/sci/ - Science & Math

It's an inherent ability

People are born smart or they don't, it's a 50/50 chance

Everyone can learn math
But many are just lazy/afraid of it for some retarded reason

You have to consider the most important to thing to develop any skill is your interest, if you always felt history was cooler than math, then good for you but you'll probably drop math from your life and call it useless

you could have asked a better question then that I think

>>8225197
(a-b)(c-d) = ac - ad - bc + bd

ac - ad - bc + bd = ac + bd
-ad - bc = 0
ad + bc = 0
ad = -bc

Therefore that equations holds if and only if
a = (-bc)/d

I see no such constraint written in that picture so I can only assume it was made by a retard.

>>8225223
it's boolean logic dumb piece of shit

>>8225202
>people are born smart or they don't

lol

>>8225231
Where the fuck is that said.

>tfw didn't take math seriously during high school
>want to do computer science and work on rendering engines or other graphics programming
>realize math itself can literally describe a universe
>cramming to learn all this shit I should have focused on in high school

It's pretty demotivating having to get refreshers in Algebra before I even begin higher levels of math but I'm really trying. However I'm 19 and it may be too late.

>>8225237
>i never took discrete math detected

>>8225238
lmao, the math you could have learned in highschool is babby tier compared to the stuff you need to learn

in other words, you are sad because instead of being 10 meters into the Everest, you are only 2 meters into the Everest

>>8225238
>However I'm 19 and it may be too late.

Nah bro, never too late to learn glorious math

>>8225241
It is sad because in my post I was going to finish with 'Assuming we are in the usual field over the reals' but thought it was not going to be necessary.

Now I got people shitting on me. I guess from now on I will always say that I am working on the usual field over the reals.

>>8225253
It's okay dude, I don't even know if it's boolean logic. I actually thought you would know what boolean logic is and tell me if it is or not.

>>8225238
Stop. Go into calculus right now and all the algebra and trig you'll actually need will naturally pop up, use time wisely.

>>8225197
Some people are better at it than others, but it is largely a trained skill; anyone can study enough to reach an advanced knowledge of mathematics.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
-"Aristotle"

>>8225244

I already know this, you're not exactly discouraging me any further.

>>8225276
Is that true? I'm afraid because I don't have strong fundamentals calculus will tear me a new asshole.

>>8225238
>ve to consider the most important to thing to develop any skill is your interest, if you always felt history was cooler than math, the

I'm literally doing the exact same thing now at 26, so it's definitely not too late. It pisses me off how they never taught the actual applications of this stuff when we were kids. Going back and learning Algebra now is actually *fun* because I can see all the applications in programming/science/engineering.

>>8225285
>you're not exactly discouraging me any further.
I was encouraging you to enjoy your holidays and stop worrying

>>8225294
sorry meant to quote
>tfw didn't take math seriously during high school
>want to do computer science and work on rendering engines or other graphics programming
>realize math itself can literally describe a universe
>cramming to learn all this shit I should have focused on in high school

>>8225285
>I don't have strong fundamentals
Exactly. Build up the ones you need for calculus and higher maths and ignore the useless shit. Ex: I never needed Thales' Theorem ever yet that's fundamental trigonometry.

>>8225285
The only algebra you need in Calculus 1 is how to solve equations

Everything else is trivial

>>8225276
I'm kind of in the same boat. Learning algebra fundamentals but getting really discouraged by the massive amount of memorization of calculation steps. I never have any trouble understand the relationships, but actually doing the factoring and simplifying just seems pointless to me when computers are designed for doing that stuff.

Depends on what people think maths is. Most people don't look beyond calculating something. They don't see maths being everywhere.

Maybe if they were taught sacred geometry and the golden ratio from a young age, things would make more sense to them.

>>8225324
>memorization of calculation steps
That's where you fucked up. Memorization really only helps you for remembering definitions but not any actual procedure beyond baby's first row reduction.

>>8225324
Algebra sucks ass but it's very useful in Calculus 2

>>8225279
I don't agree with this statement, many people have said there is a "minimum IQ" to do math.

Just like how there is a minimum IQ to learn aspects of language, many people with low IQ (70-80) struggle with english. => (which implies) they cannot learn math.

I believe the minimum iq lies somewhere 110 +/- 2 points. Sure you can learn your basic mathematics and maybe some calculus (how to compute derivatives). However understanding a proof takes creativity, abstract thought and pure logic. This a normal median IQ person would not be able to do.

Anyone else agree with this? I know many of my fellow students in pure math find other courses easy. For instance a bunch of us took business courses as our electives and found them absolutely boring but easy. Two of them even wrote the LSAT and scored a 172, and 175 respectively. Face it, I think to be able to do true mathematics (which is not simple arithmetic and derivative calculations ) you must have inertly a higher intelligence than average, or at least the capacity to think in abstract forms.

>>8225341
My IQ is 120 and I struggle with math

>>8225261
I know propositional logic and after looking about boolean algebra on wikipedia it looks like boolean algebra is propositional logic except that you are defining a field over the set {0,1} with the usual operations.

Assuming that is the case then that identity is false. Check pic related.

when a = 1, b= 0, c = 1 and d = 1 that equality does not hold..

>>8225353
Does every /sci/entist have his own white board or is it just you?

>>8225357
After I decided to major in math the first thing I did was buy a white board and a pack of markers.

How else am I going to prove people wrong on the internet?

Typing out this truth table on latex would have been a nightmare.

>>8225324
Simplification allows you to understand things clearer and easier. Why would you want to do more work than you need to when you can work smart?


Easy example :

Gauss's formula for computing sum of natural numbers.


how would you add the sum of all numbers 1-50->

You can tell a computer to do... 1+2+3+4....+50.

Or you can spend some time and see that 1->50 = 51, 2->49 = 51, 3-> 48 =51... oh lets see theres actually pairs here of 51?

In the end youll end up with a formula like this.

(50*51)/2

gives you the correct answer.

in general the formula is ((n)(n+1))/2

Programming this in a computer is much easier than using brute force arithmetic.

Please take the time to learn your mathematics man, it will save you so much hassle.

>>8225294

Yeah dude, it actually makes me angry thinking about how poorly math was taught to me and most people in America. We were indeed only taught the methods, but never the applications.

>>8225308
So basically just dive into calculus and it'll guide me through the required algebra/trig naturally? Or it's more like "go through calculus and if there's any trig bothering me go learn it on the side, then come back"?

>>8225370
can you solve this?

>>8225383
Lol this question is too easy.

>>8225395
Congratulations, you can take Calculus 1 no problem

>>8225383
What the hell is lm?

>>8225370
>go through calculus and if there's any trig bothering me go learn it on the side, then come back
Yeah, thats what I want you to do

>>8225411
wew lad

I think you should start a Calc -5

>>8225411
ln

>>8225399
Im not the same person as above Im actually in 4th year pure mathematics

But l I don't think being able to recognize base factors, and the rules of the natural logarithms is sufficient enough to pass calc 1.

>>82254167
I see it now, thanks.

>>8225411
mfw

http://media0.giphy.com/media/cyNYYuprfgL84/giphy.gif

made my day man top kek.

>>8225432
>linking to an image on an imageboard

>>8225443
come fucking at me nerd. Didn't feel like posting images.

>>8225341
>I believe the minimum iq lies somewhere 110 +/- 2 points.
What makes you give that number?}
I find it to be random. If it's about guessing, I'd say 90-95 and my guess wouldn't be better than yours.

In any case, your general statement is wrong, 70-80 IQ is diagnosed a learning disability - 20 points down to 90 is a HUGE difference, not even close to the almost insignificant difference between 90-110
There is certainly an minimum IQ to learn math, and but is not higher than the IQ that guarantees the person has not a mental disability

>>8225341
>However understanding a proof takes creativity, abstract thought and pure logic. This a normal median IQ person would not be able to do.
I find this to be random as well. Do you have any source or study? I studied pure math, and I'm well-convinced that anyone could have gone through the same studies with an average or even below average IQ.
I do believe that studying math requires more discipline and rigor and other fields of study, but this one is acquired by habit - which is shown by how many of us fail almost every elementary course in mathematics but later on we're able to take tests on more advanced courses (algebraic topology,ergodic theory, ommutative algebra, etc) with seemingly less effort - seemingly, because we were used to study in the particular way we need to study mathematics

>>8225366
I had one in high school because I was pretentious and I wanted to show off. Some of us go through that period at that age.
Now I use printer paper. It's cheap and faster than using a whiteboard.

>>8225285
>Is that true? I'm afraid because I don't have strong fundamentals calculus will tear me a new asshole.
Calculus is basic math. I good textbook should provide everything you need to know.
I suggest Apostol Calculus. Whatever you will need is introduced axiomatically. This text may seem odd because it introduces integration before derivation, but is one of the most systematic books there is.Otherwise,read Spivak.

>>8225367
Thanks for the prodding to follow what I already knew was the right path. It's hard, but I get that it's ultimately worth it.

That being said, beginning to truly learn math has opened my eyes to the universe in a way I could have never imagined. It's all I think about now. You see the relationships *everywhere* in *everything*. It's paradoxically brought me to begin believing in some type of "god". Not really a traditional theistic interpretation of the word, but in terms of a single unifying force that explains the universe and describes the interactions of matter.

>>8225460

>In any case, your general statement is wrong, 70-80 IQ is diagnosed a learning disability - 20 points down to 90 is a HUGE difference, not even close to the almost insignificant difference between 90-110

>There is certainly an minimum IQ to learn math, and but is not higher than the IQ that guarantees the person has not a mental disability

Isn't IQ a relative measurement of an individual's intelligence among their society?

How would an absolute number like IQ have any relevance to something that we presume to exist naturally, independently from the process of human thought, like mathematics?

>>8225460

>There is certainly an minimum IQ to learn math, and but is not higher than the IQ that guarantees the person has not a mental disability

your wording here is slightly off, please rephrase, actually most of it is riddled with errors.


>Do I have any source or study.
I gave an anecdotal response to back up my statement, but there are many studies that show high IQ is associated with mathematical ability. I am currently in my final year of pure mathematics, I have worked in finance, and statistics as my two coop terms. Those jobs seemed almost too easy compared to what I have gone through in ring theory, and galois theory.

And yes early childhood math education was boring and many of my friends did do poorly. However I am talking about a person at the age of 18+, not a child? I don't expect children to attempt to learn calculus. To be quite honest your entire reply to this was seemingly random.

You introduced habit as a motif for being gifted in mathematics, but I was simply talking about a general inert ability in "learning" mathematics. There are many of us who can achieve high grades, but not all can perform graduate level research and prove conjectures and theorems. This requires a true test of creativity and abstract thought which I am sorry... not even hard work can give you.

>>8225197
Yes, being "bad at math" is a skill that anyone can learn.

>>8225418
>to pass
i said to take

>>8225467

Here is a youtube video that may interest you.

Spinoza was a man who viewed god as not a person, but an idea. The way to commune with god is through the understanding of science and not the bible.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVEeXjPiw54&index=13&list=PLwxNMb28XmpeypJMHfNbJ4RAFkRtmAN3P

>>8225503
why would you take a class... and not intend to pass it.

>>8225521
That's enough knowledge a priori to pass.

It implies that he can solve any equation that may appear in Calculus 1.

It doesn't get more complicated than a logarithm or an exponential function.

Everything else can be learned.

>>8225535
You're just speaking non-sense now. Rearranging logarithms can be easily learned as well.

>>8225197
assuming you aren't functionally retarded, IQ and intelligence are more a measure of how long it takes you to learn certain concepts, not whether or not you can or can't to begin with.

of course everyone can learn math, but for some the time and effort investment simply aren't worth it when they could be learning other skills that they actually excel at.

>>8225549
If you have to start learning how to solve equations, you are wasting time

>>8225535
What kind of backwards ass university do you go too?

Calc 1 requires understanding of functions, sequence of limits, and if you are in math specialized calc, delta epsilon notation.

I think you should brush up on the following.

-Derivatives,
-factoring techniques (difference of squares)
-completing the square
-general optimization problems (taking the derivative =0 and such)

- solving linear equations such as 2 equations 2 unknowns (or in general n equations n unknowns).

- trig identities (this will help you with proofs)
- nature of functions (how to find vertical and horizontal asymptotes).

and when you're done all that look into integrals, they are the reverse of derivatives.

>>8225558
>on 4chan
>telling someone they're wasting their time

>>8225568
None of those are taught in algebra, dunce

>>8225568
It's about the per-requesites for taking Calculus

not about Calculus itself

>>8225570

okay what country are we dealing with here? Where I am from we learn all this in 3rd and 4th year of highschool. There is no class called "algebra" in highschool, algebra is incorporated into the math we use. Its natural we use it in class.

>>8225574
I'm not even going to ask what backwards ass school you went too. But if you want to pass 1st year university calc with a good mark then you need to know that.

>>8225579
>I need to know the topics beforehand to get a good mark

>>8225558
>learning Calculus without set theory
What kind of backwards ass school did you go to?

Thanks that was great. It's always humbling when you realize that you've independently come to the same conclusions about reality as thousands of people for hundreds of years.

>>8225491
>You introduced habit as a motif for being gifted in mathematics, but I was simply talking about a general inert ability in "learning" mathematics.
I introduced habit as a motif for learning mathematics. Being gifted is something completely different - there isn't an amount of study that will make you the next terry.

>>8225585
>learning calculus without algebraic geometry
What kind of backwards ass school did you go to?

>>8225639
>algebraic geometry
Euclid, pls go.

>>8225639
>>8225643
Hey Euclid,

its Reimann, real math has curves.

>>8225197
>Are some people just "bad at reading", or is it a skill that anyone can learn?
>Are some people just "bad at walking", or is it a skill that anyone can learn?
>Are some people just "bad at eating", or is it a skill that anyone can learn?
>Are some people just "bad at breathing", or is it a skill that anyone can learn?

etc

>>8225366
I want a whiteboard too

>>8225202
Someone lost the coin flip

>>8225197
Yes

I didn't like math all through middle school and junior high then in high school i realized how beautiful numbers are and how much i actually loved the idea of mathematics. I started doing a lot better and now Im taking Advanced Physics next year

>>8225299
>>8225285
I'm also on the same boat, I'm 3 years older than you. I've learned algebra, now I'm learning geometry.

>>8225276
Is geometry relevant to calculus? Do I need it if I want to study higher math? I've already read 2 books about geometry now I'm on my third. Can I skip it and go straight to algebra 2 or pre-calculus? I find geometry very boring desu

>>8226866
>2 books about geometry
That's overkilling it

t. never read any math book and passed calculus 1, 2 and algebra

>>8225197
its newtonian problem

>>8226876
One book was for middle school the other for HS. The one I'm reading now is for college

>>8225238
I couldn't add fractions after high school, ended up leaving college with a first-class mathematics degree. It's never too late, especially at 19. You'll quickly realise how little you learnt in high school.

>>8225238
>tfw im in the same boat

>>8225238
I'm 34. Studying Math and Finance at undergrad.

You'll do great. Hang in there!

>>8225207
>Everyone can learn math
No.
General statements that begin with
"Everyone can learn to ..."
are almost always false. Examples
abound in advertising copy, where
the goal is to separate the hopeful
from their money.

>>8225491
>However I am talking about a person at the age of 18+, not a child? I don't expect children to attempt to learn calculus.

Being a 16 year old about to take Calc 2 this coming college term I believe that age has little to do with a person's ability to comprehend Maths. I agree with your previous point; there is some quality that allows someone to be well-versed in solving problems relating to logic and Maths. (Whether it be IQ or any other currently unknown quality.) Although it's agreeable that with age comes more in-depth understanding and fluidity when working with problems. (I think more because of the amount of time we sit and ponder the many theorems and identities we're taugh as we're younger and how we have to apply them in new contexts as we advance to higher Maths.)

>>8225215
nothing more to add

>>8225411
I don't care what others say, if you go into Calculus with very weak Algebra skills you're not going to do well. Sure you might be able to solve basic equations but when stuff gets complex you're going to be completely lost. Go through Khan Academy and learn how to solve equations and learn some basic trig (unit circle, what the functions mean, basic identities). A lot of calculus is manipulating equations so be comfortable knowing how to work through problems and contort them to a solution.

>>8227675
>memorise unit circle rather than learning how to graph in radians and know what the hell a reference angle is
Stop making him do more work for something that doesnt need so much, its not impressing anyone.

>>8227339
Does your brain get slower when you get older? I plan on graduating at the military academy of my country and then work on a mathematics degree.

>>8227685
Did I say memorize it? I meant be familiar with it and understand what you are doing with the trig and where it comes from.

>>8227373
Sure, people are disadvantaged in doing certain things. That isn't to say they can't do it well if they try.

Perhaps intelligence is inherent. But math, science, etc. aren't purely intelligence based. It can speed up the learning process but no one is born good at math.

>>8227719
Not even Gauss? Newton? That Korean kid that did calculus as a kid?

>>8227830

Not that anon but take this into consideration, what if the foundations and tools of math wasn't present during their lifetimes?

Surely your examples have inquisitive and logical minds so it's at least guaranteed that they would be able to draw unique observations and conclusions about the world around them. But there is no innate math ability, just a compatibility to the structure and processes that is known as math.

Look at it another way, there's very little difference in the anatomy of humans today and humans a thousand years ago. But most modern sports that utilize that anatomy did not exist a thousand years back. Because of this only the humans of today can exploit and present a series of traits that can be viewed by the public as being "talented" in these modern sports.

It's very likely however that a number of humans a thousand years ago would be able to express these same traits in the sports of today if they were given the opportunity to do so. This is despite the fact said modern sports didn't exist at that time so there was no way for their genome to adjust for the sports in question.

The point is your examples were fortunate enough to be born at times where they could exploit their "compatibility" to a developing structure such as math or science.

>>8227698
I haven't noticed a decline, but I can't speak for everyone. It's true what they say about the brain being a muscle, though, so do what you can to keep it in shape.

>>8225197
I have never been that good at math.

I took a retarded test at the beginning of highschool that placed me into geometry, skipping algebra 1 algebra 2 and trig.

I had never taken a single algebra course, and I mostly just barely figured out the problems on the test and used guesstimation to figure it out.

Just finished my last math courses, calc 3, vector calc, and linear/PDE.

Got like C's in most of them and a B in one.

Pretty retarded desu

>>8225197
Yes mathematics is a skill that everyone can learn, but it is an acquired taste. It's sort of like falling in love. Everyone will eventually do it but not everyone will fall in love with the same thing. I know that is a very vague statement but what I'm trying to say is that not everyone will like it but everyone will use it to some extent. I am one of those people who really fell in love with mathematics. I'll admit when I was a child I wasn't mature enough to appreciate its ability but as I started getting older my eyes were opened to see the infinite beauty that mathematics holds. I would much rather study math then watch a movie, play a video game, or read a book. I spend about 6 or 7 hours a day studying math. I won't lie part of the reason I am able to do this is because I am antisocial. People don't very much like me and I don't very much like them. I truly believe that mathematics exists in the universe and it is more then just a way for man to understand the world around him. It's a way of life. The more mathematics I learn, the more I realize how much we don't know and it inspires me to want to climb the mountain of knowledge and push the human race forward.

I am a senior in HS and I study: ODEs, linear algebra, real and complex analysis, advanced calculus, and game theory.

>>8227481
>Being a 16 year old about to take Calc 2
That's not math anymore than knowing a multiplication table.
Also, underage b&.

>>8225383
G-going into Calc 1 next year, and I forget how to do this.. well I just forget the rules of natural logarithms, even though I remember that shit being incredibly easy when I learned it.

Logarithms were only covered very very briefly in my high school math. Is it too extreme to say if you forget the properties of natural logs then you're not ready for Calc 1? Stuff that was taught in high school math and that I never used afterwards doesn't stick to me well, I always need to go back and get a refresher. How can I make small shit like this stick?

I-i'm good at math but this post made me nervous

>>8231386
Take your pedophile cartoons back to >>>/a/.

>>8231386
College-level Calc II is basically this: Limits, derivatives, very basic integrals. Some theory & word problems mixed in.

As long as you can find limits of, and take the derivatives of various functions including ln & e, you'll be fine. Differentiation isn't even computationally heavy - it's the easiest month of Calc you'll have.

>>8231386
Calculus is literally one new concept. Everything else is just high speed algebra and trig.

People who suck at calculus are the faggots who fucked off in their lower level math classes and didn't really learn the material. Go review your algebra book. Particularly logs/exponents, factoring, polynomials, and sigma summation.

>>8227719
>do it well if they try
This is a sort of double-bind that I haven't been
able to properly categorise. The clear implication
is that if they do not "do it well" then they did not
"try" (enough) regardless of their inabilities.
It's an assertion similar to that of Pentecostal
religions, in which failure (or misfortune) is
blamed on "insufficient faith", regardless of
any other causative factors.

>>8225238
Most things you read in HS is a joke, I barley bother to even open the books in class back then.
But I started to study CS when I was 20 and learning the math wasn't a problem for me

>>8227698
Yes, but most noteable in early ages and among the eldery

>>8226897
do wildtrig on youtube. geometry is a fundamental aspect of reality/everything

>>8225202
>being this stupid
Please never go full retard again. EVER!

I was just lazy or maybe going through early phases of ADHD. But its a fucking skill you pick up through practice. The "geniuses" of math are just guys who can think of new ideas from an existing or non-existing problem. In other words they're thinking instead of mindlessly plugging numbers and filling in greek symbols.

>>8231803
>Sigma summation

Tfw this wasn't even discussed once in my algebra and pre-calc classes

>>8225197
Anyone with a healthy brain can become a Field's medalist. There is my answer.

>>8231386
Calm down and post more Kyouko, everything will be daijoubu

>>8233067
Thanks senpai!

Still a little worried though, but fortunately cute anime girls are helping keep me calm

>>8228653
very deep anon

>>8225202
>50/50 chance

Explain, binary conditions don't necessarily have 50/50 probability.

>>8226943
wew lad

>>8225197

"I'm bad at math" is just a socially acceotable way of saying "I'm literally stupid and have an IQ below 100"

Math is an incredble diversified field with many sub fields and none are the same and the only thing they have in common is that they use logic to understand.
So really saying "I'm bad at math" is like saying "My IQ is low"

>>8233997
50/50 chance you are smarter than average

>>8234956
Not exactly.
There's always that chance you're the average.

>>8225351
>implying 120 is high

>>8225341
I don't think there's an inherent difficulty to mathematics. The challenge arises later on when the amount of knowledge to understand a single concept requires a large breadth of mathematical knowledge (mathematical maturity). If you enjoy math well enough to keep the ideas in your head, it's not that hard.

For instance, I've studied a year of abstract algebra, a year of complex analysis, and a semester of real analysis along with other math classes like discrete math, mathematical statistics, numerical analysis, linear algebra 2 etc. I've aced all of it because I enjoy and understand math well enough to recall the concepts and learn the new and recall the new concepts fairly well. I've also studied economics and struggled to pull of B's, something which contradicts what you have just said.

I believe its a mixture of both.

>>8225197
I'm not bad at "math", I'm bad at memorizing and translating the language.

>>8235609

>math
>memorizing

That's where you fucked up.

Math is tallying. Anything besides that is bad math.

>>8225725
>breathing and math is the same

>>8225574
>>8225582
>>8231386
>>8233067
>>8233074
>>>/a/

Fuck off.

>>8225576

Are you Canadian? We do that here too. If he's American he might get it taught in precalculus, not in algebra or something. I think precalc (and trig?) is their equivalent of Canadian Math 11/12, and algebra I/II more like Math 9/10, with bits of Geometry mixed into various parts too.

Hey guys. Yuropoor here. I'm kinda lost when you guys discuss about calculus I II III and so on because I can't really correlate with my personnal experience. Is calculus a topic mainly viewed in college ? How far do you go in Highschool ? I remember being teached stuff like integration by parts, derivatives of composite functions and basic differentials equations in my last year of High School. Pretty basic stuff but I don't know what classe I should take if I were to study in an american University following my last highschool year

To reply to OP's question, I'm 25, completely spoiled my 18-25 years with bad decisions, lazyness and basically getting fucked up every week end (if not every day). I was terrible at maths but now I took interest in the subject and finally decided to attend to university, after 7 years of flipping burgers. I know the path will be hard, being old around 18 years old wankers, being a 25 yo freshman In front of all my friends who are basically all married/parents and having lost the habit of going to school everyday, but I have a lot of motivation, I really like maths and I'm starting to get good at it.

10 years ago I would have told you I sucked at maths and that it was boring. Now I like it and I am beggining to see the endless possibilities. So no, I don't think people are inherently good or bad at maths

my2cents, sorry for bad engrish

>>8240184
>How far do you go in Highschool ?
> I remember being teached stuff like integration by parts, derivatives of composite functions and basic differentials equations in my last year of High School
Lol. Yeah, no. Most high school students graduate high school not knowing what a derivative or integral is, thinking math is some kind of black magic.

To be fair, some students do learn those things in high school, but it's definitely not universal. It's usually considered a college-level subject. It shouldn't be, but that's how it is.

>>8233997

I've been on /sci/ for 50 seconds and just to clarify, do you mean that similar to how the lottery is either you win or you don't, but you don't necessarily have 50/50 odds just because there are only two outcomes, or some other way that I don't get?

What are some legends in mathematics? I don't mean who is the best. By legend I mean stories that some mathematician prove this but somehow the information was lost. The only one I can think of is Riemann solving his famous hypothesis but died before publishing his finding. His housekeeper hated how disorganized he was and burned most of crap in his office.

>>8225197
When will this meme die?

>>8240235
When /a/ posters die.

>>8225197
Anyone can learn to be bad at math.

>>8240235
Which meme? The "some people are just bad at math" meme or the "it's a skill that anyone can learn" meme?

>>8228357
It sounds like you are good at math and were just given a shit education.

>>8225279

"the brain is obviously there to serve the purpose of cooling the body, it has no other function"
- Ariostotle.

That said, I still agree with him on the excellence part. It's a bunch of work, and you can almost always become halfway decent. But some people will be better than others, just as is true with most skills.

>>8240304
The banality of the American education system. Lots of smart kids getting shafted by shit teachers. But he just had to try harder and learn the professor habits of teaching. Sometimes professors just liek to play games with their students without the students knowing they're being played.

>>8225238
same exact situation man. barely passed calc last semester, gonna go ham with calc 2 this semester. i am really disappointed with myself for not taking school seriously in high school.

>>8225460
So in your experience you can tell that everyone can be able to at least understand math if study them?

>>8239455
actually, both are just arrangements of brain cells, but breathing cant be developed, the part of the brain that controls breathing dont evolve, while memory and grey matter do

>>8240184
In reality theres only 1 calculos, the derivative and integral calculus.
In my college, Calculus I is derivative calculus + Trogronometry
Caluclus II is integral calculus + analytics geometry
Calculus III is Topology + (Idk, havent reach it yet)

>>8240625
That's not how the calculus curriculum is divided in most undergrad programs. Calculus I is differential calculus. Calculus II is integral calculus. Calculus III is multivariable calculus. Trigonometry should probably be covered before Calculus I. Analysis and topology should be taught after calculus. It is my personal opinion that calculus provides the foundations for thinking with concepts such as measure and compactness.

>>8240184
Work hard and everything should go well

>>8240235
u first.

>>8225308
>Thales' Theorem
But that shit is obvious and easy to just know whenever it comes up.

>The angle of three points on a circle is half of the degree of the arc they make.
So three points that make an arc that meets at the ends of each side of diameter is always 90 because the arc is always 180.

I hate how people act like being shit at mathematics, even simple GCSE shit, is some kind of virtue. No you're just a lazy dumbfuck how is basic algebra confusing you ?

IQ is a thing and if you're born with genes which mean you have a low potential IQ then no matter how hard you apply yourself you will not be good at Matgs or other mental problem solving tasks.

E.g. People with Down's syndrome.

>>8241941
>IQ is genetic
Now I've heard it all.

>>8227373
Not everyone, but everyone intelligent enough to be able to post to 4chan can figure out how to do math. It's not as hard as people make it out to be.

>>8225197
I struggle with single digit addition

Not even memeing

>>8225197
Some people's brains aren't programmed to do certain things. SOME of this has to do with how they were raised. And some of it doesn't. Everyone is different. Someone who is good at math might have no social skills, which believe it or not, IS a skill. Some people might be really good at mechanics, and some good at reading and writing. But math is something anyone CAN learn. It just comes more naturally to some. 2+2= 4 FOREVER. That never changes. This is why everyone can learn this skill.

>>8225197
I equate math to language. Everyone has there own dialect.

>>8225276
Hold on a minute, what if you have nearly no knowledge of algebra?

>>8225503
>>8225521
>>8225535
>not just analyzing the wikis
>not adapting theories and messing around in different disciplines
learn2think

>>8225238
Most 19 year old in my uni are only just learning calculus you're fine

>>8225197
Everyone has their own genetic endowment, but as long as you don't have some form of disability, yes, you can learn maths. You will also become more intelligent the further you go, ergo you will never reach a "hard limit", as your intelligence continues to improve.

I was a kid who was terrible at maths and now I'm a PhD student, it's just a case of working hard, and your intelligence and aptitude increases as a byproduct of that.

Lockhart's Lament provides a great insight to the problems about how math is taught and how misunderstood it is.

>>8225197
Maths is like driving, some people will get it quickly, some will get it slowly, very few will not be able to get it at all