#math tag

[subaru-copilot]

i do have to write my report and do my presentation for tomorrow BUT hear me out: i really want to start to study linear programming

[sandanth]

Well, I haven't told this to yall but I finished this book about Pre-University Maths (T), it took 5-6 months in total to finish all of it

im so proud of myself rn

[deathrattleofablasphemousorator]

I fucking love math

[on-stolen-sunbeams]

"ok so this is a very general form, we're going to work out a more specific one in a minute"

no??? this general form is far more specific than any one that the professor that taught me mentioned???

(granted maybe that's why I'm studying the course on my own bc I am NOT going to be ready for next semester's following course unless I do a strong recap. regardless if I already took the class. not remotely the professor's fault I just didn't absorb as much as I ought to have.)

but in what world is that decently specific example too general? I'm not complaining bc I want to get better and this seems like a decent way to do so but I do think it's sorta a misnomer. this is like super basic stuff that I've gone over a while ago, and so far it's the part I could probably do in my sleep, so I really didn't think I could go any deeper tbh. but apparently i can. yikes. but also yay.

[sameteeth]

am i insane or is descartes's arguement for existence based on god the same as a direct comparison test.

[littlelemontarte]

Whaaaat omg 😂 I got 12 omg

yeah, that's also a correct solution (or apparently according to op the solution you'd get if you'd plug it into wolframalpha for instance) - the ÷ symbol is informal and outdated. it would be less divisive with a / because that clearly signals what's the numerator and the denominator

[peronasghosts]

genuinely sooo excited to do my math homework tomorrow. it’s going to be so interesting <3

[freddiegoesmetal]

no option for not liking math. sorry (i’m not)

[alewyren]

possibly a hot take but I think a lot of people are way too comfortable with STEM illiteracy.

Thing is, the way math and science are often taught in compulsory education sucks. Way too much time spent on busywork largely made redundant by modern technology, not enough time spent understanding concepts--frankly, I’m beginning to wonder if splitting math and physics into two separate subjects is a mistake, because you really can’t understand one without the other. Straight up, modern technology has made the busywork part of math mostly obsolete. Doing basic operations over and over again, memorizing formulas without any insight into their deeper meaning, is boring.

And sure, some people who struggle with STEM have actual learning disabilities that make it difficult if not impossible to process basic math operations. I don’t mean to throw those people under the bus here. But nearly every person I’ve met who’s said they’re “just not a math/science person” was actually, like, fine at it. They were just taught it terribly. I remember my mom complaining about how she was taught trigonometric ratios and had no idea what they could ever be used for, then proceeded to have her mind blown when I explained that they can directly measure gravity on a slope. You really don’t need to be an intellectual to learn math/science, you just need to be properly told what the hell you’re doing and why.

The needlessly stressful grading system also plays a huge part in discouraging people, frankly. Mistakes related to number-crunching details (ie: forgetting a minus sign) have very little to do with how well you understand the concepts, and time constraints make it worse. And some teachers are just straight up assholes who will give you a 0 for not showing your work exactly the way they want even if you clearly show enough to prove you understand the concepts (forever holding a grudge against my calculus I professor for this). None of this means you’re bad at math. Hell, I’m good at math but still don’t get, like, super amazing grades.

And it sucks that so many people get taught badly and then discouraged, because honestly? Math and science are cool as shit. Math is literally the language of the physical world, and once you learn enough to really start broadening your understanding, it will come up in ways you never could have expected (my physics coursework once saved an entire batch of pasta, I am dead serious). And the scientific method itself is applicable to all avenues of life. Seriously, if nothing else, learn how to not only cite sources, but vet their credibility.

And look, okay, I’m not gonna force you to do something you hate. But the problem is that STEM subjects come up all the time in life, and so many people don’t know how to engage with them properly. This is how you get pseudoscience MLMs, or faulty studies that get disseminated to push political agendas. Or on a more mundane level, why billions of people around the world use the internet every day and don’t know the first thing about cybersecurity. People want the security of a strong scientific grounding, but aren’t independently driven or encouraged to engage with the subject properly.

And yeah, I think we do need to restructure STEM education from the ground up, but broadly my point is this: if you’re living in a country that speaks a language you don’t understand, it’s generally advisable to try to learn as much of that language as possible. We all live in the physical world. We all use technology. Why are we so content to rely on other people to be our interpretors?

(obligatory khanacademy plug in case I’ve struck a nerve with anyone reading--great resource to brush up on subjects completely free! I would not have been able to pass calculus without it lmao)

[siobhanromee]

there are infinite rectangles under a curve. trapezoids too. In case you didn't know

[sameteeth]

proofs are like secret languages if you know you know.... if u dont.....

[littlelemontarte]

i will never escape math homework

[canadianfruitpunch]

do you even enjoy math if you don’t cry about how difficult it is like truly I don’t trust anyone who says they’ve never cried over a math problem I get even the slightest bit stuck and it’s game over for me and I’m like 98% finished a degree in it

[woolooism]

concept: numbers iceberg chart but with actually relatively unknown numbers. with numbers that lie outside just number theory.

almost all number icebergs post put Graham's number and TREE(3) onto one of the lower tiers, and most people already heard about it. i want an iceberg that puts hypercomplex and surreal numbers on the chart, to name a few. i want to hear a youtuber explain what a quaterion is in just two minutes.