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Thanks for the advice all. I'm a civil, so I'm not overly worried about calculations. I just need to get a new calculator, so I thought I might as well get acquainted with an FE approved model. It can't hurt, right? Also, I've never seen RPN before. It looks interesting. Hed posted:Trust me as someone who still has his trusty TI-85 within arms reach at this very moment. In high school I won a state competition in calculator speed with the 85 and its standard infix notation + enter key, but years later when I got to my college semiconductor physics classes (with their half-pages of equation plug-and-chug to get parameters to put into other equations) I hung it up and switched over to the 33. Being able to start anywhere in a math problem proved invaluable. It's also battery-powered. The only downside I can see is if the approved Casio models you're looking at have built-in TVM modules. I didn't think TVM problems on the FE were bad with my 33 so this may be a non-issue. Can you explain what you mean in the bolded part? I get annoyed by parenthesis, but I'm not sure I see how RPN would allow me to "start anywhere"? Dead Pressed posted:However, I would NOT recommend any other of the TIs. They are either gimped or too slow to react to input and lag numbers/don't input them correctly. The multiview didn't have that problem. This was exactly the problem I was having and blaming on the solar. I always figured it was screwing up because I was blocking the solar cell. Guess I will be avoiding most of the TIs.
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May 8, 2011 07:30
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RogueLemming posted:Thanks for the advice all. I'm a civil, so I'm not overly worried about calculations. I just need to get a new calculator, so I thought I might as well get acquainted with an FE approved model. It can't hurt, right? Once you get the hang of RPN (and it happens quickly), you'll start getting good at looking at a large calculation and knowing where to start, and then working your way outwards. RPN works with stacks, so instead of working left to right like with a normal calculator, you essentially work from the inside out. It's much faster (in my opinion) and more intuitive as well. Of course there are people that are incredibly good at keeping track of order of operations and parentheses and whatnot on a regular TI-89 so your mileage may vary. The Wikipedia example for RPN does a halfway decent job of explaining its advantages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_Polish_notation#Example
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May 8, 2011 15:53
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ApathyGifted posted:Yeah, two-thirds of my interviews were landed through recruiters finding me. I was more curious about reaching out and contacting a recruiter directly. If you contact them, they'll probably want to charge you, just like the ones I talked to. YMMV.
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May 8, 2011 16:50
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What distinguishes a computer engineer with a software focus, and a software engineer, anyway? In my area, I've see a SE degree offered as a masters, and a CEN(software) degree as a Bachelor's. I've also seen CS as a bachelor's offered all over the place. It seems to me that it has to do with how many courses have to do with actual programming experience, versus understanding how computers at the "metal layer", versus understanding algorithms and computability theory. Am I correct? What would employers care about more, anyway? CoC seems to emphasize that anyone who can program competently at all will find work, but since I am going to school I might as well make the most of my education.
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May 8, 2011 22:55
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2banks1swap.avi posted:What distinguishes a computer engineer with a software focus, and a software engineer, anyway? I hate to put it simply, but a software engineering curriculum is about building software with just enough hardware to know how to make your software work. Computer engineering is about actually designing computer hardware with just enough software knowledge to know what your hardware needs to do. In practice a lot more coders are needed than ASIC designers so you get computer engineers moving into software as they've taken courses in that area too. As for what employers are about more; do you want to do VHDL at Intel, design embedded systems built around microcontrollers/FPGAs, or write high level application code? All that said, I have a BSEE and am a software engineer at the moment so... (The software is all signal processing though)
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May 8, 2011 23:13
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My naive interest is at the lower level, but my " the JOB MARKET" anxiety is screaming to do software. The best intersection between the two would be working on microcode and drivers, assembly and the like.My dream would be VHDL for AMD but I'd have to get a Master's for that, right?
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May 8, 2011 23:34
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RogueLemming posted:Can you explain what you mean in the bolded part? I get annoyed by parenthesis, but I'm not sure I see how RPN would allow me to "start anywhere"? illcendiary pretty much covered it but you can start putting operands on the stack and computing from pretty much anywhere in the problem, whereas with a standard computation you'd need to select how many sets of parentheses you would need to open, or use a hell of a lot of [2nd] [Ans] button presses. I think RPN allows you to quickly break an equation down into a few blocks and compute those, collect the results, and when it comes time to combine the blocks every number is in place when you need it. If you try it you may like it, if not a lot of the calculators will allow you to switch back to 'standard' mode. Also I meant to suggest the 35s which replaced the 33s that I used on the test. Either way, you have so much time on FE you don't need to worry. 2banks: I know you've got a lot ahead of you but don't fret. If VHDL for [company] is what you want to do, then try to finish your embedded classes as soon as you can and see if your profs have undergrad research opportunities in it. If you like it, keep on doing it on the side. You can probably do quarter-time or half-time, whatever is flexible for you, and by the time you come out you could have some sweet projects on the resume and probably have your name on some papers/projects as a contributor. And if you hate it, well you still have some experience and now you have the knowledge that you should concentrate elsewhere. I know it's easy for me to say now but really you should try to find something you're passionate about instead of tailoring your degree program to prime for 'the job market'. It's not to say you can't do some hedging here and there, but it sounds like you're really passionate about something so try to find ways to feed the flame. I'm sure you can find something that will set you apart 
Hed fucked around with this message at 03:19 on May 9, 2011 |
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May 9, 2011 03:15
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Sorry for the double post, I just wanted to illustrate how RPN can be useful. I just opened to a random page in my Semiconductor Physics book. Look at this rear end in a top hat equation here:  Thermal-equilibrium majority hole carrier hole concentration in a p-type semiconductor. Now given a standard temperature and yadda yadda dopant/acceptor concentrations you could need to crank something like this:  On standard calculator: code:RPN: code:I could have shaved 9 off the RPN by just pressing [ENTER] again to duplicate the first large fraction for the under the radical part, but then I could have also done a quick [STO->] [RCL] on my TI-85, or any number of other tiny tricks. The point is, fewer button presses and also clearer in the fact that I don't have to worry about how many sets of parentheses I will need up front once I encounter that radical. Also on some calculators you MUST close all of your parentheses because it wants to be idiot-proof and that costs extra time. My slow-as-balls TI-89 is guilty of this. I know button presses isn't exactly equal to computation time on your end but trust me, it should be faster / clearer (read:less mistake-prone) to do it in RPN. Also the 'blocks' thing I was talking about I basically broke the problem up into 3 'blocks' and at the end added the latter 2 blocks, took the square root of the result, and added the first block to it; conveniently it was waiting for me on the RPN stack. 
Hed fucked around with this message at 06:07 on May 9, 2011 |
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May 9, 2011 03:57
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Hed posted:Sorry for the double post, I just wanted to illustrate how RPN can be useful. Now do vi vs emacs. Fake edit: Or indent style.
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May 9, 2011 05:02
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Python vs Perl?
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May 9, 2011 05:06
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Actually I was going to do low-carb versus cyclical ketogenic diet for maximizing muscle gains from a thermodynamics perspective, in order to show him how to get ready for the FE.
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May 9, 2011 05:27
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Guys, all of these big words scare a youngin' like me who starts college in the fall.
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May 9, 2011 08:06
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Don't worry, you'll pick up everything you need to know along the way, they don't jump right from algebra II to Calc VI, you know! And buck up- in the real world, you're not likely to use any of this at all.
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May 9, 2011 11:54
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There's a calculus 4? 
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May 9, 2011 12:55
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grover posted:Don't worry, you'll pick up everything you need to know along the way, they don't jump right from algebra II to Calc VI, you know! 2banks1swap.avi posted:There's a calculus 4? Its the one where they teach you roman numerals. Also at many schools calc 4 is DE or calc 3 and DE is called calc 3.
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May 9, 2011 13:53
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Dr. Goonstein posted:Guys, all of these big words scare a youngin' like me who starts college in the fall. Haha, don't worry about it. If my dumb rear end can graduate (one week!), you'll be fine. Just put forth the effort and you'll do well enough. VI=6, IV=4; I only had to take up to Calc 4. Granted, I've heard Vector Geometry and Linear Algebra referenced as "calc" classes (both of which I had to take, but weren't called calc), so maybe that's the discrepancy?
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May 9, 2011 14:07
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Lord Gaga posted:Its the one where they teach you roman numerals. Also at many schools calc 4 is DE or calc 3 and DE is called calc 3. It's early and Roman numerals suck anyway.
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May 9, 2011 14:23
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Speaking of calculus, it looks like I'm going to finish my Calculus 1 class with a B-B+. I made the mistake of taking it my last semester of high school and I will admit that I did not give it my full attention because, well, I was a senior and had just a few short weeks left. I got a pretty good idea of the stuff, and we covered through integrals. Would you guys recommend I jump into Calc 2 next semester, or re-take Calc 1 so I am not hosed in the long run? For reference, I'm the kind of guy that got straight A's in high school and plans to at least keep a 3.5 for scholarships in university.
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May 9, 2011 17:18
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Dr. Goonstein posted:Speaking of calculus, it looks like I'm going to finish my Calculus 1 class with a B-B+. ...Would you guys recommend I jump into Calc 2 next semester, or re-take Calc 1 so I am not hosed in the long run? Calc II will build and strengthen techniques you learned in Calc I. There is no need to retake calc I. That said, do [all] your homework and you won't be in this position.
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May 9, 2011 17:37
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Calc2 is just "integrating things that do not want to play nice" and then series, isn't it? My calc1 class stopped at u-sub. We're only going to do uv and partial fractions in calc2.
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May 9, 2011 17:45
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Murgos posted:Calc II will build and strengthen techniques you learned in Calc I. There is no need to retake calc I. Oh I plan to put my nose to the grindstone in college. I just got really lazy this last semester cause I wanted to get the hell out of there. It didn't help that the other 2 students taking it from my school were even lazier. You can tell it happened easily, because on my first test over Limits I got a 97, and this last test over Integrals I got about a 67. :/
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May 9, 2011 17:48
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poo poo, I got C's in calculus 1 and 2 when I started college as an engineering major. The math in those classes was far more difficult than anything in my engineering classes. If you have the chance to place out of them jump at it. Just my experience though.
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May 9, 2011 18:06
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Math profs at my school were brilliant but terrible profs. So glad I placed out of everything but DiffEQ. Will never understand math majors and how they survive. 
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May 9, 2011 18:36
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Dr. Goonstein posted:Speaking of calculus, it looks like I'm going to finish my Calculus 1 class with a B-B+. I made the mistake of taking it my last semester of high school and I will admit that I did not give it my full attention because, well, I was a senior and had just a few short weeks left. I got a pretty good idea of the stuff, and we covered through integrals. Would you guys recommend I jump into Calc 2 next semester, or re-take Calc 1 so I am not hosed in the long run? A lot of schools expect you to have completed Calc 1 before starting an engineering curriculum, anyway. I'd say as long as you understood the concepts out of the class you'll be fine.
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May 9, 2011 18:57
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T.H.E. Rock posted:A lot of schools expect you to have completed Calc 1 before starting an engineering curriculum, anyway. I'd say as long as you understood the concepts out of the class you'll be fine. I looked and UNL wants you to have at least taken Pre-Calc, which I have taken twice basically, once for college credit, and ended up with 97+ both times. Thanks to all for the assuring posts though. I am pretty confident I will be able to test into Calc 2 easily.
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May 9, 2011 19:12
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All I had entering as a freshman was Trigonometry. First calculus was first day of class in college  I did well on my SATs and I had ok math grades in high school, so they didn't think I was unqualified to start with all the other freshmen who had calc already. We all got killed anyway on the first test.Got a C, C+, and B+ in Calc I,II and III, respectively. I've probably done 10 things of actual calculus since then (not including watching the professor derive a much easier to use formula for a class using calc). I start graduate school in two weeks
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May 9, 2011 19:18
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I am going to open my mouth again for the sake of argument and say talk to your adivsor about it. Even though I 'mastered' high school calc I, at my advisor's behest I took Calc I again in college. While much of it I had already learned, I only began to really understand what I was doing with the whole infinite number of infinitesimal rectangles in college. I do believe this review/relearning cemented the foundation to build the vector calcs, physics, and EM theory on--and really understand where its coming from. At the very least you could get 5 hours of honors credit for it
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May 9, 2011 19:52
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Some schools advise starting with Calc 1 even if you've passed the AP tests before showing up on campus. I kinda wish I had taken Calc 1 again because starting with Calc 2 my first semester freshman year was a bitch but I got through it.
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May 9, 2011 20:04
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I started college after being out of high school for four years without a background in trigonometry. I had to take a quarter of Pre-Calc to learn the basics and then was up to speed. I took Calculus I at the same time as Physics I and actually learned differentiation in physics first. It's really not that big of a hurdle. For the guy who took Calc in high school and doesn't know whether to take it again or not - Just take it. It's not like you're going to graduate any earlier, so just retake the class and maybe learn something new, or at the very least get a 4.0 to pad out your GPA before you get your soul crushed.
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May 10, 2011 02:25
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Wooo just got offered an FPGA verification position at BAE Systems in NH. Totally accepting it - anybody here work for them?
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May 10, 2011 03:40
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Cannister posted:Wooo just got offered an FPGA verification position at BAE Systems in NH. Totally accepting it - anybody here work for them? Know a guy who works for them in Melbourne. He's been there for a few years now so I assume he likes it. He gets to play with that sort of stuff too so I guess it must be pretty reasonable work.
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May 10, 2011 04:35
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Cannister posted:Wooo just got offered an FPGA verification position at BAE Systems in NH. Totally accepting it - anybody here work for them? They're good for blue collar work is all that I know. At least as far as Atlantic Marine was before BAE bought them out.
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May 10, 2011 04:47
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HAHAHAH did someone just say "Should I retake a class I got a B in?" Just take classes and don't waste any more time in engineering school than you have to.
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May 10, 2011 05:34
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Understanding differential equations will save you so much trouble later on. Especially if you ever have to take a signals class or a dynamic systems class.
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May 10, 2011 06:52
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Lord Gaga posted:HAHAHAH did someone just say "Should I retake a class I got a B in?" Just take classes and don't waste any more time in engineering school than you have to.  Cannister posted:I HAVE JORB!
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May 10, 2011 16:23
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movax posted:Congrats! Will they also buy you a security clearance? That will come in handy when you move on in a few years to another defense company or similar. I already have a security clearance - it's one of the reasons they offered me a job 4 hours after my interview, besides having relevant experience.
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May 10, 2011 16:43
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evensevenone posted:Understanding differential equations will save you so much trouble later on. If you don't at least do the latter in some fashion then shame. Shame. edit: The DE stuff is hugely important for at least developing an intuition for such things. Systems thinking is a concept unto itself, but intimately linked with DE (its how DE's chain, by way of boundaries). Learn it. Love it. Spime Wrangler fucked around with this message at 09:31 on May 11, 2011 |
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May 11, 2011 09:28
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2banks1swap.avi posted:My dream would be VHDL for AMD but I'd have to get a Master's for that, right? And a time machine.
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May 11, 2011 19:14
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Then what exactly is used now for chip design? Edit: I think I should have said VLSI. Fuck them fucked around with this message at 20:37 on May 11, 2011 |
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May 11, 2011 20:31
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Stolen designs from Intel?
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May 11, 2011 20:36
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