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numbertalk
Hunnert Buck
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 Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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| What is going on? These are musicians and synth enthusiasts. Bound for failure? Uh oh people, hear this, you are doomed to live in your parents basement for the rest of your lives and never make anything of yourself. People just need to relax the tone here. It's a frickin free course on circuits! It's also people's decisions to do what the hell they please. Didn't know my dad was on this forum so much. |
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Monobass
thonk.co.uk
Joined: 29 May 2009
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Location: Brighton, UK
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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wavecircle that would be great, I somehow missed your post above, I think once the course starts I would definitely like your help.
I'm planning to also corral a maths teacher I know into giving me some tutoring beforehand 
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258J Euro kit - Manhattan Analog Kits- 4ms Kits - Clarke68 Panels - Expert Sleepers Glow Cables - Banana Jacks |
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wavecircle
Big Audio Sodomite
Joined: 05 Sep 2010
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Location: Newcastle, England
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:01 pm Post subject: |
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| numbertalk wrote: | | What is going on? These are musicians and synth enthusiasts. Bound for failure? Uh oh people, hear this, you are doomed to live in your parents basement for the rest of your lives and never make anything of yourself. People just need to relax the tone here. It's a frickin free course on circuits! It's also people's decisions to do what the hell they please. Didn't know my dad was on this forum so much. |
People who take no interest in maths won't fail in life but they will certainly fail in physics. I am not talking about the wider context here.
Monobass, no problem. If you did maths 15 years ago you won't have any problem remembering it. We can do some algebra and some calculus. I think the 6.002 course said these are the prerequisites. Differential equations come later. |
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numbertalk
Hunnert Buck
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Last Visit: 20 May 2013
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Who the heck is talking about physics (ok obviously physics is involved, but this is primarily a synth forum)? It's one thing to say "if anyone is serious about this course, you will definitely need to brush up on your math" and another to take this holier than thou obnoxious attitude (not so much you, more Hinton). What is wrong with curiosity and checking this course out no matter what? We're not talking about enrolling for a full degree and planning my damn life around this free class. |
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numbertalk
Hunnert Buck
Joined: 16 Oct 2008
Last Visit: 20 May 2013
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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| And for the record, I'm not a troll here. You can view my history of posts to see that. These replies just rubbed me the wrong way on the wrong day. I'm done hijacking this thread. But I will exit with a plea to drop the snooty and holier than thou attitudes. It's only the business of the person deciding to give this class a shot how seriously they want to take it etc... It shouldn't bother you if no one wants your help with math etc... |
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Monobass
thonk.co.uk
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wavecircle
Big Audio Sodomite
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Location: Newcastle, England
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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Curiosity is excellent, I think this course is an absolutely amazing opportunity for anyone interested in synths and general electronics. This is one of the best scientific institutions in the world offering free education. People shouldn't be put off by the maths though, if anything they should use this course as an excuse to get into maths, it can be very rewarding. Like I have said, I am happy to help people with their maths, I won't shout at anyone for not understanding right away.  |
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numbertalk
Hunnert Buck
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Last Visit: 20 May 2013
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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| wavecircle wrote: | | Curiosity is excellent, I think this course is an absolutely amazing opportunity for anyone interested in synths and general electronics. This is one of the best scientific institutions in the world offering free education. People shouldn't be put off by the maths though, if anything they should use this course as an excuse to get into maths, it can be very rewarding. Like I have said, I am happy to help people with their maths, I won't shout at anyone for not understanding right away. |
Sounds awesome. Thank you for the generous offer. I did 3 years of calculus when I earned my CS degree, and did quite well and actually enjoyed it, but it's been 12 years. I'm going to check out the book someone suggested on Amazon earlier here and feel things out. Would be great if I could manage to get something out of this course. I would take you up on the offer, but between work and being a parent & husband as well as trying to make music in my free time (what's that?), just would make it easier for me to get a book and read it in bed at night. |
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lizlarsen
Super Deluxe Wiggler
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Location: Denton, TX
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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I signed up as well! All of my electronics knowledge is contextual, after hundreds of hours of synth DIY and module development -- my partner in LZX handles all the more complex engineering. So while I think some of this will be review, I'm looking forward to fleshing out a broader understanding of all the basics in a holistic instead of SynthDIY-focused way.
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Monobass
thonk.co.uk
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Location: Brighton, UK
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:33 pm Post subject: |
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| wavecircle wrote: | | People shouldn't be put off by the maths though, if anything they should use this course as an excuse to get into maths, it can be very rewarding. |
yeah. i used to love maths. then for some reason I did the wrong degree about things I had no interest in and grew to hate it. It was a free education and I even got a grant.... it would probably cost me about £40k to make that ill advised mistake if I was 18 now 
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Thonk - Modular Synth DIY
258J Euro kit - Manhattan Analog Kits- 4ms Kits - Clarke68 Panels - Expert Sleepers Glow Cables - Banana Jacks |
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wavecircle
Big Audio Sodomite
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Location: Newcastle, England
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Same here, except I have done something about it just before the course fees triple. I did sound design at university first time round but have always found it very hard to make a reasonable living from it. Physics was always my favourite subject at school so I enrolled last year. I'll be 32 when I graduate but hopefully I can go on further than BSc. |
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Monobass
thonk.co.uk
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bkbirge
Ultra Wiggler
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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I'll help with the remedial math, here's the first self evaluation quiz...
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bkbirge
Ultra Wiggler
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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2nd quiz, not asking you to do this, just look at it, if it is completely a mystery then run don't walk to do some remedials...
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"The person who says it cannot be done should not
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ben jah men
Wiggling with Experience
Joined: 13 Sep 2010
Last Visit: 17 Apr 2013
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 6:24 pm Post subject: |
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^^^ fuck.
so the fact that I'm struggling in "college algebra" means I don't have a chance 
despair. |
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decaying.sine
Broken <--> Fixed
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Location: Dark Side of the Moon, CT USA
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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| bkbirge wrote: | 2nd quiz, not asking you to do this, just look at it, if it is completely a mystery then run don't walk to do some remedials...
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2(1/2 log(x^2 + 6x +13) - 3/2 tan^-1(x+3/2))
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Brian
"I must create a system or be enslaved by another mans; I will not reason and compare: my business is to create." William Blake |
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Graham Hinton
Wiggling with Experience
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Location: England
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| Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 7:00 am Post subject: |
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| Monobass wrote: | I agree about the tone of Graham's response.
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My response was to somebody thinking that they could do the course and in the same breath saying that differential equations make them vomit. It isn't cool to make a virtue out of ignorance and it's worthy of a Brunellian put down.
In my experience most people have decided they don't like mathematics before they have had their first lesson and then they spend so much time grumbling about it they don't learn anything. All they are doing is proclaiming that they belong to Edison's 80%.
It's easy to shoot your mouth off on a forum, but those people won't be vocal when they drop out of the course.
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But having looking at the first three video lectures of the 6002 course I have to say he is basically right. The maths is not optional, it's not something which provides an extra insight into the material discussed, it is the material.
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Exactly.
I know how much maths you will need because I've done it and after doing electronic engineering for 40 years I can honestly say that there has not been a day where I have not been grateful for it. You don't need the very advanced stuff all the time, but when the going gets tough you do and you do need an aptitude for algebra most of the time. Mathematics disciplines your mind to analyse the real problem, abstract and solve it and then apply it. I've never needed Divs, Grads and Curls, but I have needed the ability to think like that.
The other thing I can warn you of is that getting back into education once you have left is a lot harder. If you go through school and university it's a continuous process that trains your mind to accept the way educationalists teach. Once you get out into life and do other things it is much harder to get back into the habit and to maintain the concentration that will be needed. Ten hours a week is probably the absolute minimum.
Now THAT is a better attitude.
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Roycie Roller
Death Row Wiggler
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| Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 7:42 am Post subject: |
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qmmg
Last edited by Roycie Roller on Sun Feb 19, 2012 3:05 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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loydb
Wiggling with Experience
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Location: Rhode Island
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| Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 10:30 am Post subject: |
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| Graham Hinton wrote: | | It isn't cool to make a virtue out of ignorance and it's worthy of a Brunellian put down. |
I thought the tone was perfectly fine. I went through CS mixed with EE nearly 25 years ago. My math was shaky then, and mostly gone now :( Looking at the textbook for this course, and the online notes, and realize that I'll have to basically re-learn calculus before I could successfully attempt it.
If you're going to take the course without the math background, be prepared to quickly be reduced to the role of spectator. You may or may not get any benefit from this, but you're kidding yourself if you think you're going to get through problem sets without the math.
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Paradigm X
Veteran Wiggler
Joined: 02 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 10:51 am Post subject: |
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hmm, starting to feel like i shouldnt bother now. 
I did one year of electronic engineering at college and three years of acoustics, and did a fair bit of maths then, but that was 15 years ago. You dont use much full on maths in acoustics on a daily baisis, at least in consultancy.
With a full time job, wife and kid, and trying to make stuff and write music, like matey above, i dont know when ill get time. Ill need to start now effectively, going thru the maths i know to catch up.
Graham has been a bit blunt, tbh, but hes almost certainly right.
But then nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? At least theres a few of us with various abilites who can help each other. Not evenbothered about getting a certificate, more just want to learn more, rather than just stuffing boards.
cHEERS |
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