Re: CHP study materials

["Elizabeth M. Brackett" <brackett@bright.net>]

I agree that calculus is not necessary for part 1 (although it's been quite
some time since I took it so my memory may be faulty), but for an
occasional question on part 2 it is certainly necessary.  Approximations
work in some cases, but not always.  Because you can choose the questions
to answer for the most part, you may be able to avoid it. However, our
field has only one basic equation that needs integrating or differentiating
(at least that would be expected to appear on the exam) and, aside from a
constant, it is the simplest function to handle, so it's worth memorizing
the derivative and integral for the exam even if you don't know anything
about calculus (although it would be better if you understood its use).  In
most cases this is also quicker than using approximations.

Liz Brackett
>Mike Davidson says:
>Although use of calculus is unquestionably necessary in many aspects of
the field, and certainly in HP academic curricula, it is my experience that
it is not necessary to pass either part of the certification exam.
Calculations on the examinations in the worst (best?) case require algebra
and kinetics equations.  Further, I think the original question on this
thread referred only to Part I, which has about 10 calculations out of 150
questions.  On Part II, although derivation of relationships using calculus
is "elegant", it is too time consuming for most candidates to be a
time-effective technique.
>

******************************
  Elizabeth M. Brackett, CHP 
     Sr. Health Physicist     
     MJW Corporation, Inc.       
       (330) 644-3757        
  mailto:brackett@bright.net 
******************************
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