I hate MATH!

[xseler]

I started school in a Texas district that taught algebra in the 4th grade (classes were tiered). Most times, I could just 'see' the answer --- working "story problems" in my head was easy. Statistics was the only class that gave me problems. Seemed to me that Statistics was like the politician of the math world, you could seemingly make the numbers back up anything you wanted.

 

[yukonjack]

As an elementary student in the 60's I was a victim of "New Math". I was doing well until one new math teacher took over Algebra as a sub. That sucker would take 30 minutes to explain 2+2. I became really disinterested really fast and like you I made a D Minus Minus having just squeaked by the final exam and I only did that just to get into college.
I cannot remember what my SAT was in math but it was barely passing. Funny thing, I excelled in Physics, Biology and Drafting.

When they got into imaginary numbers my brain just shut off.

It‘s strange how it all works out. I started roofing houses in the summer of 1974. My boss started teaching me how to measure roof areas to come up with the square footage. Then how to figure the cost of materials and prepare bids for jobs. After those real world lessons it all started to make sense.

 

[Tanis143]

Seemed to me that Statistics was like the politician of the math world, you could seemingly make the numbers back up anything you wanted.

That is the problem with statistics. On the whole, the numbers are pure, but its the wording around them that changes the story. For instance, 100% of the people on this earth have drank water. Thats easy to understand. However, you phrase it like "Everyone who has ingested dihydrogen monoxide has died" and you have just completely changed the narrative of the statistic without lying one bit. Statistics are simply a stepping stone to predicting probabilities, however politicians like to use them to tell stories.

 

[Okie4570]

Math makes the world go around. There are some really great mathematicians out there who shouldn't be in the classroom......and some really great teachers out there who shouldn't be teaching math lol. Very few can do both.

 

[xseler]

Math makes the world go around. There are some really great mathematicians out there who shouldn't be in the classroom......and some really great teachers out there who shouldn't be teaching math lol. Very few can do both.

Just remember to do the multiplying & dividing before the adding and subtracting!!

 

[Snattlerake]

That is the problem with statistics. On the whole, the numbers are pure, but its the wording around them that changes the story. For instance, 100% of the people on this earth have drank water. Thats easy to understand. However, you phrase it like "Everyone who has ingested dihydrogen monoxide has died" and you have just completely changed the narrative of the statistic without lying one bit. Statistics are simply a stepping stone to predicting probabilities, however politicians like to use them to LIE.

FIFY

 

[Okie4570]

Just remember to do the multiplying & dividing before the adding and subtracting!!

After the parentheses and exponents lol.

 

[Tanis143]

FIFY

Well yes... that is the point of the story, to wrap a lie around warm and fuzzy words so that the children who never grew up believe it like 4 year old's believe in the tooth fairy.

 

[Tanis143]

After the parentheses and exponents lol.

PEMDAS for the win!

 

[Rod Snell]

Take it from a "math pro", the reason most people who "can't learn math" have trouble is because math is NOT a spectator sport.
You wouldn't expect to make a pro sports team by watching a lot of games. Buying a guitar does not make you a musician.
You can't memorize something and skip up to algebra without learning arithmetic first. Get in there and get dirty rolling problems around.
Learn by doing. Practice.
After working thousands of waveform problems, they all look like the same problem over again with different coefficients.

A College Algebra student asked me "If your degrees are in Physics, how come you know math?" Well, when you spend 6 years working math word problems, it matters little whether you call it math, physics, physical chemistry, or engineering. Try it and see.