Is Retaking Geometry Necessary for a Physics Major at UCLA?

[twentyten]

I currently attend a community college and I wondering if I robbed myself of important concepts learned in a geometry class.

I took the class over a summer for credit no/credit. To make a short story shorter I didn't put any effort into the class and didn't learn much of anything.

The course mostly had to do with proofs. My actual grade in the class was a C but it only shows as a CR on my transcripts. The instructor was new and didn't do a very good job of organizing the class and as a result we even skipped some of the material.

I'm currently taking a trig class and almost done (1 week left) and doing very well, I've got an A. I will be taking precalc next semester.

I would eventually like to transfer to UCLA and major in physics and a possible double major in mathematics. My question is should I retake the geometry class? Should I maybe just do some self study with a good book? How will not having a rigorous course in geometry and geometric proofs effect me?

 

[mattmns]

What do you mean by Geometry? Differential Geometry, Euclidean Geometry, ...?

 

[symbolipoint]

What do you mean by Geometry? Differential Geometry, Euclidean Geometry, ...?

He means "College Preparatory Geometry", but since his course was at a community college, it would be remedial Geometry, Euclidian Geometry, the course with proofs.

You don't really need it unless you expect to one day teach it. Many people like to skip it because it does not provide credit toward an undergraduate degree. On the other hand, you could and possibly should study it because (1) it is good for your development, (2) it is for many people, a first rigorous course emphasising proofs in Mathematics, (3) This Geometry course is considered a foundation level course, supporting other Mathematics, (4) you may one day wish you could teach this course.

You could study it on your own using a good or excellent textbook. This may take you between 4 and 5 months and you can study at your own pace and review whenever you want, not needing to keep pace with a scheduled semester class.

Taking that course as a summer-session class at a community college was probably not a good idea - too fast - not enough weeks to fully absorb what you study. Scheduling topics for lessons is more difficult for both teacher and student in the few short weeks of summer sessions; students become tired after so many hours in class during the class period; maybe the teacher gets tired, too.

the decison is yours. You don't need it unless you one day teach it; then, you will study it again, and in very fine detail. You would not necessarily need to do it for course credit, but you would need to study it.

 

[ice109]

i've never used euclidean geometry for anything nor were the proofs very instructive.

 

[Poop-Loops]

I got a C- in geometry in High-School and it hasn't showed up to bite me in the ass yet.

Now TRIGonometry, that screwed me over... :(

 

[mathwonk]

read hartshorne's geometry: euclid and beyond, in conjunction with euclid, and you will know a lot of geometry.

 

[ROLEX4life]

I don't think retaking geometry is necessary. I took that course in high school and the 1st semester material was all the proofs while the 2nd semester was devoted to the topics that most people think of when they think of geometry (volumes, areas, and other more computational aspects of geometry). To be honest, I remember absolutely nothing from 1st semester geometry. I would have to go relearn all those theorems. The only geometry you need is the basic stuff (angles created when two parallel lines are intersected by a transversal, right triangle trigonometry, the length, midpoint, and slope of a line, the sum of the angles in polygons, etc...). A lot the material I mentioned is retaught in trigonometry anyways.