help plz

hey guys i just got in college for electronics and computer technology. i wanted to do electronics engineering but my advisor told me that is very math based. was wandering if anyone could tell me the exact prerequisits that one would need to go into electronics engineering. thanx for any help you can provide. one other thing, im not gonna lie i suck at math but im afraid to pick up afew books and learn.

Both electronics and computer technology require math... all the one you need will be taught to you during college, but you need to get over the fear to pick up books. You need to learn how to read fast and catch on quick. The hard part is getting the hang of it and learning the basics right... afterwards, electronics is one big approximation after another and all based on the basics.

There are no prerequisites except your willingness to learn and you liking it. On the math side, you can get a head start if you try understanding Fourier transform, Boolean logic and Veitch-Karnaugh diagrams... These are the things I ran into most often.

Well, obviously you've got to get your confidence built up.
The real question may be, do you suck at math or did the educational system suck at explaining it to you?
I was good at math but didn't like it until I did some exploring on my own and learned the "why" instead of slogging through a bunch of exercises and proofs. I'm not alone in this opinion by the way, Here's a good link:
http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2006/03/math-for-programmers.html
Find a way to make math fun - or at least somewhat interesting - and it can become a challenge rather than a drudge. Then you'll be able to handle your technical courses.
One more thing: find your school's tutoring office and use its services. Camp out there if you have to! Good Luck!

For an example:

To be an electrician, you need good basic arithmetic.
To be an electronic technician, you must be able to grasp logarithms and basic calculus.
To be an electrical/electronic engineer, you must (eventually) be able to do 3-dimensional calculus and quite a lot more.

To go anywhere with computers, you need Boolean logic and binary mathematics.

But as the man says, all the things you need will be taught on the course you do, but you might like to look at them first.

(But ... at a first glance, they will seem incredibly complicated to anyone except an innate genius.)

I was applying for an electronics course, and I knew my mental arithmetic was bad. So I got a kid's book of mental arithmetic exercises, and practised a few hours over a couple of weeks. I then completed (and passed) the 10 minute mental arithmetic test in 7 minutes.

If your math really sucks, but you still want to be an engineer, don't give up. Take extra math courses until you're good enough, then go for it.
And do electronics as a hobby, starting with kits, and reading up a bit at a time..

General rule: if you are a determined tryer, you will get there. If you're a quitter, you won't.

Well Chris..
In order for you to succeed in engineering, you have to know calculus. Because everything is based on equations, so if you have a strong background in calculus, i don't see you having a problem in this area...you are going to need reference books ( math), try to go to the library and do some research, try to do this before you get started, try to get a heads up.

One of the hardest lessons I learned in life is you gotta pay your dues if you want to get good at something. This stuff is hard for most people (unless you're a Stephen Hawking, or the like So you just have to slog it out. It becomes worth it, when you are rewarded with the success of actually applying it in the real world. If that doesn't happen, then you chose the wrong vocation. It really helps to have a passion for the thing you are working so hard to acheive. Like Joseph Campbell said, "Follow your bliss."

Thanx to everyone who gave me thier advice. i hated math in school because it was allways hard for me to concentrate for some reason. Idk what my deal was but ima do my best to figure this math stuff out and my last post was meant to say “im not afraid to pick up afew books and learn” i just left a word or too out. i talke to my advisor and found out that i only got 10 of the 25 math questions right lol so ima just do the uncredited classes and learn over time so i get a better understanding. once again guys thanx for the insight.

Hi friend, I was once in ur shoe but now I 've graduated 5-yrs ago as a Physics./Electronic Technologist. The simple solution is just believe it is very simple & remain sturbbon wt any maths task. Lanre 08034275053.