answered by Peter 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You shouldnt be discouraged about your confidence level in mathmatics. Engineering is not all about math. Just as the other person stated, his friend had a group of friends that helped her out. It was the same for myself, although my weakness was in actually doing the homework. The tough parts will be the your 1st and 2nd years mainly becuase most freshman's screw around and they try and make it a lil difficult to 'weed' out the weak. after that, it will be smooth sailing of sorts. My suggestion is to find people that you know will help push you to do your best and for you to do the same to yourself. Another point is to learn to talk to your professors thats what they are there for. No worries, you will still have a lot of fun in college, but just remember one point, your there to learn. The hardest part about college is begining to think of yourself
2007-03-08 12:11:04 · answer #6 · answered by John 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋