My regrets studying mathematics
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2024
- My regrets include choosing my classes based off arbitrary metrics like grades and prestige and not being aware of what I really enjoyed. I also regret not realising the links between abstract ideas and not seeing how cool they really were.
The Vsauce video: • The Brachistochrone
My regrets studying physics: • My regrets studying ph...
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When I got to university, I realized some people love mathematics so much, they live and breathe it, they love it, it excites them. I also, realized that I didn't feel the same.
What did you decide to do about that?
Same here
Those are outliers. You can enjoy it without being obsessed.
Felt exactly the same. Until my master's degree I thought I could do this my whole life. Then I realized that if math is not your first thought in the morning and the last thought before you sleep, it's probably not worth investing your whole life in it.
@@tonybanks1035 did u quit math? just wondering?
THIS is my biggest frustration with studying math at university. I enjoy getting into the depth, meaning, history and application of everything im learning... but realistically i only have enough time to learn how to answer the questions they want me to answer correctly and move on.
Most theories and progress in mathematics was made by people who never had deadlines, and were pursuing this knowledge at their own will, speed, and capacity.
Could this be reworded as: "This is my biggest frustration with the way things are taught and tested at University"?
Because, you enjoyed getting into the depths of the meaning, the history, and the application for your subject. Your expectation (like many students) is that Universities have the resources and expertise to show you the depths of the meaning, the history, and the application for the subject. Therefore, by studying the subject at university you (like many students) assumed Universities would set up the course in that way.
Or could I reword that to: My biggest frustration studying at University is they SHOULD focus on bringing enjoyment about a subject, such students can get into the depth, meaning, history and application of what they are learning, rather than just focuses on students' ability to answer their exams correctly, then moving them on?
Could this comment or something similar apply directing to Tibess. In essence, your frustration should NOT be focused on you and your method of learning at University, but the way Universities structure and force you to learn?
@@amante2443 Your last statement is phrased strangely. Would not what i said be my frustration directed at the way universities structure and force me to learn, considering I'm complaining about time constraints and how certain aspects of learning are valued more over others? How can you say my frustration should not be focused on me, but how i am forced to learn?
If i get what you're implying, no I am not trying to critique universities methods of teaching/testing as a whole. I will not reword my statement to encompass studying at university as whole as you have suggested in both of your reiterations. My statement is made specifically about studying mathematics at university. I think mathematics is greatly underestimated as a study and that is reflected in the structure, as i have hinted at with the use of deadlines. I do not have exceedingly high expectations on universities resources and expertise, although, if i were to have these expectations, would not a university be the one place those expectations would be appropriate? I am aware that a contemporary university is a business.
If I were to criticize universities and how they do things, the structure of course materials, testing, etc. would not be where i would start. At the end of the day, if i really want to learn something, i have as much ability to do so with or without the university, especially with all the resources available today. I am merely a student, frustrated with deadlines, reflecting on the great mathematicians that had no credentials, I am not a student critiquing the education system as a whole. Therefore, my frustration remains expressed as it was, about me and my experience with mathematics.
@@elizabeth1703 we are all pressed for time at university... The whole point of undergrad/grad study is to accelerate the learning of students more and more over time, so that they can cover all the relevant content for their degree's. I find that those hard deadlines force me to step my game up, they force me to know that maths course intuitively and rigorously to a high level. Otherwise I'm not going to get the grades I want. I think those deadlines help weed out people who aren't fully committed and ready to give it their all. I fully agree that some maths courses cover too much content in too little time, and then the deadlines make that worse, but this happens in every discipline. In my personal experience, maths courses are typically much more reasonable than physics courses. Some physics courses I have taken literally made the entire cohort (of 100ish) get less than 40% on the midsem, they've written questions in final exams that haven't been covered in class, they've expected you to answer extra additional questions in order to get "bonus marks" to get a good grade, and numerous other bullshit things. This has never happened in any maths course I have taken. Oh, and if you think the workload in maths is high, you ain't seen how monstrous it can get in some physics courses... (literally its like 5 assignments + 1-2 exams for maths vs. 10+ assignments, 4 3hr lab sessions, 2 lab reports (10-30pgs), multiple reading quizzes per week (hurdle req.), and 1-2 exams).
These are my experiences in the last 4years of taking about equal amounts of maths/physics courses.
I am also aware of numerous people who dumped physics for maths after experiencing the sheer pain of surviving through some of the aforementioned bullshit in physics courses.
I should probably add that I just dumped the clutch on a Measure theory assignment from 2am-5am, so I am a bit of a madman (it's due in 11hrs). But she's done and done well.
I guess we could classify your frustration as a byproduct of capitalism and some of its unintended consequences. The balancing act between studying something for the sake of seeking knowledge and obtain a higher truth and the constraints capitalism puts on us to make a living off of this personal journey. It's quite incompatible and I think society ends up suffering. In some way it explains the trending down of human knowledge (not basing it on any scientific fact, but I have a feeling that's what's currently happening in the world thus explaining the worshipping of unbashful stupidity the world seems to engage in now).
Now you can learn on your will. You have a degree, well done. Now you have time.
Academia can kill the interest and passion for any subject.
Good. One of the goals of higher learning institutions is finding the best in fields. And if your passion gets killed by academia then it wasn't realy that strong of a passion to begin with. Thus you had less potential to become best in field.
I should note that some people get to be the best with virtualy no passion for the subject at all. Endurance and work ethics are no less valuable attributes than passion.
@@pofruin I don't think we can afford to loose people that can contribute important things in a field just because they don't have the utmost extreme "passion" for it. There is a place for people that have talent and discipline instead of "passion".
it does
@@pofruin Sorry I have to correct you. The goals of higher learning institution is finding the best WORKER in fields. They don't care if you're passionate or not. They have a program, if you follow it they reward you with a degree, so you can work in the field.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA :C
i think grades in higher mathematics like differential geometry, galois theory, commutative algebra and so, shouldn’t have grades. in my experience I find that the more I care about my grades the less I care about the meaning of these abstract ideas. so i have vowed to not care about my grade and seek understanding exclusively
I don't think we should be using a grading system to teach anything. We should just, you know, teach it? When colleges were first created, they didn't have tests and grades. They were places scholars and intellectuals would go to present their knowledge and talk about it, like a special interest group or an apprenticeship. There was no failing out. There also wasn't really any graduation, either. That seems a lot more conducive to learning to me.
@@AbandonedVoid Many ppl see grades as a bad thing but it can also be a good thing too if they r used properly. The point of grades (theoretically) is to see how well u understand a subject and u can have different grades for a set of criteria. So chasing the top grades can motivate u to make sure to learn the subject in depth to make sure to get the top grade.
The problem is that a lot of grading system use a purely normal distribution so ppl r competing against each other instead of learning things in depth.
@@astromec6303 "The point of grades (theoretically) is to see how well you understand a subject" That's the point of *tests* , not grades. And chasing top grades does not, at all, motivates to _truly_ learn the subject, it only motivates to rote learn it, which in my opinion isn't learning at all.
@@mather468 *rote
I feel that in engineering. Caring about my grades left me displeased. I was concerned about getting an A and I would receive the A, but not feel like I deserved it. Then I would get a C and feel I deserved more. Grades appear arbitrary, at times.
Thank you for existing.
@philip Trevor Agreed, look at how mathematics education is handled in the states and other western countries compared to their eastern counterparts for a good laugh.
@philip Trevor inefficient?
@philip Trevor yes
@@askforarunsrikanth hahahahahahhahahhaa
@@HaraZen13 you know google has existed for almost 2 decades now and u can easily search up which countries are topping international mathematics and science competitions and relative performance in mathematics/science/reading.
For further proof look at how you wrote that second sentence; it's a self fulfilling prophecy
I'm a Math Major. I am also 66-years-old. Really.
no one asked.
Congrats for can-do attitudes!
Respect from Brazil 🇧🇷👏👏👏👏
@@cursebr2937 ok gen z
@apollw who to ask whether I can exist?
School has a way of making you feel like you are way better than you actually are. Then you go into the real world and barely know anything.
Because students associate grades with mastery of the subject, which is a big mistake. "I got an A in calculus," yet don't even know what calculus really is.
I didn't pay much mind or attention in math and did poorly, but I've always had a sort of outside the box thinking. I surprised myself when I knew to use calculus to find the instantaneous growth rate for plants in an artificial environment in botany class.
Not engineering school 😂
Part of Bob Ross success was his ability to make people feel welcome. By treating people like his equal, they weren't intimidated or afraid to come back for fear of failure. A man who spent his career screaming at soldiers. the man was a national treasure, and so are you. As a high-school dropout, my life was hard work, harsh chemicals, and eventually disability. But it wasn't that I was stupid, just not being understood by a system that did help the ones who could not keep up.. But my greatest love was always math. The few times I could find books on math it made no sense to me so I just gave up. Then along came RUclips. So although I am 64 years old I have a keen interest in continuing to learn math. So please keep teaching for all those who will never understand it, but absolutely love it anyway.
Keep going, soldier. Your story is amazing. Thank you for never giving up.
All things are possible through Christ who strengthens us.
@@YeshuaIsTheTruth is becoming God possible
@@lipton3120 no. There is one God and He is eternal. When we are baptized we die with Christ, when we raise out of the water we rise with Christ just as He died and rose from the grave.
Once becoming the new creation, we are obligated to forego sinning and be like Christ. Many Christians don't live this way, which is why Jesus himself said, "Try hard to enter the narrow gate, because many will try but they will not be able".
We can never become God, but we can become like Him by obeying Him.
@@YeshuaIsTheTruth aw that's disappointing
Yes, sometimes I don't know if it's my passion or my ego? Both? Hard questions.
I think it's both, but more so passion.
Im a materials engg, do u think its ok to get an MA in Math?
@@JM-us3fr Agreed.
@usrvprogram many philosophers said that you never can be absolutely sure about anything.
@usrvprogram oh I concur.
The best thing I took from studying mathematics; -
Two random variables were chatting in a bar. On overhearing their conversation....
A: "What is the integral of 1/cabin?"
B: "log cabin."
A: "Nope, houseboat--you forgot the C."
lol
I found this funny😂😂😂.. that C is always forgotten
As a non-native english speaker. The joke wasn’t funny to me. As I don’t have a good sense of the words.
Too advanced.
That was smart
Only if cabin is positive (and real). :-P
Yeah, in my experience math classes can seem to only be focused on getting information into your head as fast as possible so you can take a test and move on. So during my math degree I really had to step away from that mindset and just sit down with the textbook and read. Read and read until I actually understood the flow of the proofs and the point of developing those ideas into a formal concept. When I did math that way, I ended up really enjoying it a lot more and actually got better scores on the exams because I understood the material at a deeper level.
I believe you just described why RUclips University is far and away superior to any traditional brick and mortar university. The concept of turning education into a contest is an impediment to learning. The reason behind issuing grades is little more than a cost cutting measure so schools can pass a student to the next level before ensuring that they have completely grasped the course information. Online learning removes the financial need to flush students through the system. It also allows a student to instantly repeat a course at virtually no cost until they understand the material. The question that should be asked is WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED not WHICH UNIVERSITY DID YOU ATTEND and WHAT WAS YOUR GRADE POINT AVERAGE.
david
I can't tell you how many mathematical concepts I studied then never saw them again.
I couldn't step away from that mindstep, which is why I dropped out. The subject is great, but studying stuff aimlessly for hours every day just to pass an exam and forgetting most of it, to be followed by another exam, then another, three, four subjects at a time... I just couldn't cope with it, it seemed pointless and stressful. Pity, but I have no one but myself to blame.
Yes, back then I really struggle with math in general because I could not enjoy it at all. I'll play with my phone, or just draw something, and sometimes even skipping class. The education is very poorly made that you're only shaped in several way to do something in the field rather than simply use it in broader term like daily life. Basically just kill the whole reason of education itself. And here I am now at the college of law self studying math, it is fun when I do it in my own way.
@@postholedigger8726 i wouldnt insist on doing away with the grades though it has those negative effect. I don;t know how i ended up here(this video) but I was interest in game theory, and began thinking of math(and life in general) from game perspective. this bring the issue of competition and utility into mathematics learning. passsion, yes, knowledge, yes, but competition and utillity are also part of the game(of mathematics). It has been a motivation for OP, and I guess it sometimes can be especially for abstract subjects such as topology even for professional topologists. Is it a bad thing? yes and no. Yes if it is in a form of distructive competition like "bone wars from paleontology"(see wikipedia), but No if its a contructive competition, like a friendly match between 2 good teams. Competition can be a source of motivation in some isollated field of math where applications(hence funding) are not at hand. my opinion
Your honesty is incredible. You are one of the few people I’ve ever seen admit some of the taboos and social ugliness they experienced in mathematics and physics departments
Which are typical in all of academics. Snobbery and narrow mindedness are endemic.
It really is brave of her.
Linear Algebra - consistently high grades throughout my degree - found it boring (where was 3Blue1Brown?)
Galois Theory - found it almost impossible - low grades - thought it was great - still think about trying to get my head round it
History of Maths - highest grade - really enjoyed it
TLDR - grades don't correlate with enjoyment :-)
I would agree....I took calc1 3 times and it wasn't until the 3rd time where things began to unfold. I will be taking calc2 for my second time this spring and hopefully the same happens and I can pass only taking it twice. I have come to deeply enjoy math through my insanely difficult struggles. The end result.....I enjoy it and know more than I did a year ago, same for the year before and so on.
I took calc 1,2,3 and DE and got high A’s in all and very easily. Most of the people in my classes failed but I breezed through it because I thought it was interesting and I always had a great time and alot of time studying them. Then, I took stats and holy crap I don’t know how some people can do that class. I seriously think it was the most uninteresting boring and dry class of my whole college career and the same people who failed calc passed stats so easily but I had the worst experience of my life and to this day I still hate that class. I think the difficulty of a class depends alot on whether or not you find it interesting... atleast in my experience 🙂
Guest Informant yeah, I find really easy but boring but my physics is the most interesting class I’ve taken but I’m not really good at it and try my best but I just can’t wrap around it
Monster Azice same problem mate
How do you guys not get galois fields, I did them in 12th grade in highschool
Thank you for your insights. I have a Ph.D. in physical chemistry but always felt that I missed a real understanding of some fundamental math and physics. Now retired, I have watched 3blue1brown’s videos with amazement and I face-palm often. I would love to start all over again and this time take the time to explore concepts instead of just learning how they can be used and then quickly moving on. And I would love to be a part of, support, or even just see collaborations of bright people to expand that type of stunning educational explorations and demonstrations for people everywhere. Not to make a dime but just to excite people.
J Warren math is a trap once you open up to it you never leave it
and once it opens its doors to you you never leave
especially topics like topology or abstract algebra
Are there any other channel recommendations? Beginner into math, but I am relatively interested by it.
my only problem with mathematics is that all math and physics have run its course and is known....the problem is fresh new ideas in how to apply them on a macro micro scale...not to make a dime but to change the world and the knowledge of self
khan academy is great for teaching math
Well studying has one problem. You don't have enough time to understand all concepts, so you need to leave gaps and just learn how to do the importent set of things fast, otherwise you are far behind and can't keep up.
I think the (rich) Greeks did a good job on teaching. Get a mentor and understand on your on pace the topic with the help of a guiding teacher.
Great video. As a mathematician, I just want to say that all the deep meaning behind ideas, the big pictures, unfortunately they are not part of the university education. The mathematical understanding lives in the minds of mathematicians, and it is not usually written down, even in textbooks. And with this education system, one gets good at computations, algebraic manipulations...etc, but doesn't understand the meaning. In a sence, the philosophy of the subject is missing in all the math classes. And this has to change if we want to talk about a good education.
Turkish mathematician
So true. Lost my passion for the subject for a while after my time at university as little effort was made to truly understand the material but rather getting the students to remember enough to pass exams. Now I study in my own time at my own pace and I am able to reflect and think deeper about the material I read as I don't have the pressure of learning something then being hurried on to the next topic, cramming as much as possible in each semester in prep of an exam
Well, the "responsability" of the meaning it's in the person and not in someone else, because the meaning can only created by the he/she. I'm not a mathematician, but I think that I understand the mathematics I know so far because I give meaning, imagine and explore them. But if I try to explain you, most likely the words you could listen don't serve you well. Also the good think about mathematics is the "unmeaning" it applies to the reality, so everybody can understand why things happened, sadly not what things are.
So where do you learn all of this? 3Blue1Brown and Vsauce are great, but where can you find mathematicians in the wild who actually care about showing this side of the subject?
@@AbandonedVoid Could it be many of these mathematicians who care have only learnt to communicate in the wild and focused more on the mathematics? Are they also incentivised to communicate? Of course, @Can Ozan Oğuz, could universities be incentivised by society and even incoming students to do this? Thus creating a vicious cycle? Not that I don't agree, I agree (at least in part) with all here, especially @Daniel Muñoz in seeing things sadly.
I threw out my junior high school yearbook many years ago but I’ve always been haunted by what my math teacher wrote in it. “Warren, your talent in math is a gift. Always strive to improve a natural gift.”
I floundered a bit after that but I don’t blame myself entirely because I had things that I needed to deal with. All was not lost - I got a Bachelor of Arts degree and have been happily serving my corporate masters ever since.
But 30+ years later, I’ve never gotten over the feeling that I should have pursued mathematics. Now, I’ve gone and purchased a couple of math books thanks to having watched a few of your videos over the past while. I feel excited! Cheers from Canada.
You can try to take some courses and if you still like it and it excites you persue it
Where in Canada are you from? I'm from Saskatchewan!
Hey, did you continue your journey in maths?
Quite inspiring
You from BC?
This dropped as I was studying maths
same
Same
Lmao this calls for a study group
kreglfromworld i m in
Same
You had me at..."..i thought i was good because i got good grades". I think the problem is that context is not provided to Math...when they are introducing Calculus it should be what motivated Newton Liebnitz to invent it...rather that jumping into dry formulae..that is my life's greatest regrets
Correct
@@HaraZen13 I don't think we can call most of maths a discovery. In some sense all the theorems are actually discoveries. But all the axioms and definitions, the building blocks, make a frame of doing mathematics. So I'd day that calculus is invented, while the topic has a lot of discoveries.
Just my thoughts
@@HaraZen13 There's nothing to gain from having a conversation with someone who looks down upon lesser educated ones, instead of at least explaining a few of the things that we're wrong in my thoughts.
@@HaraZen13 Calculus is an invention. There is no calculus floating around in space. The relationships that calculus - and most math in general - describes are as actual as it gets, but the system itself is made up and arbitrary at best.
YESS
Tibees, I think one of the most significant factors in whether a person will end up loving math is the first few professors they have in college. I entered college thinking I would study physics but my Calculus professor made the subject come alive and I fell totally in love with math. I got my degree in it and although I did not pursue a masters I am still in love with math and get to use it every day in my profession (finance). If I had a different teacher initially i may not have ended up with a lifelong love of the subject. I’m now 66 and am about to retire and I am considering going back to get my masters, just because I love it so much. I get excited about number theory in particular, as there are so many fascinating topics within it and some of the results are just beautiful in a way that is hard to express to others. There is also the beauty inherent in math’s ability to be so incredibly predictive about the real world. Anyway thank you for your insightful videos.
I’m so happy I found this channel when I did a bit ago. I’m graduating in May as a math major, physics minor, and all of you videos where you’re just chatting really speak to me and make me think. Thank you Tibees!
Oh my god, I relate so much to what you said. And I only realized it now. I got into a Physics grad because I got the best physics scores in high school. I wanted to stroke my ego. It was so weird getting there and seeing all my colleagues that were just as good as I was, if not straight up better, and I gotta admit, I felt a bit down because of it. Thankfully for my motivation, I gave up on Physics and got into Civil Engineering. It's a new territory, the people are very different, I feel like i'm learning a lot, getting into this with the mindset that I have a lot to learn, not that I'm better than others.
Thank you for the introspection, it really tells me a lot about myself (and I'm guessing about a fair amount of people who chose an exact science too), and I'll keep this in mind from now on :)
I actually just came from mathematics StackExchange, where I was looking over the plethora of problems I've answered and asked. I can definitely say as a graduate student aspiring for a phd, I still don't consider myself "good at math". It's more like my love for math always pushed me to learn more and try harder, which has gotten me pretty far.
👏👏
So true!!
As someone who’s studying high school physics and calculus this advice is really helpful. I always try to teach and help others in homework, but the communication is definitely challenging. I felt like being unable to convey your ideas shows how much you lack in understanding. Again, thanks.
I started learning these math concepts such as derivatives and integration from Calculus and even the unit circle and definitely used it to boost my ego and have my parents be more proud of me than all my siblings since I am the only one who did complete Calc 1 and need even more advanced courses for my engineering major
I guess I see the error of my ways but i am honest with myself and that is that I truly love these crazy ideas that mathematics bring
They can be tricky and drive me insane but I truly have a heart for math but I used my passion for the wrongful ideas as well
i also always hated studying STEM subjects back when i was an engineering student. after 8 months i changed to major in culinary arts..
Tibees... wishing you a happy new year... you are a inspiration to many...
This is so comforting, it's encouraging to see successful people who do similar things or have the same flaws as you. I'm still in high school but I have the same "take the most difficult classes" and "oh I got a good grade I must be good at this!" ideas. I'm trying to work on just enjoying the classes for the actual knowledge and ignoring these arbitrary numbers and letters we call grades.
Thank you for your video. I am also a woman and I sometimes regret getting a degree in engineering. Later in life, when I realized I don’t like engineering, I thought back about why I chose the major in school. I realized I was focused on passing the classes and accomplishing the goal of becoming a professional engineer (it gave me the ego boost you are talking about), but I never considered if I would like engineering or be good at it. I often feel like I don’t “get it” on an instinctual level (I’m not good at fixing things).
Luckily I’ve found a niche in engineering that fits me well. I am a state regulator and mostly use my people skills and writing abilities in my daily work. Sometimes I think I should gave taken a different path, but the things I like doing are artistic and not a good way to make money. I do think it was a good decision to get a degree in something that is practical and a way to securely support myself. Especially because I never married or had children.
That is absolutely fascinating. Thank you, Tibees. I appreciate your careful thinking and insight.
This is why I went to Engineering. Because I can apply Mat and Physics to my work everyday. When I was student I didn’t how useful thing like probability, statistic..
Thanks for the thoughtful video, I'm currently halfway through my maths degree and am trying to discover if I actually like it or not. My favourite subject so far happened to be taught by Barry Hughes who featured in your 'Australian professors react to India's toughest exam' video. It also happened to be a very difficult subject on which I got my lowest grades ever in a maths subject, but the way everything we learnt was proved so carefully and rigorously, and how we were supposed to know the proofs rather than just assume they existed somewhere, helped me to really experience mathematics and gain a real appreciation for what it is. Once again thanks for the video, I will certainly be keeping some of these things in mind as I progress through my degree.
Thanks for your honesty. I have generally found the ideas hard to absorb and that caused fear that I'm only now beginning to face. I also rarely got to enjoy the practical application of learning the subject matter, which I lay mostly on the instructor's head. I REALLY enjoyed a course in numerical computing because the questions seemingly came out of real world situations. Bringing the course to life by injecting as much real-world applicability might be the key to getting and maintaining students' interest in the subject. I recently found the 3Blue1Brown channel and that was REALLY cool. The amount of (what I think is) good math content on the Internet astounds me sometimes and I hope many more people will never get the chance to experience the detailed explanation and real-world relevance. Thanks for the time and effort in making your videos. I'm sure they'll be will be beneficial to folks like me "on the outside". All the best.
Nice video!!! I study Electrical Engineering, and i always try to connect ideas (especially the mathematical ones) and exploring applications while studying them for the exam. I pass my tests, but sometimes i feel frustrated and disappointed because i can't usually get high grades. It's a logical aftermath, I supose, but can't avoid thinking my attempts to acquire a big knowldege about my lectures and books aren't being compensated. Wish i could find a middle point between your regrets and my poor strategy hahaha. Sorry my bad English, I enjoy all your videos :)
I used to hate math with a passion, worst subject, hated going to class, worst grades in high school etc... I've found though that by discovering the deeper meaning behind major concepts and realizing how it applies to the real world I finally can appreciate what this is good for. It seems that every subject has some sort of connection back to math, like it's the trunk of some big tree.
Stumbled to this channel just a day ago, best one i found for years probably! Very inspiring videos and in a way very soothing too. Im starting a masters next month, though in a totally different area (international relations), i hope that i can captivate those listening to me even just a wee bit compared to you!
And the other thing that comes in my mind, though i was always quite lazy with math, physics, and etc, is how they are so much more "relevant" than "human sciences" (not sure if thats the term in english). It may be that i just underestimate the fields that i have a greater ease to learn and to handle with, but i cant resist to think how physics, math, chemistry, biology and so on and so on are inevitably superior to the other fields, including my own (IR). These are learning about the fabrics of the universe, but they are applied to pretty much everything in our society, so they are the foundations of humanity right now. I certainly envy those such as you that seem to have such an easy grasp of it.
Why i think these fields are superior, i dont know, its just that i have this idea that if a random person reads some 100 good books on the history of, say, the vietnam war, they'll certainly have an impressive grasp of it at the end. Say, out of 100, 99 will pass the hardest test on it. While out of 100 people reading 100 books on astrophysics, how much would be able to pass a hard test on it?
And i guess i felt the need to say this because as most students i meet are from the human sciences, i hear a lot of people almost having contests trying to see which field is more important.
As a first year Engineerjng student I really appreciate this. You're describing a lot of what I'm going through now as far as enjoying the material vs. enjoying making good grades on the material... and also as far as remembering to try to delve deep enough into my coursework to be able to explain it to others who (like me at the beginning of my journey into math and science) aren't as mathy as I am now. I like hearing your perspective and what i got out of it was 1. Try to take courses you enjoy, 2. Dive deep into your understanding of the material, and 3. Stay humble. Thanks Tibbees! You're awesome and your channel is always a joy.
I was once reading a book by Bertrand Russell. He said that , several times in his life he wanted to commit suicide. But it was love of math, that did not let him die. So beautiful is math. I loved every math class I took. And in order to complete Ph. D in engineering, I had to do lot of them. I loved it even in my early years and high school. If I was ever angry, upset, frustrated, doing math always cheered me up. Math was my relaxation actually.
In my days, textbooks had no solution manuals. So I ended up solving every problem in every math textbook I had. It was a tremendously satisfying feeling. Most of my math professors were excellent. (I think I only had one, who was subpar). In engineering, I was able to solve , otherwise unsolvable problems by invoking math. These days, I am a professor of computer science. I think, only subject more fascinating than math is making computers and other machines smarter using computer programs.*
That was deeply profound.
Thank you for posting your amazing experience. Honestly, I'm not so good at mathematics, so I kind of admire your experience. You still enjoy mathematics even now as a professor??
Sounds awesome. For me the tougher the math problem that funnier it is. I’m 28 and thinking of going back to college and getting a Math degree. I wish I could grab a math book and study the heck out of it but I’m preparing for classes that are tougher for me like classes that require a lot of reading. I like learning about the way things work (physics), astronomy, math, music.
@@olgamontenegro2543 Best wishes to you.
Same here! Whenever I am sad or hurt I just watch math lectures or videos and I feel so much better! Thanks for sharing this:)
the first one really hit me hard, lately I had the same feeling wondering if I really enjoy maths or just the satisfaction of being good at math, and I just finished my first year of university and I don't know what I really want :c
I can relate big time. Thanks for sharing this. I've been doing through my own journey on this topic and I hope to share it as you have.
this gave me a lot of interesting viewpoints from which to examine my choices, and with the most fortunate timing I would think. I am about to start studying maths in September, and while I am a total enthusiast and wouldn't change the field, I might think differently on some choices I have to make within it. I have been studying Molecular Biology almost 20 years ago, well mostly I have been partying Molecular Biology until I dropped out, and worked in hybrid breeding until 2 years ago. I am quite nervous about going back to university now, but I just stumbled about your channel yesterday, and became an instant fan. You manage to create the perfect balance of fun, interesting maths tutorials with a generally peaceful relaxing atmosphere...
Hey Tibees, I have a double major in Biomedical Engineering and Mathematics. I definitely empathize with retrospectively seeing the difference between getting a good grade and understanding. Also, relating back to linking abstract concepts I learned in pure math courses back to the real world, I took complex analysis and circuits at the same time. I was surprise how well they lined up (phasors and Euler's forumula), I just wish I looked for these connections in even more of my courses. Overall, a wonderful video!
Wisam Fares any advice for biomedical engineering?
This is why the whole division between “pure” and “applied” maths is so arbitrary.
@@SergeantTopBins definitely, one of my favorite aspects is the interdisciplary nature of biomedical engineering. Depending on which field you specialize in (BME is reallllllly broad, there's so many paths to take ranging from biomechanics (prosthetics) to tissue engineering to immune engineering), it can be overwhelming to tie everything together, but arguably the most important. I know a lot of peers that dropped out because they felt that their studies had no overlap, but they just didn't dig deep enough to see some of the more subtle connections. Hope that helps a little bit :)
Go into the RF or magnetics side of EE or physics world and you will see how complex analysis unfolds into those worlds. Its like one was meant for the other.....when in reality both are intimately intertwined. The real vs complex planes compared to the electrical vs magnetic components of an electromagnetic wave for instance, walk hand in hand.
@@wisamfares7892 thank you!
Ahh, I remember watching VSauce's video on the brachistochrone, and it reminded me of a passage I read in Douglas Adams's novel "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" where he describes "the invisible mathematician in our brains" which lives at the backs of our skulls, sitting on top of the spinal column, and exists solely to solve these particular shortest-route calculus problems. Only we're never aware of it calculations, it's so invisible to our regular perceptions precisely because it computes shortest-path-tracing predictions so quickly and so precisely that we never question that things like brachistochrones *must* exist (and that they must be coolly calculable - otherwise we could never throw or catch or drink from a cup or even walk) and that we use them all the time. Until we have to put them down on paper at which point we suddenly realise how stunningly complex applying even one dimension of reality to an "abstract context" like a maths problem is. Also Michael and Adam had such amazing fun building the prop it was so awesome seeing their nerdy joy I'm going to go watch it again right now.
I can relate to this when I finished pre-calculus, I practiced a lot and saved the subject barely at the end of my 1st semester but only in the 2nd I realized the value of what I should have learned but didnt truly internalize it nor appreciated it enough. Getting clearer ideas about concepts I supposedly already knew made the learning process more interesting and made me question more what I learned.
Looks like something similar might happen in the future with the left maths available, will try to make the most of them and learn more than just for the exams.
Thank you for sharing your experience!
Thank you so much for making this video. I've been planning on enrolling on a similar course without considering anything else, but now I realise what I'm really facing. Great job, cheers!
Hey Tibees ! I personnally am passionnate about mathematics, so that's why I'm sooooo happy that you've done this video. Because as simple as that, I want to become a math teacher. Even if I'm actually French, it is a real pleasure to have some sharing about it. And actually, the self-confidence it gave to you is one of the things I keep searching ! So thank you very much about that. Now that you say that you didn't find maths being 'cool', I hope you consider this as a possibility for you to appreciate even more your mathematic study, as well as your mathematic videos ^^
Thanks for giving some insight to how your maths studying really was. It’s relieving to see that it wasn’t perfect. 👍🏼
Huh?
pjmoran42 just trying to say that it’s alright to have some trouble figuring everything out. It means Toby is human like us.
Currently in University studying Mathematics. A lot of this resonates with me especially in terms of picking classes and perceiving concepts as abstract simply because of how they are defined in terms of math. But if anything its just helped better calibrate why I love what Im studying, and why Im studying math at all
I majored in physics . And oh man i can relate to everything youve said . Thank you for making this ❤ . Especially the realisation that all these theories and problems dont exist anywhere outside of this academic bubble i would say .
I can relate, though describing it ends up becoming a story that starts with chaos and ends up an organized chaotic flow.
So I'll just leave you a thumbs up, Wish you a happy and fullfilling 2019 and ... Hope that you find that confidence booster you need (acting, self defense, knitting, improv class,rock climbing, ... )
oh yeah, euhm, don't rush, nobody knows everything, don't let yourself get intimidated, there's theory and there's experience, and ... Be yourselves !
🎉✨
ps. what do you think about vihart's videos?
I love vihart!
Vi Hart is one of those heretics who prefers τ to π.
tibees, like this and I'll get my phd in mafemafics
Maybe you mean “maþematics” ... well, isn’t ðat how it’s spelled?
FAT cat corpulent feline, u must’ve mistakes me 4 someone else
E R F
Roman, why don't you study something more applied, such as engineering. Many people with a Ph.D. in mathematics are unemployed, and if employed, then poor. Use you math skills to get rich by helping people.
Roman Tsekhanovich continue with your PhD in mathematics. I am also on that path. Mathematics gives you the power to understand your mind due to mathematical proofs. Those who understand their mind are very powerful, what Buddhism calls the Sixth Consciousness. Being a master of yourself is the Seventh Consciousness. That allows me to also study Physics, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, and recently entering to Chemistry.
In my free time I am building my business by applying branding, sales, and marketing techniques with the help of my mentor. Raising capital will come soon.
I learn so much from your videos because you talk so openly about your experiences and I can totally relate to them.
I definitely can relate. It wasn't until I started teaching as a TA that I begun to realize how neat some of the concepts were, since I had to teach algebra based physics at times, which forced me to learn how to communicate the material more effectively. I also felt like I had virtually no real grasp on what some of the concepts were (especially special relativity...) but teaching it helped me understand it at a more personal level since I had to synthesize the information appropriately.
My favorite thing about mathematics: give me pencil and paper, and I will never ever get bored. (Well, it will take a while at least).
Same, i can continue studying maths, even if it makes me sick
Love that calm storytelling
I just stumbled upon this video and you really put into perspective where I am at with my academic career. Keep being you because I love listening to your videos!!
Thanks for a great video. Totally understand the feeling as I tried Math at uni as well, until I realized all I cared about was getting a good grade and feel good because I had managed to make it. Thanks for introducing me to the Brachistochrone problem as well! That video you linked to was super entertaining and interesting!
"doing a class for being the most difficult and pretigious math", that's sums up 90% of al mathematicians.
Aslong as you enjoy it more than half of the time, it is a good choice. The greatest men and women weren't made directly by their degree, but by what they learned, who they met, ideas they exchanged, during that time. People put too much pressure on you to "find your passion". What if you dont have one? Or know what it is? And it certainly wont be the same one you have at 80 years old that you picks at 18. So dont take it too seriously, relax, enjoy the ride.
When I was in undergrad I tried to appreciate the deeper implications of what I was learning, but I always felt like it was coming at me through a firehose and I just didn't have time to think about it too deeply. It was a bit frustrating but we did have a lot of ground to cover in four years.
I'm currently an IT undergrad and even tho most of people didn't think I should do it, because I never fitted the "math nerd" stereotype, I still came to peace with the vision I formerly had of maths - being this utterly encrypted science that only the few chosen can understand - and managed to enjoy some things. However I feel like the regrets you gave really resonate with what I experiment on the daily, i.e that the vision that people tend to have of maths is it being either rather an elitist thing or something not worth understanding... And I think it's a terrible biais, and this biais is also sadly carried by the very people that should fight it. I think what you did there is really important, and I'm thanking you for that. ^^
On a side note, I think we should revise the way we teach maths (this one goes for all the teachers that terrified children because they just never understood its beauty), and the way we generally consider fields. I had really smart people telling me that the combined vision of philosophy and maths is irrelevant, that only "hard science" is valuable knowledge, and for ages this just made me hate maths and think I wasn't intelligent enough, that I wasn't part of the "chosen". Now I realise of fucking wrong and bounded (hehe) these people were, and that we should learn things because it's interesting and amazing, not because it gives a certain sociological status. Also for some reason these were the same people that failed to even embrace the idea that some things aren't just obvious, and take time.
Alan Nikolai Stratmann Hi, it stands for Information Technology, generally referring to the engineering field of computer science, cryptography, communication system and so on. As you can tell the list is far from exhaustive and it is indeed a wide domain of research, and an even wider spectrum of applications.
I regret studying n being stuck in computer science and engineering wherelse I wanted to study math
"I liked the feeling important part, but hated the work part."
Thanks for making this video. You're very honest with yourself and good at analyzing your underlying motivations - neither of which is easy.
Tribes, I too did a double major, although were in mathematics and statistics. The way you expressed yourself reflect my feeling exactly. I too took difficult courses more to show off than expecting it to benefit me in my overall understanding of where I was going in my studies of mathematics. I have made up for for those mistakes by carefully selecting more relevant courses in my masters.. Thanks for stimulating my brain with your various lectures. You are a great presenter. and lecturer (and look quite cute as well)! Thanks again. Richard
Relatable af
I am not highly qualified but being passionate about physics and mathematics I still decided to not to pursue a career in it, reason being lack of motivation (money) and rat race for grades. I like to learn from problems rather than learning and then solving the problems.
Crush 2019 though..
This was very insightful.
Thanks for existing.
Yes I can relate. I thought I would avoid some of the feelings you expressed by going into Applied math. The goal was to get a PhD and teach college math somewhere as a profession. But when I finally ran into my 1st 15 page proof I decided to stop at a MS degree and work for awhile and never made it back. I too still have a passion for it and get sucked into some of these math problem presentations occasionally but it's all so very time consuming and life is just too short.
I'm a very recent subscriber to your RUclips channel and you're giving me hope and uplifting my mind beyond what I thought possible. I started when RUclips pushed your video on Tesla grades
Very brave and honest, I liked this video a lot. You are very inspiring.
I know a guy who got a PhD in mathematics and he was a professor at a university for a bit. Unfortunately the pay wasn’t good so he pursued accounting and became an accountant. Situations like these make me question my current path and make me feel like I chose the wrong path.
Your story almost run in parallel with my half-brother's. But he went to work for a Fortune 100 company after he quit teaching at uni. To your second statement, it really is personal. No one can give you proper feedback. You need to answer honestly to yourself - what you are passionate about? End of the day, if you just focus on pay scale alone to determine what you should major, you will regret it further down the road. Good luck.
If your goal is money then do whatever gets you the most.
@@sorcererstone3303 What if the thing you are passionate about *is* money?
@@robertlozyniak3661 Then you are in the wrong game.
Basis science (physics, chemistry, biology) is about passion and the advancement of knowledge for the betterment of human-kind. It is hard (at least I found Physics was hard) and unrewarding (if you are focusing on $ value) and relevant jobs are hard to find.
The only purple cow I am aware of could be in the field of chem/pharm.
If you feel like you chose the wrong path, remember that no path is set in stone. If you don't like your current situation, i suggest thinking of why it is you feel that way and what must change, then set small goals that will help you work towards a better situation. If you can't see any way you can improve your situation, than a drastic change (while scary) may be something to consider.
Tibees
I think I understand what you are saying, although I luckily never went through that. I was fortunate enough in that I had high confidence in my abilities, and quite early confirmation of that. So I never doubted myself, except for not knowing whether I would end up being a low-level college teacher, a high level university researcher, or an internationally well-known figure.
You have very good knowledge of your subject and exceptional teaching abilities, so I think you should stick with that and be happy, very happy indeed.
I totally "get" what you're saying (you express yourself very well!) . . . I think that very often when we're in the throes of learning some difficult subject, we don't "fully" understand it -- sometimes it's just a matter of lack of time to fully explore . . . and only later, after time has passed, things start to "click into place" and we get better understanding. I very much enjoyed your "strange realm" concept!
If you have children in your home, teach them how to play dominoes at a young age.
It's fun and at the same time it teaches them how to quickly add, subtract, multiply and divide.
Both my daughter's excel in math and with numbers. They tell me now that dominoes was a big positive for their success and what they've become today.
I hope all the scholars will continue to make education a fun learning process.
People have a tendency to retain good and positive things better.
Good luck everyone!
I wish all of you a happy and humble life above ground.
From katrinka, San Francisco Bay Area🌺🌴
Thank you! I will try it myself as I still struggle with mental calculations.
I love math because it's precise, accurate and it flows harmoniously. I was just never great at it. I really enjoy your videos
Thanks for your perspectives! I wish I had stumbled upon this video way earlier.
Hi, thanks for the insight into your thoughts on studying a subject, in this case mathematics. I'm thinking the regrets that resulted in you creating this video will inevitably fade with time but I bet in years to come these regrets will flip into you thinking as you encounter different aspects of whatever life throws at you that yours studies were well worth the energy and time you invested. I studied electronics back in the 1980s and 30 years later I still come across aspects of electronics that were covered on the course with which I have zero appreciation for at the time but those neuron paths were created be they reluctantly and many years later they are still there and I'm still re-discovering them and applying them and continuing to make an income from them. I guess what I'm trying to say is in 30 years time I reckon, you'll have zeros regrets - the universe runs on mathematics, you have a well earned qualification that will serve you for life - the rest of us will be superseded by AI algorithms -)
As a physics major, I know exactly what you are talking about but I guess my outlook is a tad different. I feel in many ways the ‘cool kids club’ mentality is kind of the culture of academia, how students are evaluated on pretty arbritarily chosen metrics and not on understanding, especially in standardized testing. It’s the way it’s taught which encourages regurgitation and It makes me more angry than regretful, especially when I see others drop out because of how poorly it can and is taught at times. I also feel like anyone who studies physics and math will have ‘imposter syndrome’ at some level, especially if you begin to understand it haha. Anyway, I think you made an awesome choice ;), as this is a pretty cool RUclips channel.
This is a huge problem in modern schooling, at least in America where I’m from, and it actually extends all the way down into elementary school. There they teach you what I’ve dubbed as “algorithmic math” by telling you “when you see this problem, do this, and when you see that problem, do that. It’s quicker because the kids have good memorization, but though the bright kids might take the time to think and understand the concepts, most kids just accept that and memorize their way through math, never truly understanding it and struggling a lot when they see a problem of a form they don’t remember. This becomes a HUGE problem in college, where it’s not viable to memorize your way through analysis or quantum. It makes it very hard for those kids who listened to what the system told them to do to enter a stem field unless they had some phenomenal teachers, and i find that very sad.
What is imposter syndrome?
Mystic Smoothie feeling that you have a degree but don’t really understand things, you just jumped through curriculum
"taught" you mean lectured! but yes that's exactly my complaint, in math they measured our aptitude by testing us on how well we could regurgitate theorems and their proofs, absolutely idiotic, I'll NEVER forgive the bastards, I refused to memorize stuff as a matter of principle and was penalised with bad grades and a worthless degree, all that time, money and effort for nothing 😢
@@motherofallemails A math degree worthless?! How?!
Interesting video! From my personal experience, even if I still think I appreciate maths, I regret not seeing maths as beautiful as they really are. Instead, I considered them as a simple 'tool for physicists' for a long time. In fact, during my third year of bachelor in physics, we literally had a course named 'Mathematical tools for physics' where we just work Fourier transforms and differential equations without all passions of mathematicians. But now I had courses on Cosmology, General Relativity, Celestial Mechanics and other astrophysics courses in my master degree, I finally realize how much maths are important in many domains, including physics and astrophysics. They constitue a langage by themselves, and describe the world in a wonderful way... I'm not sure I would change my studies to do maths, but I cannot agree with some other students claiming than courses with more maths 'aren't real physics'.
Thanks for sharing these! I think many other students can relate to some of the points you brought up. For me, I struggled with reconciling my perception of math in lecture and in my own mind with others' perception of math when I would tell them that is what I'm studying (if that makes any sense). It led me to experiencing some type of imposter syndrome. I think that the theme of exclusivity associated with mathematicians and math students is a bunch of bs. As you mentioned, some youtubers are making great strides in making mathematical concepts more relatable and accessible to a wider audience.
I had a similar experience as well. Oftentimes, the fast-paced structure of the undergrad curriculum doesn’t allow time to explore concepts beyond homework and exams, which usually leads to a heavy focus on grades and a neglect of the big picture.
I've no regrets specially when I remember , Fourier transforme
And Laplace transforme.
A: How many ways can you arrange -1/2 of a person?
B: what?
A: sqrt(pi) ways
The gamma function of -1/2 is not root pi...the gamma function of 1/2 is root pi.
You should fix your problem statement or change your answer to -2 root pi.
The gamma function of n is (n-1)!, for positive integers n, which coincides with the permutation of n items. Gamma is also defined for non-integral values, which is the point of the joke
@@larrymusa6717 I wasn’t using the gamma function. I was using the pi function...but nice try.
@@hardshellin6673 Doesn't matter. Using the Pi function, which is of course just a slightly different version of the Gamma function, will not change the actual value of factorial of minus 1/2....Your answer is, unfortunately, still wrong.
@@larrymusa6717 You’ve already confirmed my math. If the gamma function calculates (n-1)!, and the gamma of 1/2 is indeed sqrt(pi) as you said, That means that the gamma of 1/2 is (1/2 - 1)!, which clearly equals (-1/2)!. The pi function is better because it measures n!, instead of (n-1)!. If this is trolling, not bad...
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing those thoughts.
What you said about not making the connections between the abstract math in classes and the 'real world' struck a chord with me. I got a PhD in math, but I switched from pure to applied math because I eventually found the pure math to be to sort of 'pointless', and I think it was for a reason analogous to what you describe. After I left academia I started working with a topologist friend, and in our collaborations we ended up applying increasingly abstract methods (beginning with group theory, then more abstract algebra, and so on) to solve concrete problems, and over time I rediscovered my interest in pure math, though I never was tempted to go back to academia. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking math is just a sort of intellectual game - the way it's taught in universities doesn't help much - but I've since learned that the best way for me to learn new math is to make it very concrete and practical, and understand why it's useful, and how I would explain it to someone who doesn't even know calculus. Of course, I don't know anyone without a math background who is willing to listen to such an explanation, but it helps me understand it and tie it to other things I already know.
I am a computer science student and I took courses in Algebra, graph theory, calculus and stats during my bachelor's degree, in the beginning, I was thinking that these courses were useless (I mean I couldn't imagine how to use integrals, derivatives to solve RL problems ) for a person who wants to be a developer and that algorithms/programming languages courses are the most important to master. but on my current master's degree ( i am following an Artificial intelligence master ) I realized how math can be used to solve for a lot of optimization problems and I also learned how to use all those math theorems and stats techniques that I studied before to make AI agents and models .... what I want to say is that maths are important and every scientific field need mathematical techniques to evolve and to solve new problems, and i wish that you could use your math skills that you gained during your major on your physic research !
If you can't see the implications of derivatives and integrals while you are taking the course, especially if you are a computer science student, then you are a mediocre one.
@@tay1545
There is no need to be rude, especially against someone who has admitted his mistake.
A program is only as good as its programmer, same goes with artificial intelligence, god help us in the future.
You are correct, calculus (derivatives integrals ) which is based on continuous functions are not as important in computer science. Discrete math, such as combinatorics and graph theory are very applicable in computer science on the other hand.
@@tay1545I couldn't see how to use deriv. and integrals cause I was only taking theoretical computer science courses where you only need basic algebra and bool algebra. but I got good marks and I understood the basics even if i didn't know how to use them in real life.
I should do a video of "my regret studying chemistry" (I am almost finished with undergrad)
Why do you regret it?
I have 2 degrees in math and I really enjoyed it all! Grad school was the best time of my life, especially being a TA. It really helps to have a professor who is also passionate about the subject. My kinda sorta only regret was not getting my M.S. in something more applicable like Staistics, but I had FUN studying pure math.
My stress level plummets whenever I watch your videos! Thanks for being awesome.
Thank you for your honesty and just for being you.
It's the first time I see someone saying something as deep without realizing it and God knows I watch a lot of RUclips videos !
Thanks for this clear and sincere video. What you are experiencing is sometimes called "conscience growth". This is perhaps more valuable than the grades you got, and some believe it is our primary objective. Your video certainly taught me a few nice ways to simply describe some of the reasons for doing the thing we do.
It's cool that you found applications of math out there in the real world! This inspires me to learn a bit more about math. I avoided math earlier in life because I didn't see how practical it is, but I've changed my mind more recently.
Replace "Math" with "Meth" and the video becomes quite funny
amen brother
What will happen if we combine math with meth .... :D
LMAO, You made my day @ IT & Fitness :-))))
Ah, the great field of methematics
@@tomaszkantoch4426 people will enjoy it more?
As a math and computer science double major, I can completely empathize with what you’re saying. I feel like such an imposter because I didn’t take the time to really absorb and understand and apply the knowledge I was given in my 200-400 level classes, and it makes me feel horribly unprepared for a career in analytics. I wish I had taken the time to truly enjoy the material and get that deeper wisdom about the subjects involved.
I'm thinking of doing a double major. You chose to get two quite heavy majors at the same time, how did you manage to do that? Is it really so much you don't have time for anything else? So many questions! I would love to double major on the two things I really love but I'm put off by the thought of being overwhelmed with work.
@@zualapips1638 i would defiantly double major in math+comp sci, it's not bad if you like it and don't have another job at the same time
@@HunkMine I actually thought about Economics or Finance along with CS but I don't know. I guess I'll have time to see if it's going to be too much. I was thinking about having a social life and that kinda stuff that's also important.
I relate with some of your ideas. Almost all my academic choices have been based in trying to improve
my CV or choosing what is most respectable in the mathematical community. Now I am doing a PhD in arithmetic geometry in a top university in Europe but I'm not really that happy. I have no chances to understand the concepts at the level I would like to and I feel I don't have such a good relation with my advisor. Probably if I would have stayed in my old university with my Master thesis advisor doing complex geometry I would be feeling better. But meh, I can endure the suffering for the next 3 years and after that I will be free to do whatever I want (I hope...).
I 100% agree with wishing for a better big picture understanding of the material as an undergrad!
Taking courses that are challenging might be a good thing though. Some of the joy of mathematics comes from the challenge, and perhaps as a young mathematician we still have to prove something to ourselves.
I also think part of the learning process might be exposing yourself to topics you may not find very interesting, but could potentially grow to love. During my undegrad I only took courses I thought were interesting, but that actually led to gaps in my knowledge later on. In particular, I'm weaker in statistics than I'd like to be and I know almost nothing about numerical methods. This was largely due to an elitist mentality regarding 'pure' mathematics, and is probably my main regret during my undergrad.
Thanks for sharing this, it was a great video!
My regret studying mathematics is not quitting right away. There is way more money in stripping.
Good one
What does money have to do with anything?!
@@stardaggerrihannsu2363 Money isn't real anyways....said a friend of mine once. Once you run out, you just go make more of it.
Lol. Can I get a lap dance I have 5 bucks for you.
StarDagger Rihannsu we live in a capitalist society, everything has to do with money
As a Navy veteran, I'd wish I paid more attention in class and remembered more formulas to get to the quotient quicker.
This is extraordinary insight into personal goals and abilities. Made me think. Thank you.
I'm finding this at the moment. I'm finishing up a Masters' in Pure Maths, and struggling with a lot with the abstract algebra/group theory concepts, because I failed to grasp their true importance in my undergraduate and forgot a lot of it. (i.e. where I find Analytic Number Theory beautiful and easy to grasp, Algebraic Number Theory and Algebraic Geometry are impenetrable concepts).
Agreed, I wish I had more to contextualise such abstract concepts, and not just learning it for the sake of it.
Really glad I'm not the only one who feels like this!