+C

Thankfully, amidst the torturous hell that is the final few weeks of my first semester of college, I was graced with a moment of uncontrollable laughter and pure amusement. It occurred in one of the least likely places, though: my Calculus II class. However, like most stories this one does not begin where it concludes, it begins in my sister's car about a year ago.

My sister is a statistician and one of the most intelligent people I know, so I always relish the chance to pick her brain. Winter break was quickly coming to an end and in AP Calculus AB we were about to begin integration, a subject I knew very little about. I asked my sister about it and she, being facetious and sarcastic as we were both raised to be simply answered, "Just don't forget +C." For those who don't know, C is the integration constant that needs to be solved for to account for differences in antidifferentiation technique because different techniques can vary in answer but only by a constant. At the time I had no idea what she was talking about, a fact she addressed saying, "It doesn't make sense now, but remember: don't forget +C. You're going to one day and you're going to remember this conversation and it won't be my fault because I told you!" 

When I learned what an integration constant was, my sister's prediction came true and I laughed to myself and from then on I never forgot +C again. It became such a joke in my head that to forget +C seemed almost impossible.

About two months ago in Calculus II we received a quiz we had taken the week before back over some new integration techniques. My friend Andy Godwin, who understands and encourages my sarcastic nature (and I his) forgot +C. I laughed and called him out for his "Rookie mistake." Our professor, who also participates in a bit of repartée overheard and joined in my chiding. Andy took it in stride and it turned out to be a bit of a recurring joke between the three of us: "At least you didn't forget +C!" 

Yesterday, when we received another quiz regarding infinite power series, Andy forgot +C when integrating a series to find its radius of convergence. I laughed because I had nearly done it as well, but before I stood up to turn in my quiz I saw my friend and was reminded of the ever-hilarious blunder from weeks earlier, so I quickly  scribbled my integration constant on my answer and headed out. When we received the quizzes back and I saw Andy's paper no jokes were needed. We simply burst out laughing and surprisingly enough our professor, knowing what had happened, joined in! The surprise of a professor laughing at a student only added to my uncontrollable stomach spasms. 

This occurrence was a much needed relief from the mounting stress of a semester that seems will never end. It certainly is a good thing my sister reminded me to "Never forget +C."