I wouldn't say that it is just higher math. As a high school student, here is my path of e^ix. Physics 1 Advanced, Simple Harmonic Motion is being taught. When

I wouldn't say that it is just higher math. As a high school student, here is my path of e^ix. Physics 1 Advanced, Simple Harmonic Motion is being taught. When told to find a case where the second derivative of a function is a negative constant times the function, I think e^ix. The answer is sin(x), but Euler's equation now makes sense. The most beautiful equation now makes sense. A month later, glancing in a book of useful mathematical equations, I see sin(x) = (e^ix - e^-ix)/2i. Hyperbolic trig suddenly makes sense, which is useful over a year after finishing it. The weird equation for the normal curve from statistics starts to make more sense, because e^(-xx)=(e^(ix))^ix, which helps explain the 1/sqrt(2pi) weirdness. I start to understand why the most beautiful equation has its name. I think that most math is cumulative, but only some parts are hard enough to make you notice it.