The Calculus Experience by Louis

The Calculus Experience by Louis - July 2026 Scholarship Essay

Calculus is a field of math that many consider one of the hardest to learn. Last year, I took Calculus I and II at UNCC and struggled, but ultimately learned a lot. Calculus 1 built a foundation for connection to the real world, but I couldn't make many connections until Calculus 2. By persisting and learning this math, it has allowed to me to get a better understand of physics and the real world.

In physics, I was better able to understand the parts of a circuit such as a capacitor, as its equations are governed by calculus. Some circuits such as PID controllers use calculus and physics in the real world to make computers and electronics work. I gained a lot of electronics knowledge as I was able to connect what I knew about a few parts together using calculus and the few formulas for parts I already knew about.

In the physical world, I also learned about calculation the work required to bend a spring or pump water out of a tank. I previously thought it impossible to find out much much energy was required to compress a spring as the force was constantly changing. I also thought it was not easy to figure out how much energy is required to pump water out of a tank as the water level and distance the water moves is also always changing. By learning about things such as related rates and how to do math with changing values, it has allowed to me to better understand design when approaching issues.

With integral and derivative calculus, I can now connect math to the real world aswell as make connections to understand more things. Persisting through Calculus 2 has strengthened my understanding of math and the technical world. I feel as though I can reason through things more easily as well as do research more easily than before from learning calculus.