Few of you probably know, but last spring, I attempted to take Differential Equations, which is like Calculus IV (sort of), but had to drop it after the first two tests because I got D's on both of them. This class is the hardest math class that I have to take, unless I decide to become a math major... It is quite hard to understand how things work - as Barry suggested when I was talking to him about it, "It sounds like mathematical alchemy," and that's kind of what it feels like. This is because the methods we use to solve Differential Equations are methods that we are actually unable to understand - we would need to finish a major in math to fully understand some of these things. That is the biggest problem for me, because the way I learn, I have to understand how something works before I really know how to do it, unless I just do tons of repetitions.
Anyway, since I didn't finish the course last spring, I am trying again this semester, and I just got the results from my second test today. I got a 90 on the first test, and an 88 on the second one, giving me a solid B+ overall so far! I'll just say that this makes me very happy, and I thank God for giving me the ability to learn this, even if it takes two classes to get it! :)
Note: The picture at the top actually shows a problem involving Partial Differential Equations, which is a course that has Differential Equations as it's prerequisite. Fortunately I don't have to take that, because it's even harder then DE! (Come to think of it, neither of these classes are even required for a BS in Mathematics, probably because they apply more to engineering than they do to math in general)
