Geometry or Algebra?

[sailormars109]

I choose you: Geometry! I'm listening to Pokemon themes right now.

Geometry is the first math class I actually understood. I did really well in that class. It helped me understand a few things too.

Geometry may somewhat stem from Algebra, but Geometry actually makes sense. It wasn't like trying to read Korean without a translator.

Plus, Geometry actually gave me an excuse to draw the Triforce in my notebook and not get in trouble!

 

[Rachel]

Many Geometry problems requires Algebra (find side a, find tan x, laws of sines/cosines, etc.) and both are about memorizing theorems, laws, and formulas. I like the subject of algebra more because it can involve a wide range of problem solving and gives you a good number sense. Geometry gives you a visual representation of algebra and varying x, y, etc.

Unfortunately, Geometry isn't as useful as it is touted to be. How often do you see exact shapes in real life?

 

[Night Owl]

The way I see it, Algebra is the simple building blocks of math. In algebra you learn a lot of the rules that teaches us how to simplify equations to find the solutions. Algebra contains a lot of the simple math people do in their daily lives without realizing they are doing math.

Geometry on the other hand has to do with shapes and their measures as well as points, lines, and planes. Geometry doesn't always use numbers, yet the algebraic rules of adding, subtracting, and multiplying still apply.

I loved Geometry because it was something different and it was easier to see how it relates to the world than algebra.
I think trying to compare algebra and geometry is like comparing different dialects of the same language.

 

[Isaac]

Algebra comes way easier to me. Though I'm also pretty good at geometry. But overall algrebra I prefer because geometry has proofs, which are tedious.

 

[Mercedes]

Algebra! I'm not the best math whiz, I was in the 2nd class so just above average for my year, but Algebra just came very easily for me, I remember it pretty distinctly even now when the rest of Maths has gone out of head, like Spearman's Rank and poop like that. It's all pretty logical and once you get the hang of it, I found it really easy!

 

[pkfroce]

Although I love both, I like Geometry more. Algebra was more confusing than Geometry, imo.

 

[Koosholts]

Algebra, all the way. Geometry is stupid and you only need it for high school, except for the basic principles of it that you acquire from other math classes.

Now Trigonometry, on the other hand, is quite a wonderful little subject, and highly applicable to all subjects in Math.

 

[Ver-go-a-go-go]

I always found myself appreciating algebra more, just because the line of work I want to go into kind of relies on it on a basic foundation level. Geometry is still something I need to know, and something that can be useful, but all of the theorems and formulas never quite stuck with me, and I always had trouble comprehending them without a good bit of dedicated study time.

 

[Mudora]

I don't mind either, but I prefer algebra over geometry. It was just a subject that always came easy to me.

 

[Johnny Sooshi]

Psh...try Calculus, that's some cool math. But algebra is the building blocks of math really, so I'd go with that.

 

[Batman]

My favorite math is algebryan.

1,000 nerd points to whoever gets this reference.

 

[Évariste]

Calculus is pretty straightforward, so I can't say it's that fun. Though antidifferentiation is very fun in its not being straightforward for some functions.

Geometry has the proofs, but honestly those proofs are just basic generalization of problems you've done a lot already. I remember having to memorize a lot in high school geometry though (laws of triangles, circles, symmetry...blech). That wasn't fun.

Algebra is such a broad subject containing all the building blocks, but algebra also contains all the contrived questions. No matter how good you are at it, there's going to be something that you're not going to be prepared for...and it'll be highly grating. Algebra has my vote

 

[penguinboy82]

I prefer Algebra to geometry in every possible way. I'm better at Algebra, have an easier time remembering algebraic formulas than geometric (for some reason...), and I don't see geometry as useful for what I plan to do with the rest of my life. While I understand and can do both at a fairly well level, planely put (geometry... planes... pun... ha.), I favor algebra any day of the week.

 

[(◕‿◕✿)]

The framing of this questions sets up the idea that the two are exclusive, or at least normally not mixed, which is not true at all. As I mentioned in my initial reply, there is analytic geometry, which is literally the combination of the two. But you could also take Minkowski space for example, or n-manifolds in general, in which algebra is an important part of. Geometric concepts also are important in many areas of analysis (such as vector and tensor analysis). You can't really separate out different fields of mathematics so easily, is the point. For example, even bringing Calculus into the mix is just bringing a set of tools built on top of algebraic ideas. Or you can come at it from the other direction, taking Real Analysis as another example, and construct the fundamentals of algebra using more generalized ideas like sets and groups. But again, many of these ideas are also applicable in geometry.

 

[Évariste]

The framing of this questions sets up the idea that the two are exclusive, or at least normally not mixed, which is not true at all. As I mentioned in my initial reply, there is analytic geometry, which is literally the combination of the two. But you could also take Minkowski space for example, or n-manifolds in general, in which algebra is an important part of. Geometric concepts also are important in many areas of analysis (such as vector and tensor analysis). You can't really separate out different fields of mathematics so easily, is the point. For example, even bringing Calculus into the mix is just bringing a set of tools built on top of algebraic ideas. Or you can come at it from the other direction, taking Real Analysis as another example, and construct the fundamentals of algebra using more generalized ideas like sets and groups. But again, many of these ideas are also applicable in geometry.

But in any study of mathematics, there are questions that come from inherently algebraic, geometric, or analytic points of view. Though, it doesn't take much to turn an algebra question into a geometry question. I agree that the study of any particular problem is going to involve applying some algebra, calculus or topology; and that "Geometry or Algebra or Calculus?" does set up an improper framing given how the question is supposed to be answered: "Which do you like most?"