Difference between revisions of "Mathematica"
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Good [[fucking]] question. Mathematica is this gigantic calculator program that can do every mathematical task you give it, which I'm sure is nice for the one kid at this fucking school taking Linear Topography 387, but for all of the other people who have to take calculus if they want to be an Econ major, it is the scourge of [[SMC]]. It causes ulcers and migraines, and no one ever tells you about it before you get here. I mean, a little forewarning would have been nice. All throughout high school my teachers kept telling me that I needed to get a graphing calculator. When [[college]] rolled around, I figured I'd put down the cash and invest in a TI-83, only to be told once I got here that I had wasted a million dollars on something that I would only use to calculate my test scores. | Good [[fucking]] question. Mathematica is this gigantic calculator program that can do every mathematical task you give it, which I'm sure is nice for the one kid at this fucking school taking Linear Topography 387, but for all of the other people who have to take calculus if they want to be an Econ major, it is the scourge of [[SMC]]. It causes ulcers and migraines, and no one ever tells you about it before you get here. I mean, a little forewarning would have been nice. All throughout high school my teachers kept telling me that I needed to get a graphing calculator. When [[college]] rolled around, I figured I'd put down the cash and invest in a TI-83, only to be told once I got here that I had wasted a million dollars on something that I would only use to calculate my test scores. | ||
| − | The [[math]] professors wanted me to "get the feel" of | + | The [[math]] professors wanted me to "get the feel" of Mathematica. Guess what? Mathematica is a program that can only be accessed on school computers or on your own machine while it's connected to the school network. You may need to call a nerd for that second case. That is just the cherry on top of the pile of disincentives I have against doing my math [[homework]]. Leibniz did not use Mathematica, and that dude ''invented'' calculus. On the other hand, Newton probably would have used Mathematica frequently to feign an understanding of Maclurian polynomials and integrated integrals, when he actually couldn't be bothered learning the theories behind it all because he was too busy getting apples dropped on his head. |
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| + | As with all things math-related, it's a good idea to ask questions whenever you have them, otherwise you will get left in the dust. Knowing the math department, they'll probably ask you to do some graphical analysis of the individual trajectories of each particle anyway. | ||
Revision as of 21:50, 25 April 2009
Fuck Mathematica.
What the hell is Mathematica?
Good fucking question. Mathematica is this gigantic calculator program that can do every mathematical task you give it, which I'm sure is nice for the one kid at this fucking school taking Linear Topography 387, but for all of the other people who have to take calculus if they want to be an Econ major, it is the scourge of SMC. It causes ulcers and migraines, and no one ever tells you about it before you get here. I mean, a little forewarning would have been nice. All throughout high school my teachers kept telling me that I needed to get a graphing calculator. When college rolled around, I figured I'd put down the cash and invest in a TI-83, only to be told once I got here that I had wasted a million dollars on something that I would only use to calculate my test scores.
The math professors wanted me to "get the feel" of Mathematica. Guess what? Mathematica is a program that can only be accessed on school computers or on your own machine while it's connected to the school network. You may need to call a nerd for that second case. That is just the cherry on top of the pile of disincentives I have against doing my math homework. Leibniz did not use Mathematica, and that dude invented calculus. On the other hand, Newton probably would have used Mathematica frequently to feign an understanding of Maclurian polynomials and integrated integrals, when he actually couldn't be bothered learning the theories behind it all because he was too busy getting apples dropped on his head.
As with all things math-related, it's a good idea to ask questions whenever you have them, otherwise you will get left in the dust. Knowing the math department, they'll probably ask you to do some graphical analysis of the individual trajectories of each particle anyway.
