Current Events > Honestly, math is so discouraging

(+) Yeah! (+)

I've always been bad with math. Even after going over the same concepts in multiple problems, multiple times, there's always a crucial step I miss or forget no matter how many times I repeat it.

I'm taking college classes online and I'm really struggling even with just remedial math. I have a 50 question, proctored test this weekend and I'm nervous as hell because I always have to keep googling the same concepts, but I can't do that when I'm being proctored. If I don't have my hand held through problems, I almost always get them wrong.

I just don't know how to commit certain things to memory. My mind goes blank. Anyone else relate and/or have any advice?

What kind of math?

Mistere Man posted...

What kind of math?

Lots of fractions-related stuff. For example, I frequently forget how to convert an improper fraction into a mixed number, even after looking it up a million times. Another example is simplifying fractions; I usually end up not simplifying them to their lowest terms, and I'm just like...wtf.

Math is the one subject where you if you don't have a strong foundation of the fundamentals you are really going to struggle. Best thing to do is have a really strong grasp of the basics like PEMDAS.

Just keep practicing.

Yeah, I didn't go to school for almost 5 years (4th through 8th). I never learned anything after multiplication, so when I took a remedial class in HS, I was held back for three years, then dropped out after a panic attack.

Then when I tried college over a decade later, I freaked out and dropped the class. I got lucky the next time I retook it and got a C.

problem is everyone teaches/learns it as "remember the steps" and not "understand the concepts"

X equals negative B, plus or minus the square root of B squared minus 4 AC, all over 2A.

YWS-is-King posted...

X equals negative B, plus or minus the square root of B squared minus 4 AC, all over 2A.

Quadratic formula always felt like useless BS

Super Slash posted...

Lots of fractions-related stuff. For example, I frequently forget how to convert an improper fraction into a mixed number, even after looking it up a million times. Another example is simplifying fractions; I usually end up not simplifying them to their lowest terms, and I'm just like...wtf.

Simplifying a fraction like 68/12? This is more of a logic problem than just typical math, as there isnt just a brain dead process to get the right answer, you have to actually think:
-What is the largest multiple of 12 that is less than 68?
Then
-What is the largest number that goes into both the numerator and denominator in order to simplify?

My advice would be to just practice. Get a list of 100 different improper fractions and go through them. Also dont check if you got the right answer after every problem. Do like 10 in a row, and then check your answers.

AngelsNAirwav3s posted...

Simplifying a fraction like 68/12? This is more of a logic problem than just typical math, as there isnt just a brain dead process to get the right answer, you have to actually think:
-What is the largest multiple of 12 that is less than 68?
Then
-What is the largest number that goes into both the numerator and denominator in order to simplify?

My advice would be to just practice. Get a list of 100 different improper fractions and go through them. Also dont check if you got the right answer after every problem. Do like 10 in a row, and then check your answers.

That is a good idea, but nearly impossible while I'm juggling between two classes. It already takes me a few hours a day just to stay caught up on my math class, and that has significantly less problems than 100. Not to mention, if I study for any longer than like, 2 and a half hours on the same thing (math in this case), my brain starts to fog and I have to take a break for a few hours.

It's bullshit I can solve most math problems if I was allowed to use my phone which I'm probably going to have on me the rest of my life anyways

Can you type out an example question of something you find difficult? I want to know what level you're at.

tfw never have to do math again beyond essential shit

I thought so too. I started school last fall. I even downloaded the Symbolab so it can solve all my problems and show the work lol. Then one day it just clicked

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/8/1/AAPa_qAAC6z9.jpg

That's thinking like a hectogram .All you gotta do is experiment constantly til you hit the right vector and suddenly all those complicated integers will be as simple as the trash those zeptograms keep adding to the mix everyday.

Crazy how people love video games but hate math.

Video games wouldnt exist without math.

Math uses different parts of your brain, than non-math - even complex non-mathematical thinking ~ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-does-a-mathematician-s-brain-differ-from-that-of-a-mere-mortal/

However, good news - if you can do basic arithmetic, then you can already use these parts of the brain.

Being bad at math is why it took years for me to get my GED, and even then I barely passed.

tremain07 posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/8/1/AAPa_qAAC6z9.jpg

That's thinking like a hectogram .All you gotta do is experiment constantly til you hit the right vector and suddenly all those complicated integers will be as simple as the trash those zeptograms keep adding to the mix everyday.

lol I had Sho in mind when I made this thread.

cardgum posted...

Can you type out an example question of something you find difficult? I want to know what level you're at.

Yeah I'll report back later.

i hate math so much

YWS-is-King posted...

Crazy how people love video games but hate math.

Video games wouldnt exist without math.

That has no bearing at all on whether or not someone likes math. Wut?

Inferno Dive Dragoon posted...

Being bad at math is why it took years for me to get my GED, and even then I barely passed.

Oddly enough, I did better on my GED math test than I did the science one. I was not expecting that.

College math is a lot more daunting, and these are just remedials.

As someone who had to take the very bottom level of math in college and worked myself up to finishing my engineering degree next semester, I completely agree with you.

Unfortunately, math is a language and sometimes you'll do so many problems and not understand any of it. Sometimes understanding comes later.

Like English, the only way to get better is to continue to practice. The good news is that math follows a specific formula and as you continue to practice that formula it gets dummy easy.

Download Anki and throw your problems on there and study it everyday. I owe Professor Leonard and Anki my academic career.

Fuck math

Slaya4 posted...

As someone who had to take the very bottom level of math in college and worked myself up to finishing my engineering degree next semester, I completely agree with you.

Unfortunately, math is a language and sometimes you'll do so many problems and not understand any of it. Sometimes understanding comes later.

Like English, the only way to get better is to continue to practice. The good news is that math follows a specific formula and as you continue to practice that formula it gets dummy easy.

Download Anki and throw your problems on there and study it everyday. I owe Professor Leonard and Anki my academic career.

Anki is a good idea actually; I used it all the time to learn/memorize kanji back in the day. And my brother has repeatedly told me Professor Leonard is excellent, but his videos are apparently really long.

Math is literally easy as fuck.

The rules never change and there is no grey area at all.

YWS-is-King posted...

Math is literally easy as fuck.

The rules never change and there is no grey area at all.

It may be easy once you actually know what you're doing and why you're doing it, but getting to that point is the hard part.

Have you ever been tested for dyscalculia? Its a real condition, and if you have it, getting the right support could make a huge difference for you. No reason to struggle so much with methods that arent beneficial to you.

Slaya4 posted...

math is a language

No it isn't. I know you're making a comparison, but no.

YWS-is-King posted...

Math is literally easy as fuck.

The rules never change and there is no grey area at all.

This is pretty unkind, tbh.

Sariana21 posted...

Have you ever been tested for dyscalculia? Its a real condition, and if you have it, getting the right support could make a huge difference for you. No reason to struggle so much with methods that arent beneficial to you.

I haven't, but I know of it. I'm not quite convinced I need to get tested for it yet, but I'm not against it if it comes down to it.

The thing that really made simplifying fractions "make sense" for me was learning to split a number up into prime factors. Once you know about prime factors, you can just divide both the top and bottom by any of their common factors one at a time.

Here are some examples of how:
https://www.math.net/prime-factorization
https://media.geeksforgeeks.org/wp-content/uploads/6-min-1.png

You can just try each prime number in sequence (2,3,5,7,11 etc). Anything that appears in both the numerator and the denominator can be divided out. Then do it again until they have no factors in common and you can tell when you've finished simplifying!

cardgum posted...

Can you type out an example question of something you find difficult? I want to know what level you're at.

@cardgum here's one that I skipped earlier. I've studied this before, but my brain completely shuts down when I look at this, and I don't remember ever having to write an answer from something like this as a mixed number (in this class).https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/8/9/AADqOLAAC61p.jpg

Super Slash posted...

@cardgum here's one that I skipped earlier. I've studied this before, but my brain completely shuts down when I look at this, and I don't remember ever having to write an answer from something like this as a mixed number (in this class).https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/8/9/AADqOLAAC61p.jpg

You have three whole ones and 4/6 of another so 3 4/6 or 3 2/3 reduced.

I could be mistaken though.

Mistere Man posted...

You have three whole ones and 4/6 of another so 3 4/6 or 3 2/3 reduced.

I could be mistaken though.

Yeah my ex is also helping me, and now it's completely obvious. This is what I mean, this kinda thing happens to me so often with math. It accepted 3 4/6.

Here's another one. I always forget the intuition behind word problems. I know they're just fancier ways of writing out expressions.

A baby's t-shirt requires 8/9 yards of fabric. How many t-shirts can be made from 104 yards?

Super Slash posted...

A baby's t-shirt requires 8/9 yards of fabric. How many t-shirts can be made from 104 yards?

1 = 9/9

So multiply 104 x 9, which is 936.

936 divided by 8, answer is 117.

YWS-is-King posted...

1 = 9/9

So multiply 104 x 9, which is 936.

936 divided by 8, answer is 117.

Huh, that is an interesting way of doing it. Maybe I'll start trying to learn them that way.

Appreciate all the help/advice given so far.

Yeah I messed up sorry.

I should have divided by 88% (.88) or 89% (.89) which was 104/89%=116.85 or 118.18 for 88%

Mistere Man posted...

Yeah I messed up sorry.

sometimes it can be nice to have an easy way to sanity check things llike this. Each t-shirt requires less than 1 yard of fabric, which means you should expect to make more t-shirts than you have yards

Mistere Man posted...

Yeah I messed up sorry.

Lol no problem.

kirbymuncher posted...

sometimes it can be nice to have an easy way to sanity check things llike this. Each t-shirt requires less than 1 yard of fabric, which means you should expect to make more t-shirts than you have yards

Yeah I multiplied instead of dividing. I can mix things up very easily as I have a bit of brain damage so I again apologize for my mistake.

I love math, but sadly I suck at it.

Slayerblade11 posted...

Math is the one subject where you if you don't have a strong foundation of the fundamentals you are really going to struggle. Best thing to do is have a really strong grasp of the basics like PEMDAS.

This honestly!

Super Slash posted...

Here's another one. I always forget the intuition behind word problems. I know they're just fancier ways of writing out expressions.

A baby's t-shirt requires 8/9 yards of fabric. How many t-shirts can be made from 104 yards?

To grow intuition you need understanding.
Break it into smaller easier problems to grow understanding.

If a t-shirt takes 1 yard of fabric, how many t-shirts can be made with 10 yards?
10, that's easy.
If a t-shirt takes 1/2 yards of fabric (.5 or one-half), how many can be made with 10 yards?
20. Either count them out: 1/2, 1, 1 and 1/2, 2, 2 and 1/2... or divide 10 by 1/2, or 10 by .5. Do you understand dividing by fractions (it's the same thing you just did).
Then take it to the next level, 8/9 yards per t-shirt with 104 yards.

Another approach is to look at the units.
You have (8/9) yards/shirt. You can see that as 8 yards per 9 shirts or (some number) yards per shirt. You also have 104 yards. You want the units to become shirts.
8 Yards __104 yards
--------- ---------
9 Shirt _______1
You can cancel units just like canceling numbers. So divide yards by yards/shirt.
104 yards _9 shirts
--------- --------
1 _________8 yards
The yards cancel and your left with 1049 shirts divided by 8. (Underscores for spacing. )

Super Slash posted...

Here's another one. I always forget the intuition behind word problems. I know they're just fancier ways of writing out expressions.

A baby's t-shirt requires 8/9 yards of fabric. How many t-shirts can be made from 104 yards?

Cancel your units is the easiest route

You're given 104 yards and 8 yards per 9 shirts. Manipulate the equations to have yards on the top and bottom so they can cancel.

(104 yards/1)(9 shirts/8 yards) yards cancel and you're left with (104 x 9)/(8) = [ans] in unit shirts.

Ninja'd

Lots of good advice in this topic

I second getting as much practice as possible

It's taught very poorly imo. Would I be any better at teaching it? Almost certainly not, but something I noticed in math courses was that I absolutely suck at memorization. Any time I was being taught a formula, or a set of steps to perform that would get me to an answer, I could never remember it. Ever. I could hold it in long enough to pass a test, but within a week it was gone from my brain.

Any time a teacher could effectively tell me why something was done a certain way, or what the intuition behind some formula was and it actually clicked with me, I immediately got it forever, though. This was especially true for me once I got to Calculus where there are a TON of formulas that save a bunch of time if you know them.

Super Slash posted...

Oddly enough, I did better on my GED math test than I did the science one. I was not expecting that.

College math is a lot more daunting, and these are just remedials.

Yeah, remedial math absolutely destroyed me when I tried to go to college. Ended up flunking so many times I got my financial aid cut off and now I don't get to go to college at all while having a small debt I have to repay.

What's an easy way to compare fractions? Going to do my test today and I'm expecting that to be on there.

Like "Is this fraction greater or less than this other one"