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/sci/ - Science & Math

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2805215 No.2805215 [Reply] [Original]

How can you tell if you'll ever be able to significantly contribute to mathematics?

Despite the relentlessness of my math teachers to seemingly drive their students away from mathematics, I've always loved mathematics. Now that I'm getting into some "some-what-higher-but-still-low" mathematics, Calculus, I'm enjoying it more and more. I'm quite evidently the best math student in my high school, which isn't particularly great, and from what I can see have a greater aptitude & understanding for math than any math teacher I've ever had.

Next year I'm off to university to study math, but I'm worried that I'm really not that great at math compared to the best students in other schools.

What indications, if any, are there that you are actually part of the math elite? I know that's pretty ambiguous, and I don't really expect a specific answer - there probably isn't a good one. So I'll ask another, hopefully easier, question:

At what point in mathematics does things get "hard". In other words, what separates the men from the boys? The AP Calculus course I'm taking now (Calc I equivalent, I guess) is ridiculously easy. I'm confident that I could have learned the entire course in less than 2 weeks, but I'm aware that Calculus is probably babymath compared to some of the higher level math.

Anyone else have stories about how they thought they were great at math until they went to university? I really enjoy math and somewhat pride myself in my math ability and I'm worried that it's unwarranted, and that I'll never significantly contribute.

>> No.2805239

are you in ab or bc

>> No.2805266

>Next year I'm off to university to study math, but I'm worried that I'm really not that great at math compared to the best students in other schools.

You could spend your time on math instead of worrying. You won't know until you get to college, and even if you start off weaker than those other students, you have 4+ years of education in front of you to improve and become an "elite" mathematician.

Not a math major but I majored in Comp. Sci. Started off at what I would guess as the bottom 25% (grade wise) of my Comp. Sci classes, but by the end of college I was easily in the top 90%.

>> No.2805272

>>2805239
Unfortunately AB, but I've gone ahead in studying on my own and have done BC as well - it isn't noticeably harder.

>> No.2805273

you'll go to university and meet some guys who're better than you, though you'll still be at the top.

>> No.2805276

>what separates the men from the boys?

doing proofs

btw high school calc courses are bs

>> No.2805278

There's no way of knowing that and no reason you should care. Quit being a cockgobbler and do what you enjoy.

For me it didn't get hard until advanced calculus/real analysis, because that's the point that I would submit proof that I genuinely thought were right and they were totally shot down.

>> No.2805285

>>2805266
It's probably a stupid thing to worry about, but I'd feel pretty useless getting a degree in math if I could never really do anything significant.

>> No.2805291

Calculus separates smart people from dumb people. Calculus III separates good math people from bad math people.

At least imo.

>> No.2805297

math is what you make of it... I was in AP calc my senior year of high school... I did just enough to get a 90... my teacher told me a week before the exam that she thought I would be lucky to get a 3. I got food poisoning the day of the exam... spent 1 full hour of the exam on the toiled... and still managed to get a 5. Shit was a cake walk, but if you asked me today (7 years later) to integrate an equation I wouldn't remember where to begin. c'est la vie.

>> No.2805311

Calculus is just computation... analysis is where the real math starts

>> No.2805517

>>2805285

Define "significant"

>> No.2805600

lol i recently checked out a calculus textBook(paperback). "Essential CALCULUS with applications" plan on teaching myself calculus...Wish me luck guise.

>> No.2805656

>>2805215
>At what point in mathematics does things get "hard". In other words, what separates the men from the boys?

Real Mathematics starts at proofs. Everything else is just shit-teir-engineering-math that a monkey could do.

\thread

>> No.2805955
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2805955

>>2805656

>shit-tier
>engineering

Alright, broham. You just keep thinking that.

>> No.2805980

Don't worry about all that shit. You're still in fucking high school. Don't worry about becoming a famous mathematician, just live your life man. You're a senior in high school, fucking live life! Hang out with friends, go to parties, get fucked up, get fucked.

Keep up your schoolwork, but don't trip over some stupid bullshit.