A math major talks about fear
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- Опубликовано: 20 авг 2024
- As I'm entering the last year (Finally! Woohoo!) of my undergrad degree in mathematics, I'm thinking more and more of the people I know who have tried to convince me that there was never any hope for them in math - these are some of the most creative and brilliant people I know, but instead of seeing mathematics as something they could master, they see it as a curse.
This makes me sad.
I mean that. It makes me sad. Because many of these people have given up on their childhood dreams of working in robotics or space sciences or design because they had been convinced that they just didn't have the "gift" of understanding math. Because some of these people are still children, and it breaks my heart to see them defeated unnecessarily.
Because I was almost defeated by these attitudes myself.
Because I believe that STEM fields benefit from the inclusion of people with "non-traditional" backgrounds, and I cringe when I see people justify keeping them out. And I cringe when I see people justify keeping themselves out.
And I know (boy, do I know) that feeling like a failure in math does not mean you are a failure in math.
You just don't understand it yet . (Yet!)
And so these are my rambling words of encouragement. There will be more.
The main thing that triggers my anxiety is when I see my classmates immediately understanding shit and answer things correctly and I just sit there like a confused potato.
I feel you bro. That's the worst feeling in a math class for me. If I'm just struggling on a problem or concept on my own or when others are struggling with it too, I can feel good that at least I'm not the only one. It's when everyone else seems to be grasping it easily while I'm totally lost is when I feel dumb. In moments like these, I remember that people learn at different rates, have different preferences for learning styles, and that math is not an intrinsic gift one is bestowed with at birth, but earns through challenging oneself and working hard.
Exactly!
You may not be a math person. Yes, that actually is genetically possible, despite what everyone tells you.
Michelle Fauber
Sorry, but top scientists would disagree with you. A major study by Johns Hopkins University showed that “number sense” (i.e. knowing 1 + 1 = 2) is an ability everyone has.
However, ability to do actual “mathematics” (i.e. algebra and beyond) is actually a trait that NOT everyone has. Dyscalculia is not a mathematical deficiency, it is a number sense deficiency, and is only reserved as a diagnosis for those who acute mental handicaps.
So true.
I hate it when people say: I'm not that type; I'm "creative".
I hate it too. As if there is nothing creative in solving a math problem or programming a piece of software. They are so wrong.
+Rohit Pathak I love telling those people that I'm a math major who enjoys creative writing as a hobby, so they'll have to find another excuse to justify their laziness and willful ignorance.
Aquaria Austin well whatever you do, please don't go in to teaching with that mindset. If you think people are lazy just because they aren't that interested in the subject, then that says more about you than it does about them.
I know this is a two-year-old comment, but I'm glad I stumbled upon this video. This is the first I learned that mathematicians and programmers get the same schticks from EVERYONE and have to put on a smile through it every time. I've always been "that guy" and never knew it. I won't be doing that again.
'He lacked the imagination to ever become a succesful mathematician, so he became a poet instead' -Hilbert
I actually tutor for the SAT, and I was asked to go tutor a girl the other day who had been working with a different tutor for a few months. This girl had very much bought into the idea that she wasn't smart enough to do math, and she tended to freeze on the practice tests. She was actually a lot more competent than she thought she was, but this other tutor completely reinforced her bad attitude. I was absolutely heartbroken when her major comment about me was, "You don't make me feel stupid."
wow does thinking about all her superiors making her feel dumb just put a shit look on humanity lolol we can do better, goddamnit!!!!!!!
I used to say I got friendzoned by math, but then I realized I get fucked by it everyday.
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I'm a math major and I laughed at the reactions you say you get- I get those same ones! The worst is "I'm not a math person". Funny cos neither was I, I almost dropped maths at highschool. Another is, maths isnt creative. I've found that this isn't true at all.. I sort of wish math wasn't taught in school or that it wasn't taught anything like it is. People don't hate maths, they hate what they think it is from years or tedious torture.
That's the thing, at a lower level there isn't quite as much room for creativity, cause you really need the tools of maths (algebra, functions, geometry, etc..) to be creative in the first place.
So one has to start with the basics of numbers and adding etc which is pretty dull. And I think this puts people off from the start.
Agreed, calculus is where it BEGINS to actually be interesting and creative of any sorts.. Most people never take calculus so they don't get to see the beauty of it! That's truly where it takes off into a beautiful place.
Lucas McMasteur I wouldn't say that; there are many other branches of maths that need very little background to get into and has room for lots of creativity, but that stuff doesn't get taught at school 'cos you can only fit so much into the curriculum, so they opt for the more boring but useful stuff
I went to college and started at Pre-Algebra. I went on to major in math. I tell students "It's hard, I had to repeat classes and learn and grow and so can you." Also, not creative? I had my students design the outside of a house with dimensions, area, and how much paint it would cost to paint it. My 8th graders had to design a theme park (surface area only) how much space each ride/attraction takes, the cost of food and drinks along with entrance fee. Then, how much money they would make in one day if 100 people visited and a certain number bought food and gifts. It's amazing how much math they do and enjoy it when they are allowed to be creative.
maybe you won't answer my question but how did you do in math and how did you improve? I really need it and would like to know your experiences
Studying hard things like math and philosophy can make you funnier
Lmao? How exactly does a math major make you funnier? ( I got to hear this one)
Let i=2n+1 for some natural number n.
I literally can't even....
A friend of mine (math major) introduced to me this joke.
The proof is left to the reader as an exercise.
Well, you have to develop a sense of humor when you're taking partial differential equations and half the analysis classes.
How
I have come to love math. As a programmer, for the longest time I DID NOT know much math at all. Barely arithmetic to be honest. I had to improvise without knowing much math. Just recently I have decided to drop everything and focus on math as MUCH as I can. The sheer usefulness of each little scrap of knowledge that I am able to place into the bigger picture is astonishing. Like how the midpoint formula can be converted into a lerp function so easily. Math is SO powerful, the things that can be learned and analyzed with it truly stuns me.
Though I'm just working my way through algebra, math is so exciting.
I know your comment is a year old, and I hope everything is working out for you. I've been in the same place too as a programmer. Sometimes going back to those elementary concepts, but knowing about everything to come after can feel encumbering. The smallest scraps need to be celebrated, especially if we learn about higher math before mastering elementary concepts.
The midpoint formula might sound really boring to people, but so does a Boolean "if" statement. Simple concepts like the above are extremely important, regardless of how simple they may seem. I'm still surprised by the amount of simple topics that bleed over into far more advanced topics in math. If you can remember what the slope of a line is, you already know 15-20% of a calculus 1 college class.
Eyyy, you are a fellow Araki fan! I'm just browsing these videos. I know physics ought to be a labour of love, but I'm just looking for other upsides to a physics-mathematics double major.
Nearly all my programs contain quite a bit of math. I think you limit yourself in programming without knowing some basic algebra at least.
I assumed the commenter was referring to abstract algebra, hm.
I have a maths degree (maths and physics 3 year UK) but my programs don't contain much maths I think maybe i need to find different projects to work on i seem to mostly just find front end stuff and i want projects that benefit from maths rather than just using maths for the sake of using maths.
What sort of programing are you doing?
I absolutely love this. You are preaching to the choir. Math is so cool but most people never get to experience. You are 100% correct, comparing yourself to other people is the worst thing anyone could do. Math is not a speeding contest. You have to find your rhythm. Once you get that down, you will be unstoppable.
I have always been bad at math, I want to be good at it, lately I've been practicing it on my own, I'm trying to learn it, and this video boosted my confidence so much!
+samsquanch1996
My impression is that a lot of people are scared away from math when they start studying Algebra - the infamous "math with letters" things.
But letters are just symbols that you use as placeholders for unknown values, or to express a type of quantity.
For example, 2·x + 5 = 10 tells you to figure out what x is, and the formula for the area of, say, a rectangle, which usually looks something like A = x·y, tells you that the area A of a rectangle is equal to the length x multiplied by the height y.
You can use any letters or symbols that you want for these kinds of things (even smiley-faces if you want to), as long as it is clear what they represent in that particular situation.
That's all that Algebra is, really - it's essentially Arithmetic with unknown or unspecified values thrown into the mix.
And Algebra is essential for all other math subjects that come later.
Math shows up with letters in 5th grade
samsquanch1996 All The Best Samsquanch. 🤗👍
I understood calc 1 in the middle of my semester in Calc 2 LMAOOO
By now you've graduated! But this message lives on and inspires. I am showing this to my math intervention students during the first week of school.
Thank you, your words are so inspiring, I wish this video was played at the beginning of every high school math class. Math is supposed to be hard, that's what makes it fun - a brain teaser, a challenge. Don't be afraid of not getting an A in your math course, be afraid of not trying to solve those problems and thus never realizing how much you enjoy those challenges.
Maths yes maths not math is easy. If you find it hard you have majored in the wrong subject. Maths is creative the most creative subject of them all. Ie take art, size say 10 variables, type of paint 6 variables, then add in colour. portrait,landscape etc and before you know it you have chosen one out of a million variables. I may not have put it very well but you get the gist. Everything is maths.
I am playing this video again in order to find the motivation to do my Topology homework.
sgtcojonez I hate topology
***** I got a D : (
screw it, I'll be a math major
+Jevin Randhawa i changed my major to math lol best decision i ever made
+Torryx same lol
Awesome!
Jevin Randhawa me
Just graduated with Actuarial math major and I am now half bald.
I was a math major the same time you were. I heard a lot of these. I tutored for years and many students loved how much I helped them. I had a student who struggled with her GRE, scoring a 25. I helped her, and got her to score a 43. She was so excited. I love teaching math and I use your video in all my 8th grade classes (I teach 8th - Calculus) and they feel better knowing I'm not the only one who is encouraging and knows the struggle they are facing. I tell them I failed classes in college, and that's okay. I am still trying to convince them there is not a level they are supposed to be at by a certain grade because I have 9th grade Pre-Algebra students who feel they should be in IM-1 with their friends. Thank you for this video, it's extremely helpful.
I think many of us have felt this way, no matter how much we've mastered. It's important to share that. Thanks for the comment!
I show this video to my math classes every year (sometimes more than once to remind them.) They make so many connections - ESPECIALLY the female students. Their reaction to see a young lady as a mathematician is amazing. Thank you for posting this!
It's just like any form of study STEM or not, you just have to put in the effort if you want to learn it. I get the same sort of reaction when I say I'm an electrical engineer and a computer science major. I had to put in the effort to learn my craft and sure I failed many times but it's the journey that counts trying to get that skill. I whole heartedly agree with you, nice video. :)
House Mouse lol
I don't understand many things in math but the biggest thing I do not understand is why you only made one video about math. For four minutes and twelve seconds I felt like I can overcome my fear of math. Please, please make more.
this video is so on point, I'm going into my last year of my undergrad degree in math.
Great video :)
I usually just try to explain that math is a language, and the only way a person learns to express ideas in a foreign language is through practice, and also that I would hope they're not going to hold me to the standard they hold themselves at in their language of specialty, just like I'm not going to expect a random person to be as fluent in a language I've worked my ass off studying.
Exactly. Also, first comes grammar and then poetry. Same with math, one has to build on theorems from axioms and then more theorems on other theorems which is just beautiful, like a blooming tree. One starts to realise the art of math only through sweat, blood and tears while trying to prove the theorems getting the overall intuition on the way. People think math is just grammar, but it's much more, much much much more than poetry even IMHO.
I absolutely love this video. Every year I show this video to my students and I encoourage them to create small goals mathematical goals for themselves that doesn't have anything to do with grades. Thank you, your words have encouraged countless young minds that they can do math.
This is truly insightful! Interesting how many of our math fears and anxiety are expressed in the beginning of the video well broken down concerning the poetry analogy. The most important thing that stuck out with me is not to compare ourselves to our classmates to seem to have it all together! There is an old expression that goes "Comparison is the thief of joy" and it truly is! We must consider all backgrounds, but Math is a journey (besides a skill). It's up to us to explore and go on this adventure. We have no time to worry about other people's side quests when we have our own adventures and journeys to go on.
"it's not Magic , it's a skill" I'll remember this for ♾️
Thanks Mathematigal, I needed that pep talk.
ciao Mathematigal, I showed your video today in both the self-promotion and the creative thinking classes I teach here in Florence (Italy) at an internationa design academy. It's been litterally a lesson in the lesson ;-) Students loved it. Thank you for posting this perfect speech, it made a difference today.
I am an undergrad Math major and i literally get a phobia almost all the time when i feel i am not doing enough. #2020 and i am still here. I find your words encouraging. Thank you
Yep thats the same reaction I get when I tell people that im a math major. BTW, I just graduated with a BS in Math last semester.. I must say its really tough. Alot of blood sweat and tears. Then you realise that the Calculus classes people complain about (including myself when I first took them) aren't so bad when you get into the more theorhetical or abstract classes. I dont think I would have gotten through it if it wasnt for my friends and study groups. We all got through it together!
are you gonna continue and get a higher degree?
Sounds fun
Thats BS
'Mathematics' is like an abusive husband or boyfriend that beats the shit out of you but doesn't want you to leave.
Lmao so trueee
Johnny Utah
It's more like the personal trainer that beats the crap out of you, but when you're all done, you're stoked because of the awesome guns you have now.
Math is a girl though.
For me maths is a girl. I like to play around .
wow she is the cutest math major I have encountered.
TryingToCode I'm cute
In which way? Quadratic, Logarithmic, or Linear?
Let's thank Big O for teach us that! That is asymptotic notation for the ones in the know!
you haven't encountered many math majors clearly
BE a math major is not same as DO a math major. Just sayin ...
lol
i love you im a math major in my junior year and i really needed to hear this right now
Thank you so much for this video....i am doing a math and biology major...i was one of those person that compared myself to that person in math class that seem to know it all ...but now I know that they are just in a different place and if I study hard i can even become better than them.....
SO GREAT! Carol Dweck needs to hire you -- so growth mindset! I am totally going to use this with my tutoring students. Great energy.
This needs to be played in every math class past high school.
How could anyone NOT like this. So well said. One of the worst things people can do for kids learning math is not admit that higher math is hard. That very smart people have to work hard at it. Some of the smartest people I know failed calculus at least once.
I'm a first year uni student in maths...and yea, it was a slap in the face. but i do enjoy it. What i hate is that i get a lot of: "where are you going with this?" "what are you gonna do after" and i'm just like: I'M GONNA RUN THE WORLD. no. haha it's like i just wish i could study math all my life you know...
I was a Business Major and am now transferring into a Math degree, and this video is just amazing. I always feel so inferior in class, (currently in Calc 2) and I know it's going to get harder, but this has really opened my eyes a little bit. Thank you so much! I found what I needed to hear.
I am okay with math but I hate physics.
yeah physics is harder than maths. possibly the hardest subject ever
yes physics is harder than calculus and linear algebra. but past that point math is all about proofs which imo is much harder than physics.
I won't say physics isn't hard, i know first hand since I major in it, but it is fun understanding the ideas and IMAGINING!
this is what most people forget about physics and don't relate it to.
physics is fun but if u take the imagination out and just simply stick to the goddamn board and slides without practical examples, it will always be HARD AF!
+Ahmad Hasan IKR! I picked up a degree in it, and I'm just endlessly fascinated by it! I view it as a creative endeavor, just as much as art or music. And I see physicists that are on the cutting edge as part artist, part explorer. As an artist because they're combining ideas in ways that haven't been done before in order to create something new, and explorers because they're on the frontier of science, pushing our boundaries of knowledge. Though I suppose you could characterize any good scientist like that, no matter the field.
Thats such a shiny contradiction since physics is math
I was just introduced to this video today. I showed it to my children. I really appreciate the positive message. One of my children was so demeaned by her last math class (Alg/Trig) in public school that she now has no confidence and claims to not be able to do simple addition. I will continue to show this to her when she struggles.
As a math major, studying for my senior year finals (with an 18 credit course load) I suddenly have learned how most people feel about math. I've always loved it, but now, It is hard! I stumbled upon this video while I was looking for Stats videos, but I'm so glad I found it! I will stop beating myself up and realize that I just need more practice in this skill. Thanks!
Thank you so much for putting this together! I can't wait to show my middle school students!
What a great video! A great and encouraging response to combat typical Math stereotypes. Its almost like its a "lets demistify math fear" intro video!!! If only my math teachers in school were as sympathetic and encouraging as you are!!! Hooray for math majors!!!!
Thank you for making this video. I’m a junior math major and I’m hating my studies right now... It’s refreshing to know that someone else has experienced these same {challenges} {challenges}.
I use this video every year with my students. I found it while I was in college studying math and saved it. Thank you for this.
Thank you so much for making this video. It is truly heaven sent. I am currently in my second year in Statistics and it has been so difficult that I considered quitting. But watching this video really helped me to keep on persevering and push towards the finish line.
I'm really into geometry at the moment, though I'm not taking any classes in it right now. :(
Hey how are you doing ? Haven't seen posts in a while.
I just wanted to give a heartfelt "thank you" to the speaker in this video. Because of my Autism, I've had difficulty with spatial awareness, and unfortunately, that has extended to my working knowledge of mathematics. That being said, your video has inspired me to not give up as I slowly teach myself college-level math
Utterly amazing video. Thank you so much for this video because even though I'm not a math major, my major involves math and I actually do enjoy it.
This was so helpful, i was having a bit of an existential crisis , thankyou so much for these words
The switching gears part was definitely for me because that’s exactly how it feels trying to do math. Math to people is like learning a new language.
Thank you so much for your encouragement it means a lot to me.
Hi! I'm starting Maths at university next month and I've been so scared about whether I'll be able to cope so this video really helped me. Thank you so so so much! I hope Maths takes you where you want to be. Best wishes, Maleeha X
i absolutely love this! I'm a geometry teacher through an organization called Teach For America and I'm always telling my kids everything you said in this video! I'm definitely showing this to them this week !! Thank you so much!
First of all, you rock! I'm studying mechanical engineering and I'm doing well in my math classes because I practice A LOT, I look up difficult equations online or ask professors about them and they love to help you out. I do much more practice than my given homework, and I even dedicate more time studying math than reading some stories because it is FUN if you get used to it.
So... I'm studying for midterms right now... not math (today) but it involves mathematical thought processes (engineering, mechanics of materials). I can't tell you how frustrated I get but I don't need to, cause you obviously get it.
I like how you explain things. It's very reassuring and inspirational and thank you. Weird that I feel like you climbed into my head cause this is exactly how I needed to hear it. Thank you math girl :).
Now back to parallel axis theorem.
If you don't mind, I would like to share your video with my students. I teach mathematics at a community college and I think the biggest obstacle that many students need to overcome has been so eloquently addressed by you in this video! Thank you for this wonderful video!
Thanks for sharing this. I'm going to show this to my grade 9 math class. I hope this will inspire them - especially the young women in my class.
Thank you for this vid. My school just used it to inspire people that are struggling with math. Thanks:)
I almost always get the reaction: "so you want to be a teacher?"
UM NO. That's a non-sequitur. I told you that I'm studying mathematics. How does wanting to be a teacher follow from being a student of mathematics?
This video is outstanding, thank you so much for making it. Everyone struggles with understanding mathematics sometimes. So don't feel bad if you don't instantly 'get' it. Few people ever do.
This video made me cry…. math is daunting… but your honesty and encouragement is exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to sincerely thank you - Your thoughts on the matter are truly inspirational and deeply beneficial to my own state of mine. From one mathematician to the other, I want to wish you the very best. You've given me a confidence and motivational boost that I often reflect on more than once, know that you've helped me and many others deal with anxieties and stress and for this, I cannot thank you enough.
Thank you for this. I'm becoming a math major next year in college (senior year rn) and whenever I tell people who know me that I want to study math they tell me that I don't know enough math to study math or that my whole life isn't math and that I should therefore not study it. But I think that's absolutely ridiculous. Okay, I don't know a shitload of math, just high school level, but that's why I'm gonna go to college to STUDY it. To learn about math. This video was so refreshing, those comments usually make me feel incompetent to go into a math major but nah, as you said, it's a skill. And I freaking love math.
I just posted this to the course website for my Calc students. Thank you for saying this better than I have ever been able to do myself.
I am a math major and u have no clues how much confident and positve I feel after watching your video.
I am a non-traditional student (as in an old guy coming back to school), in my last year as a math undergrad. I am applying to grad schools. Thank you for sharing this. I will watch it whenever I am feeling down on myself.
I love your hair cut! Cut and color it's so beautiful :)
Thank you for being honest, and also insightful about math. It really opened my eyes. and my major is what I love , and math is the great wall in my mind that I don't know how to get over so it overwhelms me so this will help me little bit so thank you.
I totally agree with you. It's so important to for students to see people like them succeeding in these fields. Thanks for the kind words. :)
Thanks for reaffirming what I've known for the last 40 years!!
I am a CS student and there's... a lot of math. And there's variants courses where you can choose math related courses like signal processing. And people avoid those like plague, yet I chose it...Because for some reason mathematics created a place of safety...for math questions there's always one correct answer (well hard to get to it of course, but only 1). There's a certainty that answer exists, and a certainty that after certain steps you will always reach such an answer.
That's different with other courses where they throw you a theoretical question and you need to basically interpret it on the spot without any tangible structure you have built (cus math you can find a pattern after practicing a lot), just based on memory and understanding. That feels a lot more uncertain, even if you were prepared.
And math takes time. Lots of time. You need to sit there and figure things out.
Also there are people clever than you, people who figure things out faster than you. Trust me...if you were kind of a try hard at school and got into a good university, you realize there's a certain intelligence gap where certain people, with no background, can pick things up in two weeks where you studied hard for for two month.
The point is not to assume those people are not clever than you. The point for me is to know that you can reach the same spot by your hard work. You are living your potential, pushing your limits. And you should respect yourself for that. If they are cleverer than you, then they have a lot more potential to fullfill. That's their mission, not yours. Yours is to do the best you can. Yours is to make the best for yourself that you can.
Nicely done! Showed it to my 5th grade class, and they totally empathized. Thanks for the keep-at-it motivation!
thank for you making the vid I always wanted to make ! like seriously, I thought people only had those reactions in Germany, but it seems to be a world wide phenomenon.
So basically I'm gay, very creative, learned German to proficiency in 11 months, like without a foreign accent and I have the eyes of a graphic designer, so imagine people's reaction to my studying pure maths! People don't understand that math is a language, maybe the hardest one on the planet, but nevertheless a language that needs to be practiced a LOT! way more than I'm currently doing, that's for sure. .
What people don't understand is that I personally do get affected by ALL the negative reactions that I get, like most mathematicians take it as a compliment, or don't really care about it anymore, but for me it just really sucks to constantly hear stuff like: oh, I HATED maths, who are you?! why on earth would you study THAT! whereas when I was still studying architecture, which even though phisically challenging, hardly anywhere close to being as actually challenging and frustrating as maths, people were super thrilled and wanted to hear more and so on.
With maths, peolpe instantly shut you down, like you couldn't possibly have any other interests or even be able to have a normal conversation, because yeah, you're the freak who studies maths, so you're obviously some alien that got bored with human activities like having fun, and decided to reinvent the Universe using weird symbols that nobody can understand, because what else should an awkawrd lonely alien do on this planet?
I love how you described maths, I usually tell people that it's like playing a new video game with your monitor unplugged, like you can't see anything, but based on the sounds in the background you have to figure it out, which is I think the best description there is. Say we usually prove stuff for n dimensions, but take 4 and that's already too much for any of us, anyone who claims otherwise is LYING to you! And I've heard people tell me stuff like, oh, the most I can imagine is in 3d, after that I'm just lost, well newsflash , we ALL are!
There is no math gene, or brain structure or whatever, nor are there geniuses! and you can name people like Euler, Gauss etc. but not even they didn't wake up one morning and were like: wow! I'm good at maths!
NOBODY IS GOOD AT MATHS!
Some are better than others, because they have more experience, that is it. Even if you take someone with an IQ of 200, that doesn't mean he won't have to go through all the work, he just does it a bit faster, but he still has to go through every single step of the way, and that is why I love maths personally, because there is no field on earth that is so brutally honest as maths. There are no corners to cut, no workaround, no gut feeling, nor talent, just plain work between you and your brain, because some insticts maybe do help but they don't matter if you can't formally prove those instincts. There is no: I'll learn for the upcoming exam the night before and will randomely write stuff that looks like I've learned something, because you're not tested on digested formulae that you've learned by heart, but on your level of understanding the material, which will never happen overnight.
So I hate people who hate maths, who don't respect mathematicians for the immense work they have to go through and just put them in this corner of "talented" or "geniuses" or quite literally aliens.
No, we are as human as they come and the process of going through learning how some parts of maths work is as hard core as it would be for anyone else. You just go to lectures where you feel like you're being taught chinese and then you go home and give your brain the time to wrap itself around all those abtractions, then you get excited for about a few seconds, then maybe you even get arrogant and think, oh this is so obvious, but then you go to the next lecture and realize you're an idiot and basically didn't even scratch the surface of what you are expected to have understood and so on, again and again.
Personally the more maths I do, the more inadequate I feel to even be studying maths. I am improving my skills in various areas but any course of pure maths has been the most humbling experience I have ever had. The fact that such incredibly beautiful abstract expressions came out of human brains just continues to baffle me all the time, which only makes me feel ever so dumb and frustrated that I don't ever have enough time to dig into the infinity that maths really is.
And then some stranger thinks it's a good idea to call me a genius, seriously?!
I can 100% relate! I learned Mandarin and how to read Chinese from watching TV. And studying pure mathematics has absolutely taught me to be humble. You go in thinking you're hot shit, you're smart enough to bang your head against the topic long enough and learn something, etc. But...pure maths has not been that way. It makes me feel like I am witnessing something beautiful and grandiose, but at the same time, like I am a small child without any presupposed conceptions.
And I am learning German as well :)
why did u type a whole essay in a youtube video's comment section.
I am locked in mortal combat with Calculus II right now as a 41-year-old student returned to school (CS major). Thank you for sharing! You give some good advice and observations here!
I so agree with this. People in the general public should learn to appreciate math. They should show interest the same way that would for history, education, nursing, social work, biology, etc..
Number theory, graph theory, group theory, real analysis, geometry, calculus, combinatorics, probability, linear algebra, are all very good friends of mine
Been a while since I've listened to someone who has made me feel so at ease at the end of the video. I'll work harder at being more calm (as weird as that may sound!)
My sister Brandi and I both struggle with math and always have. I failed basic algebra in high school, and because of my fear of trying again, I never went to college. My sister just started college this year and is, of course, struggling with math. I plan on showing this to her. Thank you!
Thanks! I recently started learning mathematics as an adult and I have fairly weak basis for it and I've been struggling sometimes a lot with the course I'm attending to.
Tomorrow is my first math exam and I really needed this video! It helped with my anxiety and also motivated me to keep practicing even if I won't do that well tomorrow.
Thank you!
Update: Got an A from my math test and also A from the course!
I was a math major as well, feeling the same way as I continued my path toward a degree. Now I'm trying to send the same message to my students as was presented in this video. I'm going to share this video with them. Thank you.
So true! In lecture I usually get a sketch of what I'm supposed to understand, and then I have to go home and *actually* understand it.
Awesome. I am retiring from the military and am back in school after 20 years to earn my degree. I must take math classes which causes me some anxiety. You are so right, math is a skill. Great inspirational video. спасибо
i am a math major in my first semester and its difficult to score. i feel like im the only dumb person and sometimes i just need help. i feel like i may be disturbing others if i ask for help. But the feeling i get when i get one question right, makes me happy and is uncomparable to anything ive felt.
Great video! Never head anything talk about math this way. Funny enough, I just gave similar advice to someone else regarding another topic. You are correct that we can achieve anything we want if we work hard at it. You're cute too. And very smart. Keep up the good work and make more videos.
Unfortunately my days as a TA are behind me but I'll be passing this on to TAs that I know so they can show this to their students. Thanks for vocalizing such a helpful and positive message.
I needed this video, say, 4 years ago. Best of luck to you on completing your degree. I just graduated with a degree in Math in May!
Dear god woman, please become a math teacher/professor. the world needs more people like you.. :'0 (it's crying with mesmerized hope-restored if you couldn't tell)
I am a physics and electrical engineering major, when I met a math major I will always feel in awe (I seriously cant do proof, and extremely complex and abstract stuff)
Great video. I get the same looks since I'm a metalhead, and look it, and will be 40 before I graduate with dual degrees in computer science and mathematics. Hopefully my friends who I'm trying to convince to go back to school will watch this and get some inspiration.
Great video. I'm working on a PhD dissertation in geometry right now, so here's some encouragement from a little bit farther down the path. Math gets harder. It also becomes more mind-blowingly awesome as everything you learn in your undergraduate program starts to fit together in context and you reach the research frontier.
This gave me a boost of confidence. I love to learn new things and this includes math. Math is not my forte and so I do attempt to grasp what I learn by asking questions and getting tutored whenever possible. I have noticed when I do ask questions, teachers and tutors seem to be on guard and do not give me all the information. Have you experienced this? Why all the secrecy?
I have always been in class for "slow learners" growing up. I started college in "pre-algebra" which is arithmetic. Next year I will be a Software Engineer. I stumbled across this video preparing for my discrete mathematics final. I took discrete mathematics after calculus 3.
Thank you again, I will keep this advice in my heart
Thank you for saying "math is hard". I knew that by the second grade, and when I got to high school, I BARELY passed Algebra (don't know how) because I didn't have the basics. I was exposed to books as a toddler by my parents, who read to me. This encouraged me to read very early because I wanted to do what they did! But they didn't expose me to math, even though my father was very good at it. Now I'm going back and learning to do it at my own pace. I'm middle aged, and it gets overwhelming!
I am a former math major turned high school math teacher. You are so right about math being a skill that is developed. This may end up on permanent rotation for first days of school.
As a older non-traditional student, I had this one girl in my Art class ask me what my major was. When I told her "Mathematics, " she had a look of horror on her face. "Why " she asked me.
What are you currently doing for employment or school?
This really really helped me. I'm not the brightest in my class and I'm doing A level maths and hoping to do maths at uni, but I don't know if I will be able to do it. I need to believe in myself if I'm ever going to achieve what I am capable of, but I need to stop comparing myself to others.
Awesome video! My mindset on math was so negative until I started thinking about it as another language and not so much a subject, and this happened a couple of years ago. I still have a lot of issues comprehending, but we all have to start somewhere! Even if it means starting from the beginning all over again! Thanks, your video brings more inspiration!
Totally. I need to make one of these about Art/Artists - those responses look and sound so familiar....
Thank you for posting this Sara(h)! I just started my college mathematics class, which I have been dreading since I started my creative writing degree program.
I have always wanted to be gifted with math, but because I missed steps in middle school, high school maths became unbearable and scary.
One of my first assignments this week was writing about the topic of math anxiety, so this is the perfect video to watch!
Thank you for sharing! I posted it to my class website to spread the smiles!
I agree. Every week I learn more and more about math. I'm back at college after many years and I love how difficult is. (notice I didn't use an exclamation point to see that comment home?)
I'm sitting in my car psyching myself up to take a math test. I too have been a computer programmer and never have I been asked to find X. I've been asked why Windows freezes or something similar. Regardless. Algebra id's something that I just seem to not get and I'm trying to change that. I'm about to take a test and frankly not even close to being ready. But you're right because I still spent all weekend studying and although I still can't simplify equations, fractions finally made sense! So... Now that that's done, back to equations... Thanks for the video.