What is the maths like being an electrician?

[Lee Gold]

Hello I am not very good at maths and was wondering what kind of maths do electricians use everyday?

 

[Geordie Spark]

Who needs maths when we have RCDs?!

........ and forums like this to ask our questions on.

 

[trev]

Who needs maths when we have RCDs?!

Well you have to be able to count to at least 1,667.

 

[trev]

Makes me feel a real pride in my membership of this Forum when I see such positive advice given. I retire i next year, and quite honestly i am looking forward to it, but despite a couple of short term career changes along the way, electrocution has always been closest to my heart. Lee, if you have a genuine interest in the trade then go for it.

Is this your way of coming out as a serial killer/torturer?

 

[D Skelton]

Well you have to be able to count to at least 1,667.

Or 7,667 even

 

[specs]

Is this your way of coming out as a serial killer/torturer?

No mate, just wishful thinking about a couple of the people I have done work for in the past.

 

[baldsparkies]

Well you have to be able to count to at least 1,667.

Nope not the max Zs, just Trev counting his money from this weeks cash jobs lol x

 

[trev]

Nope not the max Zs, just Trev counting his money from this weeks cash jobs lol x

You mean there are other types of jobs? GASP!

 

[newtothis]

I recently did a electrical trainee course, on the mere mention of the "adiabatic equation", I don’t mind admitting I nearly shat myself. :ack2:
If maths makes you uncomfortable it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re thick, or not cut out to be an electrician. It may just mean that you need to be taught in a different way, or at a slower pace. Just my opinion.

IF unlike me you’re actually competent as an electrician, you might take some comfort in the fact that many exams are weighted in such a way that you can still pass even if you totally flunk the maths related questions. I’m making it my business to master maths side of things and a few months, at my own pace.

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Some really great posts on this thread!

I really struggled with maths right from primary all the way up. I failed GCSE 3 times.

Then I left school and got a job as a general labourer in construction. I booked myself onto GCSE maths at night school, one evening a week, and eventually got my C Grade.

I think I have discalcula ( the numbers equivalent of dyslexia). Sometimes numbers just 'swim' before my eyes and i start to feel dizzy.

And I never held any ambition to become an electrician either! How funny life is!

I think my 'maths' brain has developed a bit, although I still can't do trigonometry, but I have never struggled with Pythagorus. Obviously I can do calculus.

Overall, I would say that the maths I encountered whilst studying wasn't too problematic as long as I didn't have to do too much rearranging of equations!

I think you'll be OK dude. If you don't understand something, just ask. If you still don't understand, keep asking. Eventually someone with enough imagination will be able to think of a way of explaining it in a way that you DO understand....and what a feeling it is when that penny drops!

Good luck.

Voltz

 

[shanky887614]

Some really great posts on this thread!

I really struggled with maths right from primary all the way up. I failed GCSE 3 times.

Then I left school and got a job as a general labourer in construction. I booked myself onto GCSE maths at night school, one evening a week, and eventually got my C Grade.

I think I have discalcula ( the numbers equivalent of dyslexia). Sometimes numbers just 'swim' before my eyes and i start to feel dizzy.

And I never held any ambition to become an electrician either! How funny life is!

I think my 'maths' brain has developed a bit, although I still can't do trigonometry, but I have never struggled with Pythagorus. Obviously I can do calculus.

Overall, I would say that the maths I encountered whilst studying wasn't too problematic as long as I didn't have to do too much rearranging of equations!

I think you'll be OK dude. If you don't understand something, just ask. If you still don't understand, keep asking. Eventually someone with enough imagination will be able to think of a way of explaining it in a way that you DO understand....and what a feeling it is when that penny drops!

Good luck.

Voltz

its true about people not liking maths.

to this day i still don't know my times tables lol.

i can add it up in head but im not the quickest, i did manage to get a c in maths though first time.

english was the one i struggled with i got a D at school but the constant essays at sixthform helped improve it quite a bit (at least 3-4 a week)

 

[ipf]

Electrical Principles isn't held in the same esteem it used to be, it seems. As far as I'm concerned it is a vital part of becoming truly qualified. Talk about log books these days and people think it's MOT and service time.

 

[Knobhead]

Maths is like any subject, if the teacher can inject some relevance to a question then it becomes more interesting because you can relate it to real life. I had brilliant teachers for maths, physics, chemistry, technical drawing and metalwork, they were enthusiastic and it rubbed off.
At engineering college the lectures were all practical guys. Hutch being my favourite, an ex pit research engineer. He demonstrated the action of a fuse blowing in spectacular style. The old joke about putting a 6” nail in instead of a fuse is funny when you see a 6”nail blow. (About 35,000A)

I hated English literature & language to the point I purposely got myself thrown out of the classes and got the cane. At 35 I registered as a publisher to get my own ISBN.

Teaching it would seem is dead.

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Maths is like any subject, if the teacher can inject some relevance to a question then it becomes more interesting because you can relate it to real life. I had brilliant teachers for maths, physics, chemistry, technical drawing and metalwork, they were enthusiastic and it rubbed off.
At engineering college the lectures were all practical guys. Hutch being my favourite, an ex pit research engineer. He demonstrated the action of a fuse blowing in spectacular style. The old joke about putting a 6” nail in instead of a fuse is funny when you see a 6”nail blow. (About 35,000A)

I hated English literature & language to the point I purposely got myself thrown out of the classes and got the cane. At 35 I registered as a publisher to get my own ISBN.

Teaching it would seem is dead.

I excelled at English, got a degree in it and then went into 'teaching'.

I used inverted commas because there were very few opportunities to truly 'teach' at the low grade comprehensives that I worked at due to discipline issues.

I can teach, and teach well, but I am not good at controlling pupils' behaviour, and ultimately I found it not the career for me.

I envy you your natural aptitude for the industry, and the exceptional level of education tailored towards it that you have evidently enjoyed.

I did not have the opportunity to discover my interest in engineering and construction till much later in life. I attended a once esteemed school, that had it's intake boundaries redrawn to take in the undesirable wards.

This resulted in my year 7 class being described as the worst ever seen in the school, and we were split half way through the academic year. It didn't help, and things didn't improve. School for me was something to 'survive'.

And all this poor academic start was compounded by a chaotic home life, with a depressed single mother, runaway drug fuelled soon to be single mothers for sisters.....shall I go on?

Everyone has a story, this is just part of mine and perhaps I have been too candid. It's worth bearing in mind when posting on threads though.

Voltz.

 

[shanky887614]

I excelled at English, got a degree in it and then went into 'teaching'.

I used inverted commas because there were very few opportunities to truly 'teach' at the low grade comprehensives that I worked at due to discipline issues.

I can teach, and teach well, but I am not good at controlling pupils' behaviour, and ultimately I found it not the career for me.

I envy you your natural aptitude for the industry, and the exceptional level of education tailored towards it that you have evidently enjoyed.

I did not have the opportunity to discover my interest in engineering and construction till much later in life. I attended a once esteemed school, that had it's intake boundaries redrawn to take in the undesirable wards.

This resulted in my year 7 class being described as the worst ever seen in the school, and we were split half way through the academic year. It didn't help, and things didn't improve. School for me was something to 'survive'.

And all this poor academic start was compounded by a chaotic home life, with a depressed single mother, runaway drug fuelled soon to be single mothers for sisters.....shall I go on?

Everyone has a story, this is just part of mine and perhaps I have been too candid. It's worth bearing in mind when posting on threads though.

Voltz.

my year was described as the worst they have had, at least 5/6 teachers quit while i was at that school lol

 

[trev]

my year was described as the worst they have had, at least 5/6 teachers quit while i was at that school lol

2 of our teachers had breakdowns. It's not something I'm proud of now.