Calculus 2 is ridiculously hard!

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cystapharm

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Does anyone think this class is extremely hard? Especially finding integrals and finding sums of series and testing for convergence????? I'm so scared my final is this week and I don't know what i'm doing! How did you guys manage to get through without killing yourself? any tips for doing well?

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Does anyone think this class is extremely hard? Especially finding integrals and finding sums of series and testing for convergence????? I'm so scared my final is this week and I don't know what i'm doing! How did you guys manage to get through without killing yourself? any tips for doing well?

I thought it was alright, its all in the book. And the other good thing is that you'll never use any of it later on.
 
It all depends on aptitutde. My major is physics and I personally think math and science are the easiest subject. But my understanding of music is still kindergarten level lol. Is there anyone who can teach me how to read notes?
 
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Go read the two books in the series Calculus, by Tom Apostle.

That is real math. Your school is already teaching the watered down version.
 
Yeah calc 2 was pretty tough. I think it was alot more difficult than even calc3. Like anything else you've just got to try and understand it. Even if you end up not fully understanding everything, at least learn how to solve the problems. I may forget the details of taylor series, but I can at least learn how to solve a problem whenever I see it. Granted, I highly doubt you'll ever use this kind of math in medicine or med school. Just get through it.
 
Calc 2 was considered the most-failed class at my university. I'm glad I decided to take Calc BC in high school and get it over with.

You might want to check out Calculus the Easy Way. It's kind of simplified and cutesy (a "novel" in which the residents of a fictional country discover/invent the principles of calculus), but I found that it makes math a lot more accessible.
 
I thought calc II was fairly easy. I talked to the calc professor who has been teaching it for 45 years,a nd he said calc II isn't really harder than the others. It's that you just hit more topics and their isn't really any breaks, so so speak verses calc I and III. That's why it's a must to stay on top of HW, and those integrals get old, but I still love trig substitutions!
 
I took CalcII without having CalcI (scheduling conflicts). Needless to say, that didn't help much....neither did taking it during the summer.
The hardest part was just memorizing all the integrals and taking an accelerated summer course didn't help in that aspect.

Don't worry though, CalcIII is a lot better and can even be interesting. CalcII was as interesting as watching paint dry.
 
umm....
I personally thought Calc-II was easier than Calc-I... but everyone is different I guess...

If your having problems with a specific section (like integrals and such, then just do a crap load of practise problems, they'll strengthen you)... spend about 2 hrs a day solving nothing but problems from the book... do NOT look up the answers unless your done with the problem.

When I have problems underestanding a concept in math (or chemistry or whatnot), I just go a head, read the entire chapter, and SOLVE EVERY SINGLE problem the chapter has (this includes the example problems the book works out in every section)....
 
I found it easier but I think that is because of the instructor. She gave us all our notes which prevented us buying a book we'll never use. Now, calc III on the other hand was a bit more difficult when we got into different tests to prove divergence/convergence.
 
Does anyone think this class is extremely hard? Especially finding integrals and finding sums of series and testing for convergence????? I'm so scared my final is this week and I don't know what i'm doing! How did you guys manage to get through without killing yourself? any tips for doing well?

May I ask why you would put yourself through a class of this magnitude knowing you will never need it as a doctor?
 
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Does anyone think this class is extremely hard? Especially finding integrals and finding sums of series and testing for convergence????? I'm so scared my final is this week and I don't know what i'm doing! How did you guys manage to get through without killing yourself? any tips for doing well?

Nah, Calc 2 was cake. If you want a real math class go all the way up to solutions of partial differential equations. That's a hard math class.
 
I didn't think Calc II was that difficult. There are only so many ways to solve a math problem in Calc II, and when you do enough of the problems, you can recognize from the set up of the problem which approach to take.
 
Does anyone think this class is extremely hard? Especially finding integrals and finding sums of series and testing for convergence????? I'm so scared my final is this week and I don't know what i'm doing! How did you guys manage to get through without killing yourself? any tips for doing well?


are u a chem major?, if not then why r u taking cal2?
 
I barely got through Calc I, so now I'm staying away from math. I still don't understand how I managed to get an A on AP Calc I.:scared:
 
I am taking Basic Calculus, which surveys parts of Calc 1 to 3, and we are doing integrals right now.

If you have the luxury of being able to hire a tutor, I would highly recommend it. A lot of times I get completely lost in the lecture and the teacher is not able to help too much and kind of rushes the explanation when I ask her. With a tutor though, it forces me to do practice problems, and I can ask a lot of questions.

Try to find one for 10 to 15 bucks an hour, and maybe just go over test reviews with him for a couple hours before a test.

This is what I have been doing and it is working
 
I CLEP my Calc I & II classes. I think you should do lots of practice problems. I know it sucks to get stuck.. but it really helps if you have a solution manual in hand.
 
Calc. 2 isn't that bad. I'm taking it now over the summer. I think what's been difficult for me is just the pace at which we're going since we're trying to cram so much stuff into the summer session. Other than that it's basically just recognizing the different patterns in order to solve the problems. What has sucked for me was that I took Calc.1 over a year ago and forgot most of the integral patterns and rules.
 
Interesting, we did all that series/sequence stuff in calc II.
I found it easier but I think that is because of the instructor. She gave us all our notes which prevented us buying a book we'll never use. Now, calc III on the other hand was a bit more difficult when we got into different tests to prove divergence/convergence.

 
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Does anyone think this class is extremely hard? Especially finding integrals and finding sums of series and testing for convergence????? I'm so scared my final is this week and I don't know what i'm doing! How did you guys manage to get through without killing yourself? any tips for doing well?

maybe you are ridiculously stupid.If you think calculus II is hard, try taking topology! Get the book "Calculus made ridiculously easy for dummies"
 
Calc 2 was significantly harder for me than multivariable calculus. And I am really good at math.
 
Why r u even bothoring to take CALC 2 unless you have Physics or some engineering kind of Major!! ...I only took Calc 1 ...Thank god ..finally DONE:hardy:
 
Yeah it was hard. I think the prof can affect the difficulty though. My advice: practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice


Does anyone think this class is extremely hard? Especially finding integrals and finding sums of series and testing for convergence????? I'm so scared my final is this week and I don't know what i'm doing! How did you guys manage to get through without killing yourself? any tips for doing well?
 
calc isn't required for my major...thank god lol...
 
I think a lot of schools require both Calc I and II to get a B.S. If you want a B.A. in bio for example you only have to get through one semester.
 
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Your school doesn't have free tutoring??? :eek:

We have two math labs at my school where they have tutoring, but in one of them I literally had one TA tell me to go ask a student cause he didn't know anything, and in the other one it is usally crowded, so you have to wait 10 min. in between questions. I ask a lot of questions also, probbably too many in terms of just learning it in order to get an A, but I like to know the concepts.

I mainly use a tutor in chemistry since we dont have any tutors for that, but just use one for math before each test for 1 to 2 hours.
 
We have two math labs at my school where they have tutoring, but in one of them I literally had one TA tell me to go ask a student cause he didn't know anything, and in the other one it is usally crowded, so you have to wait 10 min. in between questions. I ask a lot of questions also, probbably too many in terms of just learning it in order to get an A, but I like to know the concepts.

I mainly use a tutor in chemistry since we dont have any tutors for that, but just use one for math before each test for 1 to 2 hours.

i think tutors are useless. the best thing you can do is spend hours in front of a book until you get it.

i feel like calc and organic chem are like those magic eye posters. You try so hard when you don't know how to do it, but you do it long enough and the picture magically becomes clear.
 
No it was fine. I did better in Calc 2 than Calc 1. For me it was all about practice. Do intergrals long enough, and you will have the basics down flat; giving you the ability to figure out tougher pieces in the problems. I normally hate math, but in this class I just did every single problem I could and Aced it.
 
Yeah, she has office hours, since its a summer class though, they are kind of random hours.

I guess a tutor really is not necessary, but since I am trying to make up for a couple of semesters of low gpas, I want to use every resource I can to make sure I get 4.0s from now on.

For a class like Chem II, do whatever you can to get someone who knows the material to spend some one on one time with you, whether it is office hours, TAs etc. I don't think that is a class where just sitting in front of the book and staring at it, or trying to learn it all in a lecture with 100 people is suffecient. A tutor for Chem II has helped me a lot, I understand the conepts now, and since I started studying with a tutor for my Chem II class next fall, we are already almost done with the class before it has started.
 
Yeah, she has office hours, since its a summer class though, they are kind of random hours.

I guess a tutor really is not necessary, but since I am trying to make up for a couple of semesters of low gpas, I want to use every resource I can to make sure I get 4.0s from now on.

For a class like Chem II, do whatever you can to get someone who knows the material to spend some one on one time with you, whether it is office hours, TAs etc. I don't think that is a class where just sitting in front of the book and staring at it, or trying to learn it all in a lecture with 100 people is suffecient. A tutor for Chem II has helped me a lot, I understand the conepts now, and since I started studying with a tutor for my Chem II class next fall, we are already almost done with the class before it has started.

well, spending time in the library worked for me. i got an A.

guess i'm just an independent learner. if i don't do it myself, i don't get it.
 
well, spending time in the library worked for me. i got an A.

guess i'm just an independent learner. if i don't do it myself, i don't get it.

That is good, yeah do whatever works for you.

If there are other people out there who can't afford to slip up in a class, then they should definitely find someone who can go over the material with them. That is the whole point of an institution of learning, otherwise everyone could just buy a book and teach themselves, and we could have self-taught doctors, but we would not want that.
 
hated calc 2, barely got a B. its just another weeder course we must get through.
 
Well, I was a math major and Calc II was my favorite of all the math classes...sorry! :oops:

I don't know if this helps, because your final is right away, but I would reiterate what other posters have said about doing every practice problem you can get your hands on...and try not to check the answer until you have really spent time and lots of energy on trying to solve the problem yourself. Also...integrals are just patterns. Learn all of the patterns and apply them, and you can't go wrong. Learn what each integral looks like, and then you will get the answer right no matter how strange it might look. This might not help with the trickiest ones (although really, those are just patterns as well), but it will definitely help you do well enough to pass. This applies to series/sequences as well.
 
It all depends on aptitutde. My major is physics and I personally think math and science are the easiest subject. But my understanding of music is still kindergarten level lol. Is there anyone who can teach me how to read notes?

I always loved how this works. I meet engineering/physics people who LOVE math but can't do anything with music or liberal arts...and vice versa. My issue was never the calculus...my handwriting is so bad I screw up the algebra. I'm def. better with literature, essays, music, languages, etc. Math was the bane of my existence due to my mistakes.
 
didnt read the whole thread, but to the OP: just make you dont let yourself fall behind. Calculus 2 has this nasty habit of spiraling out of control if you don't tame it from concept to concept. also tutors are very helpful too for calc 2.
 
Though I'm a bio major, I took Calc 1 and 2 so that I'd have two semesters of math. I found it pretty easy but I'm a bit of a math person (in the sense that I can do it well... I don't enjoy it very much, heh, which is why I'm not taking any more math ever again). Based on what a lot of people around me said, it is definitely one of the hardest courses for most non-math/physics majors.

Like ih8mcat said, I think calc 2 is a class where you have to "tame it from concept to concept".
 
That is good, yeah do whatever works for you.

If there are other people out there who can't afford to slip up in a class, then they should definitely find someone who can go over the material with them. That is the whole point of an institution of learning, otherwise everyone could just buy a book and teach themselves, and we could have self-taught doctors, but we would not want that.

this is not to say that it was "easy" for me. i spent HOURS looking over this crap with several crying jags and mental breakdowns along the way.

just put as much effort into it as you can. find what works for you. you'll get through it.
 
something I did that got me through calc 1 and 2, was bought a membership on www.hotmath.com, lol, Its gonna seem like I work for the website but I really dont, I would do all the hw problems the teacher assigned and if i couldnt get through it I used the website which walks you through the problem, and then if I still had a question I would just ask the teacher. I know some people that have taken these classes over and over again, they just dont get it, you have to work the problems until you know them fluently if you want success.
 
Wait until you get to Differential eq....:eek:
 
It all depends on aptitutde. My major is physics and I personally think math and science are the easiest subject. But my understanding of music is still kindergarten level lol. Is there anyone who can teach me how to read notes?

Every Good Boy Does Fine <g> Treble Clef .. that funky little backwards S kinda bunkie dee dunk...

EADGBE-- More practical in that it's the strings of the Geetar hehehe.

Hope this helps, but I'm pretty sure it can't hehe
 
Especially finding integrals and finding sums of series and testing for convergence?????

That was in my Calculus I class, which was definitely the hardest for me since I didn't even learn what a logarithm was at my high school. II and III weren't bad.
 
Does anyone think this class is extremely hard? Especially finding integrals and finding sums of series and testing for convergence????? I'm so scared my final is this week and I don't know what i'm doing! How did you guys manage to get through without killing yourself? any tips for doing well?

Look at a vector calculus book and get some perspective. All you need to do is memorize a little, so don't freak out. Practice a ton of problems and you'll be fine.
 
Does anyone think this class is extremely hard? Especially finding integrals and finding sums of series and testing for convergence????? I'm so scared my final is this week and I don't know what i'm doing! How did you guys manage to get through without killing yourself? any tips for doing well?
Even though this a way old thread I'm sure ppl Google & come across it so here is my current 2 cents after just getting an A in Calc 2 with the following test scores:
82, 103,99,91
You can see there was a steep learning curve from test 1 to test 2. Test 1 was voluminous in its need for review from trig, pre-Calc & Calc. I had not taken Calc 1 for 9 months b/c I could not get into a successive class. I took Discrete in between but that's a whole different ball game(except for series, which came back to help me greatly!)So the amount of review I needed was tidal. Overwhelming. I could not answer ONE question on the day 1 "check your skills" assessment my prof gave out in class. I was scared! I could have studied more, or better, for that first test. But the first two months my mom was dying, then halfway through she died, then several weeks of funeral planning & family, so this load was upon me as well.
Ok so I did buckle down to a whopping 5-8 hours a week of Calc. (Sarcasm, guys, that's really nothing for a STEM class)
The integrals were hard! Holy cow were they tough at first! I did every problem I could get my hands on for test 2. She assigned about 20 problems in 7.5 Stratagies- I did all 81. Cool, so then I got 103 on test 2.
Sequences and series came next & all I can say is practice, practice,practice, and, oh, yeah, PRACTICE!
And then:


PRACTICE!!!


Do you get my point?
I will admit I have tremendous natural aptitude for series, testing convergence, etc, but I still practiced. She gave us a 40 page review. Yes, 40 pages! I did not do them all but I READ AND STUDIED them all. This is some good "cheat" advice about sequences and series. You can actually read them like a history book and learn them. They are mostly just algebra and very basic Calc if any Calc at all!!!! (Think about it before you protest, they ARE really easy once you know which test to apply) Try it! Definitely practice but then test your own ability (at home, guys, don't wait for the test to find out if you can do this successfully) to simply read the solutions and learn them. The only reason I lost one point on series test 3 was I jumped my comparison too fast. In my head I knew why the equality was valid, but I didn't show the intermediate breakdown. I lost more points on test 4 only because I totally forgot to study binomial series. We were behind and took that test one week before finals and it got lost in the jumble. But the rest of my test, power series, etc was perfection, using the same methods of practice some and read the rest.
So that's my advice for Calc 2. It starts out with overwhelming amounts of material but it's do-able. Really. Because you've actually had all that stuff before. It's just gotten a bit dusty or cobwebby sitting in your brain. Dust it off & you'll see it's still shiny underneath. And for all the new stuff, just practice problems, use Symbolab, Slader, Mathway to see solutions to things you don't remember. Try to avoid the standard solutions manual - it's not much help & might make things worse for you.
 
Even though this a way old thread I'm sure ppl Google & come across it so here is my current 2 cents after just getting an A in Calc 2 with the following test scores:
82, 103,99,91

Congrats on your success but there was zero reason to necrobump a 9+ year thread, since there are a lot of Calc 2 tips that can be searched online, or are presented by members in more recent threads.
 
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