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Do You Enjoy Math?

Mathematics is an area of study which has been largely stigmatized in recent years for some odd reasons. The peculiar notion that people are either born gifted for numbers or not permeates many facets of the Western world. Our oriental counterparts consider the field to be a fundamental area of reasoning and development. There are several reason for this that are out of our area of control, however. Most Chinese dialects require only a third of a second to pronounce a number whereas English, Arabic, Hebrew, and other more complicated extend that some vocalization to a fourth of a second. This means that the Chinese are able to memorize a ten digit chain perfectly nearly every time while their lingual counterparts are only half as successful.

Superfluous cultural nuances aside, many Westerners appear to fear math because it requires work. I admit that I'm great with numbers but not once have been flustered myself. The joy comes not in the end, however, but the journey. While creative brain blasts for writing will always bring a smile to my face there is nothing more satisfying than solving a complicated algorithm. The variety of possible calculations is also astounding ranging from quantities to abstract shapes. Sigma notation, polar coordinates, and limits are just the tip of the iceberg, a few concepts which come to mind.

Mathematics is a prerequisite for success in chemistry and physics and precise measurements are necessary to transform a wacky hypothesis into the next scientific break through. From the daily grocery bill to the architecture we traverse and lay our eyes upon math is all around us. Much like my recent The Reading Problem thread I believe this is a mentality I believe needs to be reversed. Maybe I'm completely incorrect in my generalizations and if so feel free to correct me but this distaste for such a central facet of our existence is harrowing.

I have a few questions to cap off this thread:

For those who enjoy math: Have you been fond of mathematics your entire life? If not, what was your turning point? What areas of math are your favorite? Why do you enjoy these fields?

For those who dislike math: Have you always have a distaste for the academic area? If not, what was your turning point? What areas of math are you least fond of? Why?
 
Joined
May 5, 2012
Location
Scotland
I hate maths in all its forms, my most hated area is Stats...**** you and your p values showing me if something is significant or not!
 

Krazy4Krash

Moderator
Staff member
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Jun 15, 2010
Location
'straya
I don't care for maths at all. I find it extremely tedious and annoying. This is somewhat due to a a lower-than-average skill on the subject, but mostly because I just don't care for it. This is to the point that I don't want to pursue a career in Engineering or IT, like I initially planned earlier on in my life.

I do, however, really love working with data and statistics, but only in relation to activities I enjoy, such as sports, cash money and Super Smash Bros.
There's a bucket-load of statistics in Smash Bros.
 
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Zorth

#Scoundrel
Joined
Apr 22, 2011
At first I hated math and thought it was the worst subject I could have, Then I got introduced to physics..
 

Dan

Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Gender
V2 White Male
Oh me and maths go waaaay back. I really couldn't care for it. I find it more dull than catching fish in a swamp, and I've never really done that but.... eh. The area's I'm least fond of are most certainly algebra. *shudders*
Makes me want to slit my throat over Turo. (no offense Turo)
 
Joined
Aug 2, 2010
I love math. Well, not like the do-math-in-my-spare-time kind of love but its my best subject in school.
 

Chilfo Freeze

Emma Jean Stone
Haha, this. Physics is the best subject ever.

There's math, which in some aspects I really despise. Then, to make Physics, you mix it with science. You may as well kill me now. Science and math put together? No. No no. I cannot do it. :P

But in all seriousness, I do not like math to a certain extent. I actually used to be good at it, and I will say that I still kind of am, until I come to face Calculus. You know what kills me? The unit circle. That was the death of me in my senior year. Pre-Calc was a struggle for me as well. I actually liked Geometry. Algebra wasn't too bad. I think it's just the fact that when it comes to Calculus, I have to deal with a lot of failure because I'm not good at it. This would explain my love for Language Arts; I've always had a knack for reading and essays.
 
Joined
Aug 4, 2012
Maths is amazing. I love it.

Now, don't get me wrong: I hate number crunching, I hate having to do the same thing over and over with different numbers, like solving quadratic equations. And I especially hate drawing graphs. Ugh. Because of this, traditional maths exams (and revising for maths exams) are really, really boring.

What I do love, though, is discovering things. Being shown proofs is interesting (especially when you see the one step that makes it all fall into place), but when you work something else for yourself it feels amazing. Maths exams that are aimed at this creative side of maths like STEP papers and the Olympiad are great. Sadly, though, you have to get good at the boring parts and have a firm understanding of the basics before you can do anything interesting.
 

PhantomTriforce

I am a Person of Interest
Joined
Jul 12, 2010
Location
Ganon's Tower
I like Math because it is one of my strongest subjects in school. By no means do I ever want to do a job that directly involves Math, but I can handle Math really well. I've always found every aspect of Math easy, and I have always taken the hardest math course per year in my school. I finished Calculus BC at the end of my junior year, and I never found anything too hard in that class. So basically, I don't love math, but I like it and can deal with it very well.
 
Oh, gawsh yes! <3 Ever since the first grade maths, where you just had to count how many pigs were in the picture--good times--math has always been amongst my favorite subjects at school. Actually, it was my favorite for a while, but science eventually passed it up. If you would bring your attention to a chart I made last year, representing my love for Math and Science, you can see the change of each over time:

QIdK

(these are approximations, mostly emphasized by change in slope)

I enjoy looking at the mathematical aspects in everyday life--which I guess is somewhat present in the fact that I made a line graph for something as silly as my love for Math and Science. But, yes... I love math, and I'm honestly really puzzled when someone says that he or she dislikes it. I just grasp the concept of things really quickly, so mathematics is a good subject for me. <3
 

Sydney

The Good Samaritan
Joined
Mar 20, 2012
Location
Canberra, Australia
I hate math, so so so so so so much. What's the purpose of it? Why doesn't 2 + 2 = 9034892348293? HMMMM, HMMM, HMMM?!?!?!? I don't get it. I don't want to get it. I hate math. It needs to die. Kthxbai
 

PhantomTriforce

I am a Person of Interest
Joined
Jul 12, 2010
Location
Ganon's Tower
Oh, gawsh yes! <3 Ever since the first grade maths, where you just had to count how many pigs were in the picture--good times--math has always been amongst my favorite subjects at school. Actually, it was my favorite for a while, but science eventually passed it up. If you would bring your attention to a chart I made last year, representing my love for Math and Science, you can see the change of each over time:

QIdK

(these are approximations, mostly emphasized by change in slope)

I enjoy looking at the mathematical aspects in everyday life--which I guess is somewhat present in the fact that I made a line graph for something as silly as my love for Math and Science. But, yes... I love math, and I'm honestly really puzzled when someone says that he or she dislikes it. I just grasp the concept of things really quickly, so mathematics is a good subject for me. <3

What happened in 8th grade for math to decline?
 

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