Math for signals

[1911CoLt45]

Hello

Hey guys.  Can anyone here please steer me in the right direction to what level of math I should study up on to be eligible for signals officer.  I know how the Cfat works, and I wont ask specifics to what is on the test , but a general idea would be helpful.

Thanks again

 

[dhAWK]

Hi 11911CoLt45,

If you've gone to the recruiter, they will have given you a sample of the question that are asked. The math there is most likely going to be on the test. I've also trawlled the posted around the site a bit now, and it seems like having a good grasp of the basics is needed, so good mental math.

A good site to hit up for learning and brushing up is ::  www.purplemath.com  I haven't taken the CFAT yet, but I have done lots of looking around for information on it. My suggestion would be to nail down as much math as you can, better to know more than you need than less. Hope that helps some! and good luck with your testing!

    ~dhAWK

 

[gcclarke]

For some reason, I have a feeling that this dhAWK is in some way financially associated with this purplemath.com.

Anyways, you'd probably be best off focusing on algebra, calculus, and linear algebra (including differential equations). I can't guarantee these are all used, I'm just basing this upon the portion of my own training that I figure might intersect with the training of SIGS Os.

But, this might help you get through the training itself. It may or may not help you get through the CFAT which may or may not determine whether or not you're even in the running to become a signals officer.

 

[1911CoLt45]

Thanks Clarke

I figured the same with are friend here.  Thanks for the tips.  But , now that I know,  its time to study.

All the best

 

[Bzzliteyr]

English skills will help as well.  From the get go officers tend to do a lot of paper pushing. Don't neglect other courses by focusing on just the ones you need for the trade you want.  I have friends that have started in one but finished in another.

"OUR" friend will also tell you that.

 

[1911CoLt45]

Thank you

And no disrespect to the dhawk. 

 

[dhAWK]

None taken, I'm more amused, i got the site from when i asked a recruiter about brushing up on math myself. mainly because I'm in an art school, we tend to avoid math. lol.  anyways! good luck! may the Fractions be kind, and the Equations easy!

  ~dhAWK

 

[CyberJonesy]

I just finished the "orientation" week at the C&E unit and I was given a math review kit for the POET course. All the stuff in there is basically Maths 436 (Thats what its called in Quebec dunno about other provinces).

They only gave the books to the LCIS guys but the reason I'm bringing this up is because there is a chance that in the future, the sig op course will have you go trough the POET course. don't take my word on it, its just gossip but it might not be a bad idea to familiarise yourself with this level of mathemathics.

 

[REDinstaller]

There shouldn't be any requirement for Sig Ops to take POET, unless they want to become Techs.

 

[rmc_wannabe]

With the way our comms situation is going, I can see ACCIS Operators needing a lot more math skills.

Even now our BLOS, HCLOS, TSL and Networking side of the house requires a working knowledge of IP Addressing, subnetting, binary sequencing, etc.

I'd hope the future recruit could hack it out with a pencil and paper in the middle of nowhere than be screwed royal for a dependency on a calculator no one thought to bring.

 

[Brasidas]

With the way our comms situation is going, I can see ACCIS Operators needing a lot more math skills.

To what end?

Even now our BLOS, HCLOS, TSL and Networking side of the house requires a working knowledge of IP Addressing, subnetting, binary sequencing, etc.

Alright.

I'd hope the future recruit could hack it out with a pencil and paper in the middle of nowhere than be screwed royal for a dependency on a calculator no one thought to bring.

I remember a reservist signals officer attempting to explain why the QRT didn't work during 8 hours of testing through the use of boolean logic and a an SFC. It went straight over the heads of the operators in his audience who'd never seen such stuff before. It was material he'd studied in university, not CFSCE. And it was neither necessary to explain the problem nor how to avoid it in the future.

That's not math, just like IP addressing isn't math. There's numbers involved, but...

C & E needs minds that are good at grasping the bigger picture and methodically troubleshooting. I'm not seeing an argument for any more complicated math exposure than P=RI^2, which a seventh grade kid can do.

Sig ops can and do perform the math in the field to cut a field expedient dipole antenna to length. Anybody who can't do long division shouldn't be an operator.

 

[REDinstaller]

You should see how many operators coming out of CFSCE don't know what the formula is, much less how to use it. And since when is math required for IP addresses? I agree with you that there is no need for rocket scientists with manpacks. And some of our branch officers just don't get many concepts that aren't formed to make them look smarter than their peers. Unfortunately for CFSCE, CFJSR is not the shinning example to base our Branch on. They are a specialist organization, and should be treated as such. Not as the definition of what every C & E member does.

 

[PuckChaser]

Unfortunately for CFSCE, CFJSR is not the shinning example to base our Branch on.

Shhhhhhh, don't tell JSR that. The Branch revolves around them!  ;D

As stated before, its not Math skills our operators need, its logical troubleshooting ability. We don't need complex calculus skills (unless in extremely specialist roles), just simple algebra, long division and binary/hex/octal/decimal conversions. Someone that has university level math is no good if they can't do basic operator skills like program a CI. CFSCE teaches so much now, trying to hit on every little piece of the trade, that when the troops hit units, they've already forgotten 50% of what got covered. More often than not, that 50% that's lost is what they need to do their new job.

 

[SeanNewman]

[sarcasm]

The only math you need to know is the mathematical certainty that every Signals Officer in the CF scored a 100% on every math test they ever took.

And they're possibly all virgins too, but that's entirely inappropriate and not at all relevant.

[/sarcasm]

Sig Os are actually a great bunch, because they take flack like nobody I have every see before.  They're responsible to the CO for everything from 10 types of comms frequencies, to computer viruses, to PowerPoint projectors.

 

[REDinstaller]

The water revolves around the inside of my toilets, and i have yet given in to taking a drink. CFSCE should learn this lesson.  >

 

[McG]

There shouldn't be any requirement for Sig Ops to take POET, unless they want to become Techs.

I recall hearing somewhere of the Sig Ops and techs being rolled into a single common trade in the near future ...

 

[Brasidas]

I recall hearing somewhere of the Sig Ops and techs being rolled into a single common trade in the near future ...

And linemen as well. That doesn't mean that the amalgamated 3's will be include large parts of POET or the lineman trades courses. It means the 3's will include some exposure to the trades so that they can build on it with OJT after being sent to their units.

 

[REDinstaller]

And I don't think you will see a ACCIS QL3 at a unit anytime soon.

 

[PuckChaser]

First courses are currently scheduled for Jan 2011 at CFSCE, currently serving members are being placed (or forced) into Occ/Sub Occ's as we speak. I don't think the OT system will be ready for the amount of people that will get disenfranchised from this process.

 

[211RadOp]

..., currently serving members are being placed (or forced) into Occ/Sub Occ's as we speak.

Really.  I have not heard nor seen this yet at the Regt yet.  I know no one in my Tp has been placed into a sub occ yet and a number of us were talking about this late last week over coffee.