Linear Algebra

[Muusers]

Studying mechanical engineering I always wonder why the hell I get so much useless math. Yes I understand the use of matrices and all that. But WHY do I need to know all the terminology of the stuff. Who cares what the Nullspace of a certain matrix is. I DO NOT CARE, I'LL JUST SOLVE IT.

God the terminology is so much and so useless. I'll just calculate how much the diameter of an engine piston is without knowing the names of everything.

[colcifer]

Engineering is a group activity; you'll need to communicate your work which means using the terminology.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Which is all well and fine until you try to explain what you are doing to anyone else (be it a tutor, in a journal paper or a presentation at a conference).

Half of Science & Engineering is being able to do the actual work. The other half is being able to explain it

[KeithBMI]

Linear Algebra is just the tip of the iceberg. It gets worse.

[Atoz]

Originally Posted by KeithBMI

Linear Algebra is just the tip of the iceberg. It gets worse.

No kidding... my Doctoral thesis took place completely in the eigenworld.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by Atoz

No kidding... my Doctoral thesis took place completely in the eigenworld.

hmmm,an engineer who thinks math skills unimportant......

[Atoz]

Originally Posted by Jim Campbell

hmmm,an engineer who thinks math skills unimportant......

I hope you weren't talking about me... I'm neither an engineer nor someone who eschews the importance of mathematics.