My experience with mathematics is that each step must be mastered fully before
moving on to the next step. So if you don't have all the prerequisites for
something my advice would be to work on those. That being said, machining is all
about solid geometry. With lots of angles worked in. So both geometry and
trigonometry are extremely useful.

One interesting factoid is that the ancient Greeks taught mathematics not as an
engineering tool (although it was probably helpful then as now) but as a
philosophic training for the mind. When you learn a bunch of mathematics you
think differently. It is this different thinking that is useful in a shop,
whether a home shop or industrial. I have always had a predilection for math,
always loved it, always excelled in it, and still enjoy it. So I don't really
remember not knowing basic sines and cosines and knowing that the complement of
an angle is the difference between that angle and 180°. You really get screwed
up trying to measure angles with a protractor if you don't know geometry, and
you can't do much shop math without geometry. And if you are trying to solve a
shop math problem of any complexity you will need basic algebraic skills. They
aren't really different subjects, they are just slightly differing skills and
the more familiar you are with all of them the easier you will have it in a shop
and the more valuable you will be.

GWE

mj wrote:
I need to take a college level math course for a Bachelors degree that
I am working on. The school does not care what it is as long as it is
college level. So...what should I take that would be useful for my
little hobby machine shop? Geometry? Trigonometry? I was going to take
a Algebra class since I sort of know that already, but I thought I
would get opinions from the group first. I've never worked with
geometry or trig before (or at least that I know of), so give me an
idea what I would need them for.

BTW, my machine shop is a mini-lathe and a mini-mill. I build 1/8 scale
military models. I am working on my first one. I am hoping to get it
done in the next couple of months. I am building a fairly simple
trailer for my first model, but I want to get more detailed models as
my skills improve.

Thanks

Mike