Math reproach

[YOLOisonlyprinciple]

Do you ever reproach yourself for not being really good at math?
When i see the math olympiad questions, I just find it infuriating that a kid can solve a problem that i cant..
I just wish i had been encouraged to do lot of math instead of sending me off to chess, japanese and stupid shit.
I feel bad that i chose a profession because of money, instead of going for math..

Being skilled at math just feels like a basic necessity for my ego,as compared to other things like money, girls, recognition etc..
It is just that given a simple logic problem, someone else can do it; while i cant.
Have you felt the same way before?

 

[Yellow]

I did when I first entered college. I went to an art highschool, and while I was a top math student there, we didn't exactly have a lot of mathletes.

So my ego was crushed when I found out that I had to take a couple of sub-100 level math classes before I could even begin my actual math prerequisites.

However, it was the best thing for me. Starting at the beginning (Algebra 2 or similar), I was able to get a solid foundation in math. Staring with the easy stuff and building on it, I never had to run into obstacles or feel lost. I took a math course every semester for almost 4 years, and ended up with more than sufficient math knowledge for most scientific pursuits (a few stats and a couple calcs). Math is logical, but you can't just jump straight into differential calculus and expect to be a whiz.

 

[TheManBeyond]

when i was a woman

 

[YOLOisonlyprinciple]

Math is logical, but you can't just jump straight into differential calculus and expect to be a whiz.

I too have done a sufficient amount of math (stochastic calculus), but it just feels like it isnt enough; compared to a pure math guy, and compared to the kids who take part in Math Olympiad.
It just feels bad when there is someone who can solve a logical problem better than me.
Unlike other practical business problems which need memory, experience; math just feels pure; and feels like a 'higher' goal
So in a way it is a never ending issue..

 

[Sixup]

Meh. I think I'm good enough at math, decent. Never really cared that I wasn't the best at it.

Yolo, I think you're lucky to have been 'sent off' as you say to learn chess and Japanese. Did you ever reach highish levels in those?

And what profession did you choose?

 

[Cheeseumpuffs]

Unlike other practical business problems which need memory, experience; math just feels pure; and feels like a 'higher' goal

Eh, math requires some level of memory and experience. Remembering certain theorems and how they're explicitly defined is really helpful for finding a creative/elegant way to prove something and experience is always helpful since knowing more varied ways of solving problems and having experience doing so makes a lot of problems a breeze.

I'll grant you, though, that the memory part might not be totally necessary as you can look up just about any theorem on wikipedia (which is part of my reasons why I'm dropping out of school this year)

If you want to get better at math there literally is no better resource than Wikipedia. For the last two years of college essentially all of my classes have been taught by wikipedia with occasional lectures by a professor. Also stackexchange is helpful and a lot of colleges have open access course material. Not to mention you can find most any textbook online. I put some of the textbooks I've used in the spoiler down there; basically all of them are online as pdfs somewhere. I usually use en.bookfi.org to find ebooks.

Spoiler

Linear Algebra and its Applications - David Lay
Linear Algebra Done Right - Sheldon Axler
Understanidng Analysis - Stephen Abbott
Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems - William E. Boyce and Richard C. DiPrima
Complex Variables and Applications - James Ward Brown and Ruel V. Churchill
Essential Topology - Martin D. Crossley

 

[Tannhauser]

I too have done a sufficient amount of math (stochastic calculus), but it just feels like it isnt enough; compared to a pure math guy, and compared to the kids who take part in Math Olympiad.
It just feels bad when there is someone who can solve a logical problem better than me.
Unlike other practical business problems which need memory, experience; math just feels pure; and feels like a 'higher' goal
So in a way it is a never ending issue..

That's the thing with math though. People tend to have this view of "being good at math" as some pure, crystallized concept. But if you take the math olympiad stuff, that is one specific skill. It is fast, precise solution of relatively small problems, and that is something you have to train for. Doing mathematical research, for example, or applying math on complex problems in real life is something wildly different and requires completely different skills.

 

[ernieedwardo]

Do you ever reproach yourself for not being really good at math?

Being skilled at math just feels like a basic necessity,as compared to other things like money,recognition etc..
It is just that given a simple logic problem, someone else can do it.

 

[Pyropyro]

Nah, Math is just a tool. It's just like asking me if I feel guilty not using PowerPoint every time I go to the office.

I think a good grasp of statistics and basic algebra is enough for my work so I don't need to practice calculus.

 

[_cdub]

Nah, Math is just a tool. It's just like asking me if I feel guilty not using PowerPoint every time I go to the office.

I think a good grasp of statistics and basic algebra is enough for my work so I don't need to practice calculus.

But that is when things get really interesting. :/

 

[Tannhauser]

Nah, Math is just a tool. It's just like asking me if I feel guilty not using PowerPoint every time I go to the office.

I think a good grasp of statistics and basic algebra is enough for my work so I don't need to practice calculus.

Interestingly I came across this quote quite recently:

"Matehatmics is indispensable as an intellectural technique. In many subjects, to think at all is to think like a mathematician" -- Robert M. Hutchins

..with which I agree. I am definitely no math genius, but I have to say that getting a math degree has definitely shaped my thinking in all matters. It teaches you thinking as a craft.

 

[bleo]

Interestingly I came across this quote quite recently:

"Matehatmics is indispensable as an intellectural technique. In many subjects, to think at all is to think like a mathematician" -- Robert M. Hutchins

..with which I agree. I am definitely no math genius, but I have to say that getting a math degree has definitely shaped my thinking in all matters. It teaches you thinking as a craft.

I second that. Logic, the mathemathical way of thinking, is one of the most powerful tools to use in critical thinking.