Yeah, I so hate it when that happens.

I hate it when I’m having an [extremely odd] conversation with a friend and the mere subject matter makes me feel like I’m betraying another friend, although there is absolutely nothing being said that could possibly even seem to be related except in the convoluted contours of my mind.

I want to take Diff. Eq. II just so I can learn about these convolutions (?) and transformations that could have been so useful in Probability this term…

I also want to see if I’ll enjoy doing them as much as I’ve enjoyed doing other DE things. So I’m a “plug and chug” girl. What else explains why I’m doing so poorly at both DISCO and Probability? “Keep it simple, stupid” and all that. Because I think I am very much hitting a ceiling in my intelligence/learning ability.

Despite my like of DE, matrices can bite my ass. Anything that actually sends me running for Maple needs to go, since my first instinct is to do it all by hand, and I end up wasting so much crucial time by getting myself lodged into an algebraic dilemma. And transformations on matrices to solve systems of equations get me lodged more than mechanical vibrations ever will.

Ah, well. Back to studying. And my odd, traitorous conversation. (Which has gotten even more odd and less comfortable as I type this.)

4 Comments

Javid

11/13/2004 at 22:19

“Lodged into an algebraic dilemma”
That is the quote of the century regarding DEII. The class might not having much at all in common with DEI other then the fact you solve the same type of problems, but I agree. I got in way too many algebraic dilemmas when I took the course last spring. So many in fact that I am grade replacing now. Good luck with your thoughts and working out this interesting predicament that you find yourself in. And oh yeah, you have definitely not hit the ceiling of your intelligence. It is fall quarter sophomore year which sucks for everyone, things will get better and I am sure the ceiling will eventually open up to an endless sky of possibilities.

Luke

11/13/2004 at 22:57

Well…hehe

Well if you just stop talking about me life’ll get a lot easier. Plus, if someone like me can make it through and understand enough then I don’t see as how you’ll have a problem…but always use the tools you have at your beck and call. IE> Maple is your friend when the problem is just too sucky to do by hand and somehow I doubt you’ll get lazy enough to stop doing any by hand…

Lissa

11/13/2004 at 23:03

lol

Luke, you’re an arrogant bastard. We weren’t talking about you.

Sickeningly enough, I *enjoy* doing big math problems by hand, filling pages and pages with vectors or matrices or DEs to unravel…

dmb

11/14/2004 at 02:37

Matrices are actually pretty interesting, once you get past the stuff you learn in DE.

And MATLAB blows Maple out of the water for stuff like that…

Javid

11/13/2004 at 22:19

“Lodged into an algebraic dilemma”
That is the quote of the century regarding DEII. The class might not having much at all in common with DEI other then the fact you solve the same type of problems, but I agree. I got in way too many algebraic dilemmas when I took the course last spring. So many in fact that I am grade replacing now. Good luck with your thoughts and working out this interesting predicament that you find yourself in. And oh yeah, you have definitely not hit the ceiling of your intelligence. It is fall quarter sophomore year which sucks for everyone, things will get better and I am sure the ceiling will eventually open up to an endless sky of possibilities.
Luke

11/13/2004 at 22:57

Well…hehe

Well if you just stop talking about me life’ll get a lot easier. Plus, if someone like me can make it through and understand enough then I don’t see as how you’ll have a problem…but always use the tools you have at your beck and call. IE> Maple is your friend when the problem is just too sucky to do by hand and somehow I doubt you’ll get lazy enough to stop doing any by hand…
Lissa

11/13/2004 at 23:03

lol

Luke, you’re an arrogant bastard. We weren’t talking about you.

Sickeningly enough, I *enjoy* doing big math problems by hand, filling pages and pages with vectors or matrices or DEs to unravel…
dmb

11/14/2004 at 02:37

Matrices are actually pretty interesting, once you get past the stuff you learn in DE.

And MATLAB blows Maple out of the water for stuff like that…