Should I take Calculus II?

[Shi Huangdi]

I am just saying don't go off about what you don't know about, and I am somewhat annoyed you are making a statement you aren't qualified to give. I trust there is a reason you get bachelor's and even MA degrees without that much math. To make statements as bold as you are making, implying you can't have any real understanding of economics without a mathetical background in which Calc II is only the beginning, I'd want the poster to be of some authority.You're a good guy, and Apolyton people go beyond their fields of knowledge all the time, but you are overreaching yourself here.

[Asher]

I just seems like you're pissed off that Ramo scared you with the idea of doing lots of sciency stuff for an otherwise easy social science field.

[Ramo]

I don't think I'm "overreaching myself." I think I know enough about math to make "authoritative" assertions on the nature of large non-linear systems like economies. This is complicated material, here.

Of course, you can "learn" a bunch of tenuous "facts" about economies if you want. But that doesn't strike me as a very enlightening or useful process. Just my two cents.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by DuncanK
No, it's because most of them go to law school or some other postgraduate.

Then you don't need an econ degree. Eng Lit is easier

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
I trust there is a reason you get bachelor's and even MA degrees without that much math.

Well sure, BA and MA degrees mean they don't have much in the ways of science (including math). The thing about science courses is you learn how to think "scientifically," loosely speaking. It's good for you.

[St Leo]

If Calc II is basically is the second semester of university Calculus, I heartily encourage you to take it. I'm having a blast in it, mostly because my teacher doesn't dumb down the stuff.

[Inverse Icarus]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


Simple integrals I take it? Pretty easy then.

here are some of my review questions for the first exam i took this morning.

http://eaton.math.rpi.edu/coursematerials/spring03/ds1020/prac1.pdf

-pdf reader required.

[Inverse Icarus]

oh, and a loathe calculus with every fiber of my being.

[Japher]

Shi: Don't ask for opinions if you don't want them. Advice is just that. Granted that you think it is bad advice, but that is your decision to make. Ramo just felt that if you are in econ. it seems logical that you should learn as much math as you can. And, I am inclined to agree.

Yes, a good GPA is much nicer looking than if you have any of these upper level courses or not. Yes, employers hardly look at your transcripts to find any of this out (though I have had it happen). Yes, all employers care about is whether you have the degree or not. Yes, you are in a time of your life when you should be having fun, and not stressing over some course you don't even need.

But...

1. It is better to have and not need, then to need and not have. If you are not good at math, chances are you will not be able to learn Calc II on your own, so it might be good to have a teacher on the matter.

2. I higher understanding, makes the smaller things so much easier. If math is so annoying it may be a good idea to go as far as you can in it, so that when you need to evaluate a market fluctuation, or the potential circumstance of certain investment, you won't be stretching you mathematical skills to do so, and it won't be hard to do so at all.

3. Math is the key to what you want... and from the looks of it, what you want is money. Money is governed by math, and not just arithmatic or algebra. Calculus is the key to understanding multiple influences on a single form of equity. It is the key to so many, many things.

Hey, it is your decision. I agree with Ramo that you should take the class, see if you can take it pass/fail even, or if you can just sit in on the class from time to time to see if it is something that you might want to take. I feel that math is boring, yet I spent so many tedious hours at it that now I don't have to and receive the understandings that come with the knowledge without really habing to do any math.

Oh yeah, whoever suggested that you get an internship gave you some really good advice.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

I'm sure there is some sort of economics degree where you use statistics and rpobability. I think this is called game theory of something like that.