Comments on: Stumbling blocks in math – the way it is written and explained

By: zac

zac — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:03:30 +0000

Hi Richard. There are many people in your situation here in the IntMath community. And most of them are surviving just fine!

A key thing is – never give up, and as this article says, don’t be too concerned (or confused) by the notation.

By: Richard Miller

Richard Miller — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:52:24 +0000

so,,, how does a 50 something year old who NEVER took algebra in high school 30 some odd years ago do algebraic equations? how do you read it?

By: zac

zac — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 08:57:01 +0000

Arup – Thanks for the extra dimension concerning geography.

Seems like this is a common dilemma – how much to reveal and when…

By: arup dasgupta

arup dasgupta — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 09:41:05 +0000

i agree with what has been said about a teacher’s practical difficulties in lower classes.
Why look on Maths alone? Consider Geography:

*motion of earth : would you tell a student that motion of earth is verrrrrrrry complex (because it is)
*rotates on its own axis
*revolves around sun
*entire solar system on a spiral arm of galaxy
*galaxy itself rotating
*galaxy itself moving away (at least by big bang theory)

so what do YOU teach???

By: kontan

kontan — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 20:01:28 +0000

LOL, thanks for pointing out the freaky code on my site! Odd.

Now for your post…I didn’t go to the guys site. No time to split hairs with him you know…Reading what you have posted, I have to wonder if the guys is a teacher. Sometimes teachers have to say things in a way that will seem absurd to a nonteacher. I agree that sometimes what is said seems inaccurate, but if you are like me and have difficulty with mathematical concepts, someone breaking it down into simplistic wording helps to make it sink in. JMO. Once you figure out the basic then you can understand the actual concept and get the wording right.

Thanks for stopping by

By: Salem SAID

Salem SAID — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:40:33 +0000

Everything he wrote is right, in a way. In mathematics the same notion takes on many forms and exists at many different levels. Also, like Bohr says, the opposite of a false proposition is a valid proposition but the opposite of an important idea is an important idea…this is all funny. Here is what I think concretely,

1)mathematics is about experience more than knowledge, like chess.
2)mathematics needs commitment, if someone doesn’t want to give math a chance to explain its apparent contradictions, they will not understand.