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Ancalagon
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24 May 2010, 1:40 am

stacylynn1981 wrote:
For instance, if I do a simple math problem like 158 + 122, I have to work backwards. like I will think, okay 1 and 1 is 2, so it is 200... pause... 5 and 2 make 7, so it is 200 and 70 something.... pause.... well 8 and 2 is 10, so that would be zero, so I have to bump 70 to 80 so it is 280 (sounds like a lengthy way to go)... But, in class I would work like that and the prof said I was doing it wrong. wth???

There's nothing wrong with doing it that way. Doing it the other direction is a little easier on the memory, and if you do it that way and you end up with a lot of carries, it could get confusing. But your way works correctly, which is the point.

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Basically, I cannot graduate college if I don't take math... It makes my ass twitch just thinking about it, any suggestions???

Just a thought that may not be particularly useful -- if you only need one math course, you could try taking it in the summer, not taking anything else, so you could concentrate entirely on the one class.


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Amber-Miasma
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24 May 2010, 10:03 am

I can barely grasp multiplication and division let alone algebra or other esoteric numerical numbskullery O.o.

I've never been able to grasp math. So I avoid it :P.



Brainfre3ze_93
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06 Jun 2010, 5:20 pm

I've had problems with Algebra since High School, but when I took Basic Physics in College. I had no problems with it whatsoever! 8O
Which doesn't bother me so much.



Treehugger
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09 Jun 2010, 11:44 pm

Ancalagon wrote:
stacylynn1981 wrote:
For instance, if I do a simple math problem like 158 + 122, I have to work backwards. like I will think, okay 1 and 1 is 2, so it is 200... pause... 5 and 2 make 7, so it is 200 and 70 something.... pause.... well 8 and 2 is 10, so that would be zero, so I have to bump 70 to 80 so it is 280 (sounds like a lengthy way to go)... But, in class I would work like that and the prof said I was doing it wrong. wth???

There's nothing wrong with doing it that way. Doing it the other direction is a little easier on the memory, and if you do it that way and you end up with a lot of carries, it could get confusing. But your way works correctly, which is the point.

Quote:
Basically, I cannot graduate college if I don't take math... It makes my ass twitch just thinking about it, any suggestions???

Just a thought that may not be particularly useful -- if you only need one math course, you could try taking it in the summer, not taking anything else, so you could concentrate entirely on the one class.
I also have to work backwards to add,and multiply however,in doing this, then having a freind add, or multiply from Right to left the Answer is allwaysDifferent. I can't figure out why because the numbers are the same.The grouping of numbers is the same.



TheAzuler
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10 Jun 2010, 1:15 pm

Not particularly, finished GCSE course with A stars now I want to do A levels at 14 and uni at 16



MattTheTubaGuy
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16 Jun 2010, 5:08 am

maths is quite easy (until you get to calculus), but I have always had trouble calculating in my head. I will still put something like 7*9 into my calculator because it is quicker!

I do seem to have some trouble grasping concepts sometimes though, and I always take a lot of time to think through some things, like deriving the quadratic equation. It would probably take me a good half hour or so to do that.


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Treehugger
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22 Jun 2010, 7:34 pm

Although I'm still having a bit of trouble with Multiplacation/Devision,I found out that 'rounding' Fractions into Whole numbers, is easy, if the Fraction is Less than one half, round to zero,or if it is three sevenths, again, theanswer is Zero. If the Fraction is One half, or greater, the answer is One. Equilly with five sevenths,Round out to One. This is simuler to 'Binary' in that the answer is either One, or Zero. I am quite shure that there's more to this when 'adding' sets of these numbers together,but on This one atleast,I have the basics. :)



chessimprov
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22 Jun 2010, 11:18 pm

As a math teacher in high school, I have many students who like to use this backward method. While this is fine in thought, on paper it can be a bad habit because many of my students, even many of the smartest ones, did not understand basic Algebra and how there are two sides with the equal sign dividing up the sides of equations. On paper, you want to be able to show your work out for good understanding.



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25 Jun 2010, 2:03 pm

chessimprov wrote:
As a math teacher in high school, I have many students who like to use this backward method. While this is fine in thought, on paper it can be a bad habit because many of my students, even many of the smartest ones, did not understand basic Algebra and how there are two sides with the equal sign dividing up the sides of equations. On paper, you want to be able to show your work out for good understanding.
Thank you for the 'head's up here, I am preparing for my GED and have not reached Algebra yet. By Your discription, looks like Algebra is going to be a Challenge.Two groups of Numbers with an 'Equal' sign between them. Is what You are saying, the One group of Numbers 'Equals the Other, and visa versa? :scratch:



chessimprov
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29 Jun 2010, 3:47 pm

Treehugger wrote:
chessimprov wrote:
As a math teacher in high school, I have many students who like to use this backward method. While this is fine in thought, on paper it can be a bad habit because many of my students, even many of the smartest ones, did not understand basic Algebra and how there are two sides with the equal sign dividing up the sides of equations. On paper, you want to be able to show your work out for good understanding.
Thank you for the 'head's up here, I am preparing for my GED and have not reached Algebra yet. By Your discription, looks like Algebra is going to be a Challenge.Two groups of Numbers with an 'Equal' sign between them. Is what You are saying, the One group of Numbers 'Equals the Other, and visa versa? :scratch:


Absolutely correct! Once you understand how the manipulations work, it is always the same exact pattern. I don't think it's so bad, but I'm a math person too.



eagletalon86
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29 Jun 2010, 3:53 pm

I remember calculus being total hell in my last year of high school, but other than that I can to some extent do basic math fairly quickly in my head and used to have only slight trouble with algebra and all that good stuff



Asp-Z
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30 Jun 2010, 11:35 am

The crap they teach you in maths is utterly useless in the real world. I am never going to use Pythagoras in the real world. NEVER. And if I do end up needing something like algebra for work, say in Excel spreadsheets or whatever, I don't even need to actually work any of it out, the computer will do it for me!

Why you need a pass in maths is something I've never been able to understand :?



Ancalagon
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01 Jul 2010, 8:25 pm

Asp-Z wrote:
The crap they teach you in maths is utterly useless in the real world. I am never going to use Pythagoras in the real world. NEVER. And if I do end up needing something like algebra for work, say in Excel spreadsheets or whatever, I don't even need to actually work any of it out, the computer will do it for me!

Why you need a pass in maths is something I've never been able to understand :?

Maybe you won't use the Pythagorean theorem in real life, but lots of people do. Anyone in engineering or physics will need it at least occasionally. Plenty of people go to college and try out several majors before deciding what they really want to do, so it isn't like they can find out whether you'll need it later in life and decide to teach it to you if you will end up needing it.

If you think spreadsheets can automatically do algebra, then you have a misconception about algebra or spreadsheets or both. There is software out there that will do a lot of math for you, but if you don't have any understanding of what exactly that math means, you won't understand how to use that software.

I don't like everything about how math is taught, though, I think there are some things that have too much emphasis and some things that are really interesting and/or useful that are skipped. And, at least from my experience in classrooms, the way it is taught often leaves a lot to be desired.


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Treehugger
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12 Jul 2010, 11:52 pm

chessimprov wrote:
Treehugger wrote:
chessimprov wrote:
As a math teacher in high school, I have many students who like to use this backward method. While this is fine in thought, on paper it can be a bad habit because many of my students, even many of the smartest ones, did not understand basic Algebra and how there are two sides with the equal sign dividing up the sides of equations. On paper, you want to be able to show your work out for good understanding.
Thank you for the 'head's up here, I am preparing for my GED and have not reached Algebra yet. By Your description, looks like Algebra is going to be a Challenge.Two groups of Numbers with an 'Equal' sign between them. Is what You are saying, the One group of Numbers 'Equals the Other, and visa versa? :scratch:


Absolutely correct! Once you understand how the manipulations work, it is always the same exact pattern. I don't think it's so bad, but I'm a math person too.
Thank You, sorry I didnot reply earlier, but School has been buzy. So far with me, the 'memorization of the Required steps in 'Division' has been a bit of a problem, but every thing else is going smoothly. They now have Me 'reducing' Fractions, and I have discovered that in reducing them there is a kind of 'numiracal' code involved in doing this. For example,in reducing Eight Twentyfourths into One Third, in this case look for the 'missing number in multiplying Eight, Eight times One equals Eight. in Twenty four, Eight times three equals Twenty four, so, I am discovering not all maths are so difficult! :D