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How quickly can I learn Calculus?

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ESAND
Posts: 1607 - Karma: 744
I enrolled in a Micro course this year that stated that while Calc was not a prerequisite it was strongly recommended. I didn't have it and am completely lost in class.

I've studied single variable differentiation but it seems like most of the class is multiple derivatives.

We're in the 3rd week of class and I feel like I haven't really fully understood anything we've seen.

Marshallian demand functions
Indirect Utility Functions

Today's class was on Roy's Identity.

It seems like all of the problems were doing use Lagrange multipliers and I don't even know what those are. I looked it up and found a good explanation that I didn't understand at all.

I think I need to understand circular functions, and vectors. Is it realistic to think I can teach myself this? I have stewart calc, and was thinking of using the MIT open coursware
Mar 31 2015 7:55AM
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Steezy_IN_KC
Posts: 2033 - Karma: 1,607
My advice is to check out Khan Academy. He has a number of different calc discussions. If found it beneficial when I was in a bind and needed to learn something quickly.

Plus they have the app now.
Mar 31 2015 8:08AM
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KravtZ
Posts: 6637 - Karma: 2,629
If I remember from back in the day when I took calc....theres probably like 15 or so different ways to manipulate derivatives. Start studying son. They aren't that hard at all when you really understand how they work and how to solve the problems. At least learn the basics about them and how to solve them. Go to your tutoring center
Mar 31 2015 9:09AM
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ghosthop
Posts: 631 - Karma: 1,027
Have you talked to your prof yet?

something like lagrange multipliers isn't that complicated, it would probably take five minutes for them to show you if you understand how to take a derivative.
Mar 31 2015 10:39AM
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will_powder
Posts: 3194 - Karma: 5,445
Partial derivatives are easy dude, just go to office hours and they'll get you sorted out real quick.
Mar 31 2015 11:55AM
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erikK
Posts: 3245 - Karma: 2,328
don't bother going to class or your prof or your textbook. khanacademy or patrickjmt are much much better
Mar 31 2015 11:59AM
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gotti
Posts: 4269 - Karma: 4,550
Bro lagrange multipliers and multiple derivatives are multivariate calc which comes after calc. It would take you about a year to learn how behind you are man
Mar 31 2015 12:11PM
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gotti
Posts: 4269 - Karma: 4,550
although im in a micro course now and we didnt do any of that
Mar 31 2015 12:14PM
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HoneyBadger
Posts: 998 - Karma: 234
fuck calc. took it over the summer at another campus and got a 56%. needed a 55% to transfer the credit
Mar 31 2015 12:19PM
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Phil-X-
Posts: 7205 - Karma: 14,399
smoke a bunch of dope and watch a bunch of khan academy (with another window open playing chappelle show) should only need like an hour before the exam
Mar 31 2015 12:19PM
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GregFlik
Posts: 449 - Karma: 1,069
I'd also recommend that in addition to khan academy, that after you do khan for the selected lesson, you use https://www.wolframalpha.com/ to check your answers. It helped me a lot when I was doing calc and provided me with a type of check to see if I was doing it correctly.
Mar 31 2015 12:25PM
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J-Wile
Posts: 481 - Karma: 804
Calculus itself isn't too bad and you could probably master derivatives in a day or 2. Each big Calculus concept can be mastered relatively fast if you really focus and dedicate yourself. I'm not sure what calc you'll need for your class but Calculus itself isn't too terrible
Mar 31 2015 12:52PM
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C.Wood
Posts: 2524 - Karma: 180
Check out:

Patrick JMT on youtube, has tutorials for basically anything

And like someone else said above, Khan Academy is a great resource too
Mar 31 2015 1:24PM
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Furrer92
Posts: 784 - Karma: 341
Just to reiterate: https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/microeconomics


As for the guy saying you're a year behind, don't worry about it. The amount of calculus you need in undergraduate econ is pretty minor unless you plan on taking 3rd, mostly 4th years courses where you actually have to start proving theory.

Khan should be fine, if not check and see if your school has a math help centre.

I'd also make sure to go over certain calculus concepts like chain rule and such for when you get some more complicated problems.
Mar 31 2015 1:27PM
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Nikolaus
Posts: 863 - Karma: 995
Not that quickly
Mar 31 2015 2:09PM
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ESAND
Posts: 1607 - Karma: 744
Ok someone said I'm a year behind. Someone said I could learn it in 5 minutes.

Is there a middle ground? Like I said I already know how to take and prove derivatives for one variable.

The main thing I need to really get is multiple variable derivatives and lagrange multipliers

I had found this page on Lagrange multipliers: http://www.slimy.com/~steuard/teaching/tutorials/Lagrange.html#Basics

But it started talking about vectors and circular functions which I'm not familiar with. How hard would this be to figure out?

I'll have covered this by the end of the semester in my math class according to the syllabus but I need it NOW (actually 3 weeks ago) for micro
Mar 31 2015 4:32PM
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msg
Posts: 1108 - Karma: 3,269
ESANDmultiple variable derivatives


Do you mean partial or directional derivatives?

Both are fairly simple, and you will pick them up in no time.
Mar 31 2015 5:42PM
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