Monday, February 9, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
WHY HATE MATH?
Underwood Dudley said: August 23, 2007 at 11:13 pm
2. Math is all around us. It is present in different forms; it is very important that we take note of it. Things are measured or accurate due to math. Mathematics has a prominent role to play in our daily life. We even didn't realize that math is involves in every sort of activities. Whenever we pick up the phone, manage the money, travel to some other place, unintentionally in all these things math is involved.
3.If we are quick at mental arithmetic, it will help you a lot in saving hundreds of pounds or dollars in the supermarket. And if you have knowledge of statistics it will help you see through the baloney (non sense, lies) in television adverts or newspapers. You can also understand different kinds of information about the football or cricket team. Even simple math equations are just around us, like spherical shapes of soap bubbles, ripples on the surface of water. Math help engineer in making different shapes with geometrical shape the structure of the building was not possible. The beauty of math is not only around us but a strong know how of math help us in every day life too. Just start looking around you and you will find that how math is help full to you in your life.
4. Mathematics do play a big part in our daily lives. Mathematical functions like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and so on are used in our daily activities. From poor to rich , all have to some how use mathematics in their real lives. Consider Math is all around us. It is present in different forms; it is very important that we take note of it. Things are measured or accurate due to math. Mathematics has a prominent role to play in our daily life. We even didn't realize that math is involves in every sort of activities. Whenever we pick up the phone, manage the money, travel to some other place, unintentionally in all these things math is involved.
5. If we are quick at mental arithmetic, it will help you a lot in saving hundreds of pounds or dollars in the supermarket. And if you have knowledge of statistics it will help you see through the baloney (non sense, lies) in television adverts or newspapers. You can also understand different kinds of information about the football or cricket team. Even simple math equations are just around us, like spherical shapes of soap bubbles, ripples on the surface of water. Math help engineer in making different shapes with geometrical shape the structure of the building was not possible. The beauty of math is not only around us but a strong know how of math help us in every day life too. Just start looking around you and you will find that how math is help full to you in your life.
6. A housewife, who has to run her house in the given budget. She divides money according to her needs and estimates about the expenses and then spends it according her range. From the advent of civilization, man learn to count using stones and beads. In the earliest civilization, barter-system was used. Now-a-days, all day to day transactions in a multi-national or national companies involve mathematical operations .
7. Mathematics is very important for life since it helps us to quantify all the visible and invisible things with which we are dealing in daily life. It is human nature that they do not have complete confidence in the subjective or relative things, in the modern day of today the objective things are preferred and trusted more than the subjective things. Mathematics helps us to have an objective view of the different things we are dealing with. It helps us in making calculations about the things which are not physically developed like for buildings before construction.
8. We do calculations and ensure if their design is safe or not, similarly mathematics helps us to plan things for future either is any production environment for products or services. It helps us to have an idea that how much earning or spending has been done and would it be beneficial to do a certain activity or not. In today's world mathematics is being applied everywhere like in the economy of a country, construction of buildings, marking and evaluation of persons. It would be appropriate to say that mathematics has helped a lot in achieving the fast speed life with all its comforts and delights.
9. Math is all around us. It is present in different forms; it is very important that we take note of it. Things are measured or accurate due to math. Mathematics has a prominent role to play in our daily life. We even didn't realize that math is involves in every sort of activities. Whenever we pick up the phone, manage the money, travel to some other place, unintentionally in all these things math is involved.
How to learn math formulas
In a recent IntMath Poll, readers indicated that the hardest thing about math was learning the formulas. Here are 10 things you can do to improve your memory for math formulas. 1. Read ahead Read over tomorrow’s math lesson today. Get a general idea about the new formulas in advance, before your teacher covers them in class. As you read ahead, you will recognize some of it, and other parts will be brand new. That’s OK - when your teacher is explaining them you already have a “hook” to hang this new knowledge on and it will make more sense — and it will be easier to memorize the formulas later. This technique also gives you an overview of the diagrams, graphs and vocabulary in the new section. Look up any new words in a dictionary so you reduce this stumbling block in class. This step may only take 15 minutes or so before each class, but will make a huge difference to your understanding of the math you are studying. I always used to read ahead when I was a student and I would be calm in class while all my friends were stressed out and confused about the new topic. 2. Meaning All of us find it very difficult to learn meaningless lists of words, letters or numbers. Our brain cannot see the connections between the words and so they are quickly forgotten. Don’t just try to learn formulas by themselves — it’s just like learning that meaningless list. When you need to learn formulas, also learn the conditions for each formula (it might be something like “if x > 0″). Also draw a relevant diagram or graph each time you write the formula (it might be a parabola, or perhaps a circle). You will begin to associate the picture with the formula and then later when you need to recall that formula, the associated image will help you to remember it (and its meaning, and its conditions). During exams, many of my students would try to answer a question with the wrong formula! I could see that they successfully learned the formula, but they had no idea how to apply it. Diagrams, graphs and pictures always help. Most of us find it difficult to learn things in a vacuum, so make sure you learn the formulas in their right context. When you create your summary list of formulas, include conditions and relevant pictures, graphs and diagrams. 3. Practice You know, math teachers don’t give you homework because they are nasty creatures. They do it because they know repetition is a very important aspect of learning. If you practice a new skill, the connections between neurons in your brain are strengthened. But if you don’t practice, then the weak bonds are broken. If you try to learn formulas without doing the practice first, then you are just making it more difficult for yourself. 4. Keep a list of symbols Most math formulas involve some Greek letters, or perhaps some strange symbols like ^ or perhaps a letter with a bar over the top. When we learn a foreign language, it’s good to keep a list of the new vocabulary as we come across it. As it gets more complicated, we can go back to the list to remind us of the words we learned recently but are hazy about. Learning mathematics symbols should be like this, too. Keep a list of symbols and paste them up somewhere in your room, so that you can update it easily and can refer to it when needed. Write out the symbol in words, for example: ∑ is “sum”; ∫ is the “integration” symbol and Φ is “capital phi”, the Greek letter. Just like when learning whole formulas, include a small diagram or graph to remind you of where each symbol came from. Another way of keeping your list is via flash cards. Make use of dead time on the bus and learn a few formulas each day. 5. Absorb the formulas via different channels I’ve already talked about writing and visual aids for learning formulas. Also process and learn each one by hearing it and speaking it. An example here is the formula for the derivative of a fraction involving x terms on the top and bottom (known as the “Quotient Rule”). Then in words, the derivative is: dy/dx = bottom times derivative of top minus top times derivative of bottom all over bottom squared. The formula is actually as follows, if we let u = numerator and v = denominator of the fraction, then: 6. Use memory techniques Most people are capable of learning lists of unrelated numbers or words, as long as they use the right techniques. Such techniques can be applied to the learning of formulas as well. One of these techniques is to create a story around the thing you need to learn. The crazier the story, the better it is because it is easier to remember. If the story is set in some striking physical location, it also helps to remember it later. 7. Know why In many examinations, they give you a math formula sheet so why do you still need to learn formulas? As mentioned earlier, if students don’t know what they are doing, they will choose a formula randomly, plug in the values and hope for the best. This usually has bad outcomes and zero marks. I encourage you to learn the formulas, even if they are given to you in the exam. The process of learning the conditions for how to use the formula and the associated graphs or diagrams, means that you are more likely to use the correct formula and use it correctly when answering the question. This is also good for future learning, because you have a much better grasp of the basics. 8. Sleep on it Don’t under-estimate the importance of sleep when it comes to remembering things. Deep sleep is a phase during the night where we process what we thought about during the day and this is when more permanent memories are laid down. During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, we rehearse the new skills and consolidate them. Avoid cramming your math formulas the night before an exam until late. Have a plan for what you are going to learn and spread it out so that it is not overwhelming. 9. Healthy body, efficient brain The healthier you are, the less you need to worry about sickness distracting from your learning. Spend time exercising and getting the oxygen flowing in your brain. This is essential for learning. 10. Remove distractions This one is a problem for those of us that love being on the Internet, or listening to music, or talking to our friends. There are just so many things that distract us from learning what we need to learn. Turn off all those distractions for a set time each day. You won’t die without them. Concentrate on the formulas you need to learn and use all the above techniques. When you are done, reward yourself with some media time — but only after you have really accomplished something.
Ten Ways to Survive the Math Blues
1. Figure out the Big Picture: Find out why you are doing this math. How does it fit with your other courses (science, geography, English, engineering)? You could do some Internet searches on the math you are studying and include "application". Get a sense of where you are going and why you are doing this. Mathematics is compulsory in most of the world - there has to be a reason… 2. Get on top of it before it gets on top of you. Yep, mathematics is one of those things that builds on prior knowledge. Yet many students learn stuff only for an examination and then promptly forget it, setting themselves up for later difficulties. Learn for the future, not for tomorrow’s test. 3. Read Ahead. It is strongly advised that you read over next week’s math right now. You won’t understand it all, but you will have a better sense of what is coming up and how it fits with what you are doing this week. Then, when your class goes through it later, your doubts and uncertainties will reduce - and you will understand and remember it better. 4. Use more than one resource. It often happens that you can’t follow the teacher’s explanation and your textbook is very confusing. Borrow 2 or 3 textbooks similar to your own from your library and read what they have to say about the topic. Often they will have a diagram, a picture or an explanation that gives you the "Ahhh - I get it!" that you desire. 5. Don’t join the Blame Game. Teaching mathematics is tough. Teachers really have to work hard to make math fun, interesting and engaging. It is easy to blame a teacher for a bad grade, but who is really responsible for your future? 6. Practice makes Perfect. You don’t expect to be able to play guitar or drive a car without practice. Well, learning mathematics (unfortunately) involves some slogging away and doing exercises. Don’t get bogged down, though - use your other resources to help you through the homework. 7. Time Management. Start homework assignments as soon as you get them. There may be some things on there that you haven’t done in class yet (because maybe it is not due for a few weeks). That’s good - it helps to focus your thoughts so that when you are doing that section in class, you know that it is important and you’ll know what you don’t know. Nobody plans to fail - but many fail to plan… 8. Don’t fall into the trap of copying from a friend to survive. They probably have the wrong answer anyway. Besides, a lot of students resent being asked for their assignments for copying - they are too afraid of a ruined relationship to say no. Hey, you can do it - have the confidence in your own ability. 9. Never, never give up. Math uses a different part of the brain than most other things in school. It can be stressful when you can’t figure out something. Work on something else for a while and come back to it later. 10. Keep a sense of humour! Don’t lose the ability to laugh at yourself and your own mistakes. Mistakes are not the end of the world - they are the beginning of real learning!