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ArishMell · 70-79, M
I had a maths* teacher whose mantra he'd shout to the whole class at times was "Maths is easy - it's you who make it difficult!"
Which is guaranteed to destroy the confidence of anyone struggling, but he was interested in helping only the keen, bright ones anyway.
I was weak at mathematics, so disliked it at school; and that put paid to my early dreams of a career in either science or engineering, as both disciplines are largely and sometimes very highly, mathematical.
It is not that mathematics is intrinsically hard, but some of us find it hard to see how it works. I think our difficulty is in having to grasp abstractions. Not everyone can do that easily, and I need to anchor the numerical and algebraic concepts in physical things to be able to understand them.
Unfortunately many aspects of maths are or were taught as rather isolated, somewhat abstract topics; although obviously the maths syllabus as a whole cannot be broken into isolated curriculum fields because so many maths topics overlap and depend on each other. You need be familiar with simple algebra to use almost all branches for maths; for example, trigonometry, which lives happily with geometry hence co-ordinates and graphs so at higher levels, allows very powerful tools like vectors and calculus to work so efficiently, ... and so on.
Consequently, for example, it was not until some 30 years after I had left school that I finally twigged what is Differentiation; thanks only by chance. I saw a simple geological calculation about calculating real river gradients from the information on maps; I happened to write it in calculus notation - and twigged it was a very basic form of differentiation.
Somewhat similarly I had grasped the principles of 3D co-ordinates and graphs while I was still at school, because I could relate them to something already familiar to me, the National Grid References and altitudes on Ordnance Survey Maps.
Perhaps the key is that the link to real things shows the relevant maths from a different angle, so to speak: as a solution to a problem, not a solution looking for a problem.
I do use some mathematics, in my hobbies - mainly simple geometry, mensuration including pi, and trigonometry. However, I am still no mathematician!
'
* Not "math", in my country.
Which is guaranteed to destroy the confidence of anyone struggling, but he was interested in helping only the keen, bright ones anyway.
I was weak at mathematics, so disliked it at school; and that put paid to my early dreams of a career in either science or engineering, as both disciplines are largely and sometimes very highly, mathematical.
It is not that mathematics is intrinsically hard, but some of us find it hard to see how it works. I think our difficulty is in having to grasp abstractions. Not everyone can do that easily, and I need to anchor the numerical and algebraic concepts in physical things to be able to understand them.
Unfortunately many aspects of maths are or were taught as rather isolated, somewhat abstract topics; although obviously the maths syllabus as a whole cannot be broken into isolated curriculum fields because so many maths topics overlap and depend on each other. You need be familiar with simple algebra to use almost all branches for maths; for example, trigonometry, which lives happily with geometry hence co-ordinates and graphs so at higher levels, allows very powerful tools like vectors and calculus to work so efficiently, ... and so on.
Consequently, for example, it was not until some 30 years after I had left school that I finally twigged what is Differentiation; thanks only by chance. I saw a simple geological calculation about calculating real river gradients from the information on maps; I happened to write it in calculus notation - and twigged it was a very basic form of differentiation.
Somewhat similarly I had grasped the principles of 3D co-ordinates and graphs while I was still at school, because I could relate them to something already familiar to me, the National Grid References and altitudes on Ordnance Survey Maps.
Perhaps the key is that the link to real things shows the relevant maths from a different angle, so to speak: as a solution to a problem, not a solution looking for a problem.
I do use some mathematics, in my hobbies - mainly simple geometry, mensuration including pi, and trigonometry. However, I am still no mathematician!
'
* Not "math", in my country.
SethGreene531 · M
I have whatever Justin Timberlake had in Friends With Benefits. Where any calculation had him throwing out random figures.
SethGreene531 · M
Adaydreambeliever · 56-60, F
I am rubbish at maths too... i believe i have something called Dyscalculia which is like Dyslexia but with numbers
Otherwoman2015 · 36-40, F
Math is ever changing, but if ya get a mind for it you could be just like russell crowe in a beautiful mind
wintziee · F
same here....