Can't disagree w/ much in this thread, except for the statistics advice....
goodgawd....
And, statistics is not even *related* to tolerances or their understanding,
UNLESS you are doing something like quality control, random samplings, etc.

Don's advice in particular, tho, speaks to the structure of the course--a
good prof/book will make the material really useful, a lousy one will just
waste your time/tuition money.

Mebbe check out the books in the bookstore of the courses you are
considering, to sort of see the lay of the land, or even talk to the prof's
assigned to teach them, ask what will be covered. A good *applied* geometry
course could be more useful than a theory-oriented trig or algebra class.

In terms of the comment on learning all you need to know in an hour for shop
math, while sort of true, it can take quite some time to become
comfortable/fluent enough w/ the material/concepts to use them for your own
problem solving.
I have found that I have always had to learn much more in a formal setting
to then be able to do even simple stuff on my own. ymmv.

There are some very good shop math books out there, some really good old
ones. I have one that even *proves* the Pythagorean Theorem! Hint: bisect
a right triangle.
--
Mr. P.V.'d
formerly Droll Troll
"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...
On 26 Jan 2006 18:48:51 -0800, "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

I'd say go with algebra. Here's why I'd say that:

Geometry and trig are both useful in the shop -- but a college level
course in either is going to focus on theory as a preface to
calculus. You will never, ever need to solve a trig identity or
prove a geometry theorem in the shop! A vo-tech course on shop
math, or even a book, will give you all the simple plane geometry and
trig you'll ever need in the shop. You could learn all the trig
you'd ever use in the shop in a single evening. All you'd ever use
would be the sine, cosine and tangent functions (and their inverse
functions) of right angles -- material for a single 1-hour lecture in
a trig course.

What would you use them for? To calculate or set up angles using
linear measurements or standards as with a sine bar, and to calculate
motion in one direction from motion at a known angle to that direction
as with the compound on a lathe. Calculate dimensions from other
known dimensions at known angles as in how many running feet on a
pitched roof of known X and Y dimensions.

Algebra often includes some descriptive geometry, specifically
defining functions in terms of cartesian coordinates (X, Y, Z) ,
cylindrical coordinates and polar coordinates. That is very useful
in the shop, and may well introduce all the trig you'd ever need.