some of the formulas ive been looking at are containing symbols i dont understand and there not saying what they mean
here are the symbols i dont get:

Ʃ - ive also been coming across this with a ∞ above it, does this mean infinite?
∫ - i think this means inertia but what does inertia mean? ive also seen three of these in a row one after the other, sometimes with a circle in the middle, i think that means at any point.

. - i presume the full stop is multiply ?

 

Those are common mathematical symbols. Here is a link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_mathematical_symbols

 

First one is sum: http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Sum.html

Second is integral: http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Integral.html

 

Σ is for sum. It usually comes with a variable term that is summed over and over.
For example \(\Sigma _{\tiny{i=1}} ^{\tiny4} i=10\)

\(\int\) is for integration. Multiple integration signs mean integration in more than one dimension. A circle denotes integration over a closed line.
For example \(\int _0 ^5 x\ dx=\left[ x^2 \right] _0 ^5=25\)

As for the dot, it depends on its position in the expression. Can you be more specific?

 

thanks guys it doesnt look as scary anymore. ok i can be more specific with the . , for e.g there will be an upside down triangle . B = 0. i think i need to work on my maths, i been reading a book on magnetism and magnetic materials and its all maths way beyond me

 

The upside down triangle is called "del" and it is a differential operator. See the following article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Del

The interpretation depends on the thing it is applied to. This stuff isn't easy and a quick review is unlikely to be sufficient if you've never seen it before.

 

ok thanks, these wikipedia print outs has provided me with more than enough for today. how long will this take to grasp to understand properly?because this does seem hard. i do about 15-20 hours a week self direct research

 

The sum is easy, it is basically an abbreviation.

Integral is more complex, but there are formulas that let you go from the integral to integral solution, basically someone in the past 300 years solved that particular type of integral, all you have to do is setup the integral, then look up in the list which type your integral match: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_integrals

 

are there any youtube lectures on this? i dont no what to type to find what im looking for

 

are there any youtube lectures on this? i dont no what to type to find what im looking for

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=integral+math

 

It took me about four semesters of math and physics courses to really grab onto what was happening with calculus, vectors, and vector differential operators. That is about halfway to an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering

 

Hello,

On the science pages from the EDUCYPEDIA you will find a lot of links on physics and mathematics:
http://www.educypedia.be/education/educationopening.htm

If you want to watch youtube like videos take a look at learnerstv:
http://www.learnerstv.com/index.php

Bertus

 

A lot of this deals with calculus. Many electronics circuits operate around the math of calculus, so it is there. This isn't as bad as it sounds though, once you understand the basics most of the formula are already developed.