Page 1 of 2 [ 30 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

dt18
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 11 Mar 2010
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Posts: 413

07 May 2010, 10:57 am

How many of you have a hard time grasping mathematical concepts? It took me until my sophomore year in high school to finally completely grasp the concept of algebra. Now, in college, I have to learn subnetting. Any of you in networking programs that can relate to this? This is really starting to piss me off and no matter how many times someone explains it to me, it just doesn't quite click. UGH!!



Villette
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 7 Feb 2010
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Posts: 415

07 May 2010, 11:52 am

Same here. I have to practise hard to understand stuff that people who are usually considered less intellectual than me can grasp. But then again, I'm from an Asian country.:)



jc6chan
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Oct 2009
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,257
Location: Waterloo, ON, Canada

07 May 2010, 12:49 pm

dt18 wrote:
How many of you have a hard time grasping mathematical concepts? It took me until my sophomore year in high school to finally completely grasp the concept of algebra. Now, in college, I have to learn subnetting. Any of you in networking programs that can relate to this? This is really starting to piss me off and no matter how many times someone explains it to me, it just doesn't quite click. UGH!!

Before university, I found math to be easy. I have no idea what subnetting is.



Apera
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 871
Location: In Your Eyes

07 May 2010, 4:44 pm

I sometimes have issues learning math. Either someone has to explain it to me in a way that I understand, or I have to teach myself.


_________________
When I allow it to be
There's no control over me
I have my fears
But they do not have me


Ancalagon
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 25 Dec 2007
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,302

07 May 2010, 5:24 pm

I've always been mostly pretty good with math. Most of my problems come with memorizing things (I hated multiplication tables) or just not seeing the point of learning something (factoring, trig, and calculus). I get the why of those things now, though.

I'm kind of curious, what kind of things are hard for people who generally hate math? Is it the amount of abstraction? Not getting a clear explaination? Not seeing the point of it? Intimidating looking symbols? Something else?


_________________
"A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it." --G. K. Chesterton


Chronos
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Apr 2010
Age: 44
Gender: Female
Posts: 8,698

07 May 2010, 10:29 pm

dt18 wrote:
How many of you have a hard time grasping mathematical concepts? It took me until my sophomore year in high school to finally completely grasp the concept of algebra. Now, in college, I have to learn subnetting. Any of you in networking programs that can relate to this? This is really starting to piss me off and no matter how many times someone explains it to me, it just doesn't quite click. UGH!!


As a rule. If was incredibly simple and everyone in the class immediately got it, I had a hard time grasping it.

If it wasn't so simple and most people in the class were dumbfounded by it, I understood it just fine.



jc6chan
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Oct 2009
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,257
Location: Waterloo, ON, Canada

07 May 2010, 10:39 pm

Ancalagon wrote:

I'm kind of curious, what kind of things are hard for people who generally hate math? Is it the amount of abstraction? Not getting a clear explaination? Not seeing the point of it? Intimidating looking symbols? Something else?

I think its the fact that there is only one correct answer and so you must understand everything fully to get to the answer (and on top of that make no mistakes). Other courses you get however much you remember and english courses, its really hard to say "the number of right answers". Though I hate english and prefer math.



HenryKrinkle
Sea Gull
Sea Gull

User avatar

Joined: 19 Nov 2005
Gender: Male
Posts: 201

09 May 2010, 4:47 pm

Mathematics is difficult. It took the world's greatest minds thousands of years to develop. Do not be hard on yourself if it takes you a while to grasp something.



HenryKrinkle
Sea Gull
Sea Gull

User avatar

Joined: 19 Nov 2005
Gender: Male
Posts: 201

09 May 2010, 4:56 pm

jc6chan wrote:
I have no idea what subnetting is.

It's not really anything to do with mathematics specifically. It's essentially just dividing computer networks into sub-networks by using bitwise operations to mask off part of each machine's address and using it as a network ID.

I suppose you need a grasp of binary arithmetic, otherwise it won't make much sense. Maybe that's what the OP is having trouble with?



jc6chan
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Oct 2009
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,257
Location: Waterloo, ON, Canada

09 May 2010, 5:10 pm

HenryKrinkle wrote:
jc6chan wrote:
I have no idea what subnetting is.

It's not really anything to do with mathematics specifically. It's essentially just dividing computer networks into sub-networks by using bitwise operations to mask off part of each machine's address and using it as a network ID.

I suppose you need a grasp of binary arithmetic, otherwise it won't make much sense. Maybe that's what the OP is having trouble with?

I know how to do binary. And while I can't argue with the rest of the world, I don't personally consider computers as actual math. I just don't like computers.



HenryKrinkle
Sea Gull
Sea Gull

User avatar

Joined: 19 Nov 2005
Gender: Male
Posts: 201

09 May 2010, 5:19 pm

jc6chan wrote:
HenryKrinkle wrote:
jc6chan wrote:
I have no idea what subnetting is.

It's not really anything to do with mathematics specifically. It's essentially just dividing computer networks into sub-networks by using bitwise operations to mask off part of each machine's address and using it as a network ID.

I suppose you need a grasp of binary arithmetic, otherwise it won't make much sense. Maybe that's what the OP is having trouble with?

I know how to do binary. And while I can't argue with the rest of the world, I don't personally consider computers as actual math. I just don't like computers.


I was referring to dt18. :)

I'm not sure how you could compare mathematics to computers seeing as mathematics is concerned with abstract reasoning and computers are machines. However, the foundations of computing are inherently mathematical, as a 10 minute browse around Wikipedia will attest to!



mysassyself
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jul 2009
Age: 46
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,222
Location: my house, usually

14 May 2010, 7:42 am

I'm doing advanced maths at uni, at the moment.

I seem to be taking it too philosophically.

I love the concepts, but .. I seem to be 'stuck' on trying to understand them, and just liking them. Which means .. I'm not really interested in practicing the problems.
Hoping this changes soon seeing as the exam will be, er, problems. :roll:


_________________
.. one day
in murky water mild,
where Wednesday lay
A Thursday child ..


Lisac57
Hummingbird
Hummingbird

User avatar

Joined: 29 Apr 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 23

14 May 2010, 2:27 pm

Mathematical concepts are fun unless you get them rammed down your throat.
Understanding a concept, let's say continuity or cardinality, is a very tall order.
I have spent decades trying to understand what kind of aggregate can be usefully
imagined as a set, and fantasizing about how many types of problems really boil
down to inverting a mapping.

One of my favourites is the notion of a well-posed problem. It has a solution, and only one solution and if you change details a little, the solution will not change by much. When people tell me they believe everything has a cause or an explanation, it seems to me they could benefit from understanding that a lot of problems we wonder about, simply aren't well-posed.

That does NOT say they are meaningless, but it DOES say that there is no unique and nicely behaved solution, in answer to an explanation or a cause.

Wow, I really get going, better quit while I'm ahead :roll:


J



Gimmel
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

User avatar

Joined: 22 May 2010
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Posts: 8

23 May 2010, 5:49 pm

I've always enjoyed mathematics, and it's one of the subjects I've had the least problems with.



Cyanide
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 24 Sep 2006
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,003
Location: The Pacific Northwest

23 May 2010, 7:00 pm

I can't do math theory for the life of me. I got a C- (barely passing) in Elementary Analysis, and I had to go to office hours 3 days a week to get it!

As for non-theory, the only major roadblock I have is memorizing all the random calculus integrals.



stacylynn1981
Butterfly
Butterfly

User avatar

Joined: 27 Jan 2010
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Posts: 9
Location: New Hampshire

23 May 2010, 11:30 pm

So, the other day I was talking with someone and I told them I have aspergers... we got onto the topic of math. I told her I am horrible at it, and she looked at me like a confused puppy.. She couldn't beleive that someoen with aspergers could not get math. I mean stereotypically, I am supposed to be like rainman? I am almost a senior and I have not taken ANY math courses yet. I won't even take the placement tests. About 8 years ago I took pre-algebra, and got an A, but I tried to take a basic course (Alegebra) last semester, and got totally lost; I eventually dropped it. I have a high GPA, and am extremely intelligent in other capacities, but math makes me feel really clueless. I just don't get it... Math used to come so easy to me. In elem. school I was top of my class, but then I just lost my skills or something. I still have a keen talent for remembering long series' of numbers, and can do math equations, but only if I make my own route to figuring them out. For instance, if I do a simple math problem like 158 + 122, I have to work backwards. like I will think, okay 1 and 1 is 2, so it is 200... pause... 5 and 2 make 7, so it is 200 and 70 something.... pause.... well 8 and 2 is 10, so that would be zero, so I have to bump 70 to 80 so it is 280 (sounds like a lengthy way to go)... But, in class I would work like that and the prof said I was doing it wrong. wth??? So, I would try to follow, but then I get lost again. I am so scared to take another math class. I have wasted so much money on profs that I don't click with... I tried tutoring, but that is also hit or miss.

Basically, I cannot graduate college if I don't take math... It makes my ass twitch just thinking about it, any suggestions???