Ettina wrote:
I think most math majors have an obsession with math. Given how it's taught in schools, unless you're really committed to the subject you'll probably end up hating it (like I did).
I've been trying to overcome my aversion to math, but it's not easy. I have a lot of deep, unhappy feelings about how I was taught math, and I've unfairly associated them with the subject itself.
I think when people say it's the language of the universe, it truly is. Maths offers an abstract understanding of our universe which cannot be done by anything else. We can see the patterns, it's inner structure of logic from what appears to be erratic.
My interest with maths started when I wasn't doing very well at it at school. This was because in year 8, I had a dreadful teacher which affected my class and I. I would practice it for hours on end to catch up on the work from last year. From this type of mathematical spiritual journey, I learnt alot more about maths than just computational rules. From all these new concepts I was learning by myself, I saw patterns e.g. in my sleep when I was solving maths problems from practice tests, I would visualise the questions in my own geometric way. I'm doing better at school now, I managed to achieve an 8A at the end of year 9.
I spoke to a maths major about my growing interest for the subject. He offered me a book about Chaos theory to read,after briefly explaining to me about fractal geometry. The detailed pattern of the fractal repeating itself as you zoomed in amazed me, especially because it allows us to understand the complexity of the shape such as Britain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brita ... -100km.png
As much as I enjoy Algebra, I would like to be finished with it quite soon. I've attempted a calculus course online and I understand some basics concepts such as functions, the limit of a function and the limit of a quotient. However, if I'm going to progress I need to cover the building blocks leading to it.
In my opinion, I find the subject by itself to be quite useless;however in application you see extraordinary things.