Are you a good mathematician?

Hi PC.

Tomorrow is my maths examination and thought why don't I ask PC. So are you good at maths? Or what you hate the most in maths? Your favorite part of it? And maybe other experience.:)

I am good at maths but I hate questions like proving something in triangles. :(

PankajBlitz said:

Your favorite part of it?

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I was never very good as a practitioner of the mathematics, but the history and philosophy of mathematics intrigues me to no end. How mathematical concepts get discovered (e.g. how people tried to prove Euclid's fifth and instead accidentally invented hyperbolic geometry), how they get argued, questions like how real mathematical entities are (i.e. ontology)- these strike me as fascinating metaphysical questions.

One thing I really want to look into is the problem of applicability of mathematics to the real world. Consider this. Pythagoreans thought reality must, in a fundamental way, mirror the natural numbers. In their zeal to see patterns and find connections everywhere, they posited the existence a tenth planet- a counter-earth- just because they thought the celestial bodies were perfect and must correspond to a neat, round number like 10. You may scoff at their eccentricity if not ignorance, but fast forward to the twentieth century. When Paul Dirac was solving for the charge of an electron, he found that the equation yields two results- one was the expected value, the other was the same value except positive. Any lesser mathematician or scientist would discount this as an anomaly or a mistake. Not Dirac. He went ahead and postulated the existence of positron- a particle with equal amount of charge as the electron, except positive. And sure enough, a few years later scientists ended up confirming the existence of positron based on experimental evidence.

I know, the two cases aren't exactly same, or even similar. There's clearly a method to the madness in Dirac's case. But it's still intriguing to see how precisely mathematical concepts map to how things really are, no matter how ethereal the connections may be. I've been reading Roger Penrose's The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe as of recent, and the same theme kept coming up. Mathematical solutions that are chosen with considerations like simplicity or elegance in mind often end up reflecting how reality actually is.

This is where, in my opinion, mathematics is at its most beautiful.

Math math and math xD. It's such a fun subject. You apply a formula to a problem to get a answer and if that answer is correct that feeling xD. I'm just a little above average guy in math. Its not like I'm damn good........okay I'm damn good xD. I'm kidding I'm just good in math c:

Mathematics may be described as the fundamental science. You see study of mathematics is based on reasons. The universe exists in space and time, and is constituted of units of matter. To calculate the extension or composition of matter in space and time and to compute the units that make up the total mass of the material universe is the object of Mathematics. For the space-time quantum is everywhere full of matter and we have to know matter mathematically in the first instance.

You make budgets - Math used √
You cook food - Math used √ xD

In deep words...Let it be a airplane or the atom bomb, radio-communication or nuclear power, anything that has to do with anything concerning matter in any form, the knowledge of the principles of Mathematics is the one thing absolutely necessary.


Engineer and mechanics uses math. Even the physician who has to study biological cells and bacilli need to have the knowledge of Mathematics, if he means to cut the margin of error which alone can make his diagnosis dependable.

Everyday everyone use math one way or other even if they didn't realize it xD. #Mathisawesome.

I've not done anything near University-level maths yet, the closest I've done is whatever A-level Maths is at (not including Further Maths). I'm pretty good at it -- I managed to get an A, after all -- but I tend to make the occasional slip-up, usually in the most critical places haha. I do enjoy doing maths and I think in the past two years I've become far better at it than I was in secondary school.

Mathematics in my brain.

10 percent is fuctional
90 percent are doing meth

I never was any good at math. Probs even worse now. :P

I actually believe that I'm good in maths. But not sure if only good or damn good. XD

I think I got a little better at math when I decided to stop learning it and instead focused on trying to understand the flow of mathematical problems. That is not to say that I'm particularly good at math, but if a problem arises I usually find some way or another to find a solution, even though it might take a while.

No. Horrible at mental math. Still count on my fingers.

killer-curry said:

Mathematics in my brain.

10 percent is fuctional
90 percent are doing meth

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You make this same joke every time someone says math :P

As for myself, I was always really good at maths but I've always been lazy about the subject too because nine times out of ten it bores me. So despite any natural inclination I have or past success I doubt I could solve anything particularly nasty now lol.

Also fuck Trig.
It's the one part of maths I've always sucked at. Could do anything else, but Trig always confused me.

gimmepie said:

Could do anything else, but Trig always confused me.

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I relate to this. I'm good at most kinds of math, but trig is the real kicker for me. Rationals too. I cannot express how much I hate rationals. They need to die (along with trig).
I'm usually the one helping friends with their math homework, but if they show me a trig problem or a rational expression, I'm gone.

EvilChameleon said:

No. Horrible at mental math. Still count on my fingers.

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Me too :)

I'm above average in algebra in my grade. I can understand most things about graphing and plotting.

And simple math too.

Arithmetic. That is the one math I'm decent enough at. Can do some calculations in my head (though don't expect instant results, especially with higher numbers). Anything more than that and some basic algebra, forget it. I don't remember it. I will look at you with a blank stare if you ask. :|

And to this day I still can't believe I managed to pass a Calculus class with something as high as a B. Never again.

What is Math... I don't even... THIS DOES NOT COMPUTE.

No seriously. Math is my worst enemy. :c I swear I feel like I could have Dyscalculia because my math skills are honestly just that bad. Sure, I can do basic stuff... but I can't do very much in terms of Math. It's always been my worst and most hated subject ever.

I'm utter shit at math. I hate it. I've always hated it. I feel like basic math is obviously necessary but after a while, the things you have to learn in high school get to be tooooo much

It's not my strongest academic skill, but getting my undergrad degree in economics meant I needed some level of proficiency. Economics is a lot of calculus and statistics depending on what you're studying. It never came easy to me like it did my classmates, but through lots of late night study sessions and a love for economics, I do think I can say I'm pretty good at it these days.

Plus in my work, I do a lot of data analysis so I'm comfortable working with numbers.

Like Jaehaerys, I too took some economics in my studies and my math needed to be above average. After I graduated, though, I didn't use calculus and such so I'm sure my math skills deteriorated a lot oops.

I would like to say at one time I was good at maths, but now?
Not so much. Haha.
Which is a biiit of a problem since I need to think logically when coding stuff for projects.

LeviathanX said:

I would like to say at one time I was good at maths, but now?
Not so much. Haha.
Which is a biiit of a problem since I need to think logically when coding stuff for projects.

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Pretty much the same, I was good once upon a time but have probably declined in recent years.