/sci/ - Science & Math

pointless to memorize a formula if you don't have at least a vague idea of how it's derived.

>>10531540
>not memorizing anything because you study math on the side and don't use it

>>10531540
patrician would be to understand the fundamentals of the derivation so you can use those skills later. You'd be wasting time remembering every step in the derivation and its result. Memorizing the formulae is the most pleb thing to do.

>>10531540
memorizing formulas

>>10531549
Memorizing formulas is what is expected by employers. They don’t test your understanding of the material, only the capacity to regurgitate the answer to their tricky questions on the spot.

>>10531540
>using dimensional analysis to derive the formula and then handwaving to get factors like 1/2

>>10531555
This

>>10531540
Actually understanding wtf the problem is asking you.

I could never remember the formula to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit. But I know enough of the points: -50 = -50, 0 = 32, 37 = 98.6, 100 = 212. So I had to derive the formula on two college tests.

>>10531625
>-50C = -50F

>>10531636
I learned that from a stargate episode.

>>10531781
>>10531636
And I fucked up. I meant negative 40 c equals negative 40 f. Not 50. Fuck.