Back at my Math again, preparing to complete Algebra 1 I need it for a Certificate CNA, not serious to go out and do it. It's good in my profile at work. At 60 who cares, I can't run with the young bucks anymore. But, I will say Jr High and High School I just gave up because I didn't want to learn Algebra, awhile back studying I found some Videos created by an MIT Graduate easy on the eye's as well as good tips. Just wish she would have been my Math Teacher, I really wanted to learn Algebra her tips have been a wonder for me.

If you can see past her beauty and watch as she seamlessly moves through the equations.

Enjoy,
kv

 

I decided to brush up on a bit of calculus recently and I found that 'Khan Academy' was a good source of maths tutorials. I think it's good to see tutors actually write down the equations by hand rather than other youtube tutorials where it's simply a powerpoint presentation.

 

Math as it seems, now that I'm working for a University doesn't come naturally for the human mind to understand like language is as is said from those in the field. I don't know if that is true, however I find English incredibly difficult and if it was Math would make sense to me. If English was based on Mathematics would seem to me at least easier to understand how to frame a sentence, where to put a comma, verb, noun, adjective, etc.

We criticize people who just don't understand how to write, but the structure of language is based on history and evolution of words according to their origins. Which makes no sense to me. Glass, Glasses or Glass's, etc. WTF, I mean really? Just stop with your high handedness and attitude cause your elitism is better in circles of academia where you can show off your skills, leave those in the lower class to grow when and where they can, get off your punctuation soap box.

Does it make any sense or am I saying only my perspective? Ignorantly unaware.

kv

 

Just stop with your high handedness and attitude cause your elitism is better in circles of academia where you can show off your skills, leave those in the lower class to grow when and where they can, get off your punctuation soap box.

Wow, I wasn't expecting that. I made a comment I felt might contribute to the thread. High handedness? Elitism? You know absolutely nothing about me. I was set back at primary school because of an illness which I still have today, and this has had a knock on impact on my studies ever since in particular mathematics. I struggled at university because I was always slower than others, but I did very well and got the grades I wanted and now have a decent job as an electrical engineer. I am very proud of my achievements, and I feel I hold something in common with people who struggle with maths (and I thought perhaps you were one of them).

Take your horrible judgemental comments somewhere else. Does it make any sense or am I saying only my perspective? Ignorantly unaware.

 

Wow, I wasn't expecting that. I made a comment I felt might contribute to the thread. High handedness? Elitism? You know absolutely nothing about me. I was set back at primary school because of an illness which I still have today, and this has had a knock on impact on my studies ever since in particular mathematics. I struggled at university because I was always slower than others, but I did very well and got the grades I wanted and now have a decent job as an electrical engineer. I am very proud of my achievements, and I feel I hold something in common with people who struggle with maths (and I thought perhaps you were one of them).

Take your horrible judgemental comments somewhere else. Does it make any sense or am I saying only my perspective? Ignorantly unaware.

Not you, I was just drawing a parallel to how difficult language and writing is compared to Math, your ok in my book

kv

Edit: Yes, I struggle with learning new concepts or ideas. Always have.

 

Not you, I was just drawing a parallel to how difficult language and writing is compared to Math, your ok in my book

kv

kv! Wow you really got my hackles up! I didn't realise it was directed at someone else, I guess this makes your point about language being hard to understand sometimes

Anyway, khan academy.....have a look for it on youtube. IMO there are alot of tutorials on youtube but good tutorials on youtube are often hard to come by.

 

kv! Wow you really got my hackles up! I didn't realise it was directed at someone else, I guess this makes your point about language being hard to understand sometimes

Anyway, khan academy.....have a look for it on youtube. IMO there are alot of tutorials on youtube but good tutorials on youtube are often hard to come by.

My apologies, I was in complete agreement. They are hard to come by, at least for how I learn, now where do I put that damn period???????????

I have so much to learn about writing it's not even funny.

kv

Edit: I could have written more clearly, my post after re-reading, could lead you to believe it was directed at you.

 

And I struggle with math, though writing computer code comes easy as does language. I have come to the conclusion that math is difficult for me because I can't see, nor imagine it. It seems like jjust a matter of following some set of rules and voila, out pops the answer.

 

And I struggle with math, though writing computer code comes easy as does language. I have come to the conclusion that math is difficult for me because I can't see, nor imagine it. It seems like jjust a matter of following some set of rules and voila, out pops the answer.

The nice thing about programming is that you can name a variable anything you like and spell it however you want just as long as you are consistent. I only usually code in C or Python, but for me Python had the shortest learning curve (less curly braces and semi-colons to remember) maybe because it's closer to spoken language than C?

 

It seems like jjust a matter of following some set of rules and voila, out pops the answer.

But isn't that what you're doing when you write computer code?

When programming, you probably don't visualize your computer code as a sequence of CPU instructions that manipulate electrical state in deterministic ways. Rather, you probably take a high-level view, thinking in terms of abstractions -- variables, functions, control flow -- which helps you reason about the problem you're trying to solve in a way that's closer to the problem than the manipulation of electrical states. Programming languages help us solve problems by abstracting the solution.

In contrast, math helps us solve problems by abstracting the problem itself. For example, How many floor tiles do I need to buy to tile this floor? is in some sense a different problem than How many roof shingles do I need to shingle this roof?. But fundamentally they're both the same problem; mathematics allows us to abstract away the unimportant details and focus on the essence of the problem.

It takes practice to develop an intuition for abstracting problems, just like it takes practice to develop an intuition for abstracting solutions (programming). In both math and programming, you have to learn the rules, the notation, the idioms. And since math is especially expressive, there are a lot more rules, notations, and idioms than in any one programming language. As a programmer who learned math long after I learned how to program, this is how I handled the challenge: treat the basic mechanical stuff algorithmically. As with programming, the algorithms for how to add fractions, how to manipulate symbols algebraically, how to solve differential equations, etc. are all useful and necessary, but boring because they are meaningless on their own. And as with programming, the algorithms just take a little practice before they're internalized completely.

Once this happens, then it becomes possible to zoom out and get a high-level perspective on mathematical expressions. A sum of fractions, or an integral, or a differential equation no longer look like problems waiting for solutions, rather they become visualizable mathematical objects that stand on their own. And that's where the insight begins.

 

But isn't that what you're doing when you write computer code?

When programming, you probably don't visualize your computer code as a sequence of CPU instructions that manipulate electrical state in deterministic ways. Rather, you probably take a high-level view, thinking in terms of abstractions -- variables, functions, control flow -- which helps you reason about the problem you're trying to solve in a way that's closer to the problem than the manipulation of electrical states. Programming languages help us solve problems by abstracting the solution.

In contrast, math helps us solve problems by abstracting the problem itself. For example, How many floor tiles do I need to buy to tile this floor? is in some sense a different problem than How many roof shingles do I need to shingle this roof?. But fundamentally they're both the same problem; mathematics allows us to abstract away the unimportant details and focus on the essence of the problem.

It takes practice to develop an intuition for abstracting problems, just like it takes practice to develop an intuition for abstracting solutions (programming). In both math and programming, you have to learn the rules, the notation, the idioms. And since math is especially expressive, there are a lot more rules, notations, and idioms than in any one programming language. As a programmer who learned math long after I learned how to program, this is how I handled the challenge: treat the basic mechanical stuff algorithmically. As with programming, the algorithms for how to add fractions, how to manipulate symbols algebraically, how to solve differential equations, etc. are all useful and necessary, but boring because they are meaningless on their own. And as with programming, the algorithms just take a little practice before they're internalized completely.

Once this happens, then it becomes possible to zoom out and get a high-level perspective on mathematical expressions. A sum of fractions, or an integral, or a differential equation no longer look like problems waiting for solutions, rather they become visualizable mathematical objects that stand on their own. And that's where the insight begins.

When writing code, its easy to visualize the program marching along, doing this or that based upon your logic. If you do it correctly, it will only go into sub routines when you tell it to. Under my control. I could visualize which sub routines, or functions would be needed.
As an aside, I retired just as multi processors were coming into play and that was very interesting to me. How to design a program to parcel out tasks to different processors and control their interaction, very interesting and challenging. But I digress,,,,,.

Maths, like electronics don't seem to work that way. Case in point, I was finally able to visualize the 4th dimension, but lordy lordy, there seems to be areas of math/physics that go well beyond that.
Similar to electrons. My buddy who is an EE says to treat current as if it is present everywhere and at the same time.
Thank you for your lengthy and interesting post,
My head hurts.

 

Wow, I wasn't expecting that. I made a comment I felt might contribute to the thread. High handedness? Elitism? You know absolutely nothing about me. I was set back at primary school because of an illness which I still have today, and this has had a knock on impact on my studies ever since in particular mathematics. I struggled at university because I was always slower than others, but I did very well and got the grades I wanted and now have a decent job as an electrical engineer. I am very proud of my achievements, and I feel I hold something in common with people who struggle with maths (and I thought perhaps you were one of them).

Take your horrible judgemental comments somewhere else. Does it make any sense or am I saying only my perspective? Ignorantly unaware.

Um, no. His remark wasn't pointed at you, it was a general observation against those who are grammar Natzi's.

 

What I really like about her is that she doesn't throw effluvia at you. She gives you straight, simple, effecient ways to do things-- and why. And it's wicked-cool she can write backwards

 

What I really like about her is that she doesn't throw effluvia at you. She gives you straight, simple, effecient ways to do things-- and why. And it's wicked-cool she can write backwards

Thats a device that swaps the image. At least thats what I learned somewhere along the way.

kv

 

Thats a device that swaps the image. At least thats what I learned somewhere along the way.

kv

Interesting. Maybe . I know in the navy they teach people to write backwards for writing on clear boards in the CIC.

 

Um, no. His remark wasn't pointed at you, it was a general observation against those who are grammar Natzi's.

You've realised this about 24 days too late (Killivolt politely corrected me following this). Although there was not ill will, I read it differently than how it was intended, and I felt this was directed at me (wrongly or rightly).

What I learn from this is that I shouldn't be so quick to judge, and what others should consider is what and how they are writing on these forums will affect other people (with good or bad intention). This is IMO something that not enough people consider when posting. I am probably a bit more sensitive than others but ultimately words/diplomacy cost nothing.

 

Professor Burger got me through calculus.

 

For those of us not able to factor Quadratics very well, this sure helps me.

kv