How can I improve my computational skills? I feel that my math abilities are poor – it takes me ages to work with formulas, calculate values, and do algebraic problems, and I still make mistakes all the time
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How can I improve my mathematical calculation skills? I feel that my ability to calculate is poor – it takes me a long time to recall formulas, and I make mistakes often when doing numerical and algebraic calculations I’m always very unskilled at this. I was wondering if there are any methods to become proficient in performing these calculations correctly. The chemical engineering field requires strong computational skills, and I feel that this is my weak point.
This is easy to handle. Look at those who work in businesses such as selling vegetables or meat – their calculation skills are extremely strong; they rely on mental arithmetic. This is achieved through long-term practice; there are no shortcuts. Spend some time each day practicing*, and once you reach a certain level of skill, it will come naturally.
There’s no need to worry too much about this; it depends on what calculations you need to perform. There are many sophisticated software tools available for such calculations nowadays. You just need to understand the principles behind them, leaving the actual calculation work to the software.
There are many auxiliary calculation software tools available for process design, and some of them can be downloaded for use. If you prefer to do the calculations manually, processes involving things like pipe stress analysis, flow rates, safety valve opening pressures, and pump head can be summarized together; you can then refer to this summary when actually applying these concepts, without necessarily having to memorize the formulas
Reply to 3# waterborne: So it’s enough to be proficient with the formulas, right?
Reply to 4# Wang Rongxiang: If one doesn’t need to master those formulas that thoroughly, then what should be accumulated on a regular basis? A bit confused about this part?
Calculate it by hand, then create Excel formulas on your own, and keep improving and optimizing them as you use them.