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Algebra, geometry, trigonometry no problem, have used them all over the years. Calculus was another story, but survivable and used occasionally early in my career. Differential equations is where it gets flaky - and triple differentials kicked my ass! B.S. and M.E. in engineering piled that stuff on.

My enjoyment of math in high school led me to a degree in ME taking graduate level math as electives. An experimental class by my favorite math Professor just worked.

I'll bet the guy/guys that designed and built that airplane used algebra, geometry, and calculus.

I got a EE degree back in the 70's loved the math until it got to calculus, hated that with a passion, never used it in any of my jobs but id did use the other maths.

I don't understand the "until it got to calculus" part. In an engineering curriculum the first math taken for degree credit is calculus.

When is the last time you heard someone say “Calculus really helped me out today.”

It is as common as someone saying “sure I got shot with a 380, but it didn’t hurt!”

I only went through algebra in high school and had to get trig/geometry out of the way first. This was the 70’s. Had to go to a junior college first before admitted to a university. ACT scores in math were too low.

Pie are square,

I did not think that I would ever need it while I was taking it. Then I got a job surveying, and as I moved up the ladder from a laborer, pulling a chain, and chopping brush, I used it a lot. Surveyed for 37 years, so it did come in handy. Ya never know what is down the road. miles

My story is the opposite of everyone else it seems..

In high school, I took advanced math classes.... Took two levels of geometry and 6 Levels of Algebra.,

our school district was ranked 20th in the nation, and my high school was ranked academically number one out of 17 High Schools in the District.
West Springfield High, Fairfax County VA.. graduated 1970.

The District had a shortage of teachers, due to growth in the county, especially for math. Most of the math teachers at my high school were retired military officers, and we addressed them by their rank., Colonel Lundberg, Major Gannion etc... all older guys of course.

While Trig and Calc were required, we were short the teachers, so they ended up assigning you, by a "lottery system"...

sad thing seemed to be tho, everyone that wanted to take Trig and Calc, weren't selected and everyone who wanted to avoid it like the plague, got selected.

I was disappointed I wasn't selected....

Got into college and never used any of it ever again.....nor after college either...

Was thinking about just taking some classes on line, to relearn many lost academic skills I use to have, that I don't and haven't used for decades...

Keep my mind motivated and active, to keep alzheimers at bay, or at least to pretend to...

example, I use to be fluent in German, and would think in German even.... also did pretty well in French....took two levels of French in High School, and 6 levels of German in High School... now I can trip thru some French if I read it can still figure some of it out... enough to get in trouble.... German, now I can only understand what I call TV German, in War movies... Hande Hoch Schweinhund! Mach Schnell dumkopf.. heck I can't even spell German any more... Scheissgemacht!

No. Pie are round. Cornbread are square.

Kidding aside, we use algebra every day in it's practical form, at least mentally. It can be doing something as simple as merging on to a highway.

Unfortunately, most math teachers have a real tough time with the "practical application" thing.

SOHCAHTOA!

Algebra, 2x X = 4, what is X. Easy, advanced algebra, a whole different story.

My Dad was an engineer for Consolidated Aircraft in Ft. Worth during WWII. His group balanced the mockup of the B-36 bomber. Asked him how they did that and he said lead weights and slide rules.

I took 3 semesters of Calc in college. It was all theory. At the end, I had no idea what it was used for. Years later, I considered going back to study engineering and needed to brush up. A college instructor friend gave me a Business Calc book that a salesman had given him. It was full of practical examples. The light clicked on. So THAT'S what this stuff is for. If they'd teach that in the basic classes, calc would be far easier and more understandable.