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Tensu
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20 Mar 2011, 10:50 pm

No.



Xeno
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20 Mar 2011, 11:19 pm

I'm horrible at math.



DNForrest
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21 Mar 2011, 12:18 am

Very good, but I'm getting at the grad student point where I'm beginning to forget basic math, yet can do incredibly complex math (never ask me to do long division).



ruveyn
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21 Mar 2011, 5:14 am

FJP wrote:
I can't do math in my head. I am ok using paper and pencil.


Math or computation?

Math is more related to reasoning and theorem proving than it is to computing.

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21 Mar 2011, 10:34 am

Kmgtpezy wrote:
For my age, I believe that my knowledge of mathematics could be better.


I highly recommend you get involved with Khan Academy. It transforms math into a game and makes it fun! The game plays like an RPG with a skill tree. You can even be rewarded with achievements! :)


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21 Mar 2011, 1:55 pm

No, I suck at math. I can only do addition and multiplication, and a bit of fractions.


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21 Mar 2011, 3:58 pm

My abilities in mathematics are roughly equivalent to those of a house-brick playing the piano.


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21 Mar 2011, 5:53 pm

I suck at maths. I'm okay at playing with linear algebra, and probabilities, but I'm awful enough when it comes to something highly abstract like calculus (and it is abstract, despite it's uses :P). Though the fact my mathematical education has continued into college implies I suck at a higher level than the majority of the populace :lol:


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ruveyn
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21 Mar 2011, 8:04 pm

here is my favorite quote from R. A. Heinlein:

Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear shoes, bathe and not make messes in the house.


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21 Mar 2011, 10:22 pm

ryan93 wrote:
I suck at maths. I'm okay at playing with linear algebra, and probabilities, but I'm awful enough when it comes to something highly abstract like calculus (and it is abstract, despite it's uses :P). Though the fact my mathematical education has continued into college implies I suck at a higher level than the majority of the populace :lol:

I don't understand how calculus is abstract- it seems like the most intuitive and physically concrete form of mathematics I can think of. Linear algebra would have to be at least as abstract, usually more so.

One issue may be the traditional way calculus is taught, using limits. An alternative approach using infinitesimals (as Leibniz and Newton did) has been put forward in a freely-available textbook that can be downloaded HERE.


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22 Mar 2011, 8:19 am

Orwell wrote:
ryan93 wrote:
I suck at maths. I'm okay at playing with linear algebra, and probabilities, but I'm awful enough when it comes to something highly abstract like calculus (and it is abstract, despite it's uses :P). Though the fact my mathematical education has continued into college implies I suck at a higher level than the majority of the populace :lol:

I don't understand how calculus is abstract- it seems like the most intuitive and physically concrete form of mathematics I can think of. Linear algebra would have to be at least as abstract, usually more so.

One issue may be the traditional way calculus is taught, using limits. An alternative approach using infinitesimals (as Leibniz and Newton did) has been put forward in a freely-available textbook that can be downloaded HERE.


The rigorous part about limits using compactness may be a tad abstract. Also the derivation of the real numbers from the rationals which is a topological closure could be considered abstract. howing that Cauchy Sequences of reals have real limits requires the axiom of choice. Of course this is nothing compared to Category Theory. That is abstract!

ruveyn



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22 Mar 2011, 8:59 am

ruveyn wrote:
Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear shoes, bathe and not make messes in the house.
<sniff> Oh, cheers ruveyn. :roll:
I'll try to remember to leave the bison corpse outside the cave entrance next time I drag my knuckles home. :lol:


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Tomasu
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22 Mar 2011, 9:07 am

ruveyn wrote:
here is my favorite quote from R. A. Heinlein:

Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear shoes, bathe and not make messes in the house.


^^ Greetings ruveyn and everyone,

I believe this is a very interesting quote indeed. ^^ However, I believe that this quote simply provides (or perhaps references) a very subjective definition of the terms "human" and "subhuman", and EDIT: I feel that this quote is essentially stating that the speaker is irritated by those who cannot cope with Mathematics.


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ryan93
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22 Mar 2011, 9:25 am

Orwell wrote:
ryan93 wrote:
I suck at maths. I'm okay at playing with linear algebra, and probabilities, but I'm awful enough when it comes to something highly abstract like calculus (and it is abstract, despite it's uses :P). Though the fact my mathematical education has continued into college implies I suck at a higher level than the majority of the populace :lol:

I don't understand how calculus is abstract- it seems like the most intuitive and physically concrete form of mathematics I can think of. Linear algebra would have to be at least as abstract, usually more so.


The ideas behind it, like differentiation, integration, the squeeze theorem, are intuitive, but at soon as you start applying them to complex enough functions (x^(4x^2 + 5)) you loose a lot of the intuition. That, and the fact that halfway through semester two we still havn't seen a single proof for any of this stuff :roll:

Linear Algebra is at least a lot more tangible; Markov Chains and simultaneous equations relate to real world phenomena through pretty basic math, while Functions can be derived/integrated easily enough, but it rarely makes much sense how one function led to another. But that's probably just me :P

Quote:
here is my favorite quote from R. A. Heinlein:

Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear shoes, bathe and not make messes in the house.


I like it :)


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22 Mar 2011, 9:57 am

Kmgtpezy wrote:
SammichEater wrote:
I was going to say yes, but if you're doing multivariable calculus at age 15, that just blows my mind. I'm 17 and I'm taking precalculus right now. So far it's been extremely easy for me, but we haven't gotten to the good stuff yet. On the subject of doing calculations in my head, I suck at that. My brain is not a calculator, but I do seem to have a much greater understanding of the concepts than everyone else in my class, and I put minimal effort into doing my homework, never study, and I've had crappy math teachers for the past 6 years.


I'm homeschooled, though. Therefore, I have much more time to stick with things and can move on at any time. Some teachers teach at a slow pace; other teachers teach at a fast pace and no one understands them. Please do not construct analogies between you and I. That is not what this post is for. :?

You too hard on yourself, I wish I knew caculus, but I'm too lazy to learn it.
If you can't get it right now, put it aside and come back later. Maybe it will make much more sense later.


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Last edited by Tollorin on 22 Mar 2011, 10:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

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22 Mar 2011, 10:28 am

ruveyn wrote:
The rigorous part about limits using compactness may be a tad abstract. Also the derivation of the real numbers from the rationals which is a topological closure could be considered abstract. howing that Cauchy Sequences of reals have real limits requires the axiom of choice. Of course this is nothing compared to Category Theory. That is abstract!

ruveyn

Right, but that stuff is typically covered in a real analysis course. Calculus students do not know about compactness or how to derive the reals from the rationals.

ryan93 wrote:
That, and the fact that halfway through semester two we still havn't seen a single proof for any of this stuff

Yeah, an intro calculus course usually won't include any proofs- they'll just give you recipes for solving problems. I'm not sure that the rigorous proof-based method would be more effective in teaching someone who doesn't already know how to do calculus. The in-depth proofs would be overwhelming to anyone not already fluent in solving the problems.


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