What exactly makes Math hard to some people?

[Tinker Gnome]

That's dangerous logic, though. It means that someone in this world is better than everyone else at being worse at EVERYTHING. What if you end up being that person?! Dangerous thinking...dangerous...

I was never very good at logic...wait, I am that person anyways.

 

[Christopher Lambert]

I'm good at biology and terrible at math. They're only related if you have to do statistics, and fortunately probability was one of those few math areas I was good at.

Often I find I'm good at one part of math that everyone else hates... and bad at what's easy. Anybody here know how to factor? There are three ways to do so that I know of. There's the "easy" method, the complete the squares method and the quadratic formula. I can do the latter two. The "easy" method completely escapes me.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

I'm good at biology and terrible at math. They're only related if you have to do statistics, and fortunately probability was one of those few math areas I was good at.

Often I find I'm good at one part of math that everyone else hates... and bad at what's easy. Anybody here know how to factor? There are three ways to do so that I know of. There's the "easy" method, the complete the squares method and the quadratic formula. I can do the latter two. The "easy" method completely escapes me.

I too am good at Biology, in fact it is one of my favorite subjects.

Heh, I can only do the quadratic formula out of the methods you named.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I was never very good at logic...wait, I am that person anyways.

Nope, you couldn't be. You're typing, which means you're obviously better at typing than someone who can't.

 

[cybertalus]

In my experience the only thing school is very good at measuring is whether or not you're very good at school.

So don't sweat it.

Despite what your teachers may say, the real world seldom works like they describe it, and very little of what you learn after the 8th grade and before you start taking classes in your major at college will be useful after college. Even then if you're like most people I've known you won't wind up working in a field even vaguely related to your major anyway.

 

[Galethorn]

I've always liked math (though 'showing my work' took almost all of the fun out of it later on), and I was pretty good at it, up until freshman year (9th grade 'round these parts) in high school. After that, I started an independant learning program, where I basically made my own projects (based on all sorts of guidelines, like what sort of credit I needed at any given time, and certain numbers of hours required per credit). Since I could choose my own projects, I neglected math for a year. Then, I struggled with it for another year, and I'm only now relearning everything as a senior.

Fortunately, I'm also in a program this year where I can get some of my high school credits by taking classes at a community college, at the state's expense. This quarter, I've been in an astronomy class, in which I've been able to get 90% of the algebra I forgot back into working order...

So, I guess by a lot of definitions, I'd be a math/science person, but I also spend a lot of my time on art (drawing and photoshop) and writing. As far as multiple intelligences go, I think I got a pretty decent point-buy, but Music has to be my dump stat. Sure, I like listening to some music, and I learned to play the recorder in 4th grade, like everybody else, but I just don't have any interest in playing any instruments, composing any lyrics (beyond guileful parodies), or even listening to the stuff on the radio.

Wait, what was the topic? <checks thread title>

Oh....uh....hrm...because it wasn't ever taught to them in a way that meshes with the way their mind works?

 

[Crothian]

Math is a self fulling prophecy. If you think you are good at it, you are; if you think you are bad at it you are. I was a tutor for many years and the biggest excuse I heard from people claiming to be bad at math was because "they were bad at Math". Math is also one of those subjects that the more you work at it the better you are. People don't take homework seriously and they get into it what they put out.

 

[Storyteller01]

Math is a self fulling prophecy. If you think you are good at it, you are; if you think you are bad at it you are. I was a tutor for many years and the biggest excuse I heard from people claiming to be bad at math was because "they were bad at Math". Math is also one of those subjects that the more you work at it the better you are. People don't take homework seriously and they get into it what they put out.

Agreed, but you have to admit that there are people more talented at math then others. It's that way with all skills (even you funky ones).

I'm decent at math, but I have to take it slow. I make too many mistakes or miss something. Others can do long equations in their head, no mistakes, without missing a beat...

 

[GreyShadow]

I'm decent at math, but I have to take it slow. I make too many mistakes or miss something. Others can do long equations in their head, no mistakes, without missing a beat...

I'm one of those that can do the long equations in my head. It was always a problem at school thou, as the teacher would then ask how I got the answer and I could never describe how I reached the conclusion. I just knew it.

 

[Dark Jezter]

Who knows how these sort of things work. I have a friend who is an absolute whiz with computers. He can build up a computer from scratch no sweat, and if your computer is having a problem he can figure out what's wrong with it in no time flat. However, whenever he is forced to write something up, his spelling and punctuation are terrible; I'm not kidding when I say that I know fifth-graders who can write more coherently than he can.

We all have areas that we're good in and areas where we just plain suck.