<p>I feel like people who are "good" in math are the ones who get 700-800 on the SAT in 7th grade, typically get 100s on every test, skipped a class, are exceptional in problem solving, and can do mental math quickly. I'd say I'm above average in math (97 atm), and people would say I'm good at math based on avg alone, but I can't do mental math quickly. Sometimes I have to ask someone what something stupid equals, like 15 x 15. Also, I actually have to study right before every math test, but I'm sure a lot of kids in my math class don't study for the tests. </p>
<p>All that and I didn't take Calc AB as a freshman lol. Does anyone feel the same?</p>
<p>I feel like math is my strongest subject and my favorite. I remember everything I ever do in math, but I make a lot of stupid mistakes on problems. Little stuff that isn’t necessarily derived from the actual concepts or formulas but just because I try to finish problems super fast and that loads up on errors. Math could be my best grade if I fixed that but it’s not. </p>
<p>I’m in Alg 2/ Trig as a junior. I’m taking precalc over the summer so I can do AP Calc senior year. I hope I can understand calc as well as I do algebra.</p>
<p>I don’t think that you have to be a natural at math to be good at it. If you’re a year or two ahead in math and can keep a high A like you do, I’d say that it isn’t possible without having a good work ethic and the ability to understand concepts. And I would be more concerned with mathematical processes other than simple multiplication. Off the top of my head, I know that 15 X 15 = 225, but if I don’t know how to work that into a Calculus or Algebra question, it doesn’t do me much good. </p>
<p>The higher up you get in math, the worse you get at mental math… it’s a proven fact at my school.</p>
<p>I understand how you feel. The truth is, in the U.S., the way math is taught in K-12 (and to a lesser extent in some public university courses) makes it easier for people who aren’t “good” at math to think that they are, simply because the course itself is extremely easy (the use of calculators basically results in brain deterioration as people forget how to do simple calculations like 7x6). But once they reach a higher level course, reality hits and they find themselves struggling to make the A minuses they’re used to making (I say A minus because the students who are “good” at math consistently make A+s). </p>
<p>Also, I find it hard to believe that these “math whizzes” you’re talking about are able to make 100s on every test beyond the Algebra 2 level unless they legitimately have already taken the course. In middle school (or until Geometry), this is believable. </p>
<p>I want to be a math major. When I took the ACT in seventh grade I got 17 on the math section, and when I took the SAT in ninth grade I got 590 on the math section. I was still counting on my fingers in middle school, and I still can’t really do math in my head. I took Algebra I as a freshman. I tried to take the AMC 12 once, but I got nervous, left early, and ended up with a 54. </p>
<p>I’m a senior now, and I’ve been taking six math classes at a local-ish university. I understand linear algebra and abstract algebra (what I’ve seen of it) more than I understood calculus the first time I learned it. There’s probably a point after which I won’t be able to continue because I lack the necessary intelligence, but at this level a lot of studying can make up for not having talent.</p>
<p>I’m generally pretty good at explaining math to other people, and that’s because I have to dumb things down for myself before I can learn them. I don’t study math to boost my ego—I study it to improve my mind. At the end of the day it’s difficult for everyone (if it weren’t we wouldn’t have unsolved math problems). The main problem I have with math is not my lack of talent…it’s my tendency toward procrastinating. If I studied more I’d be a lot better at math, even if I weren’t any smarter.</p>
<p>I feel the same. I’ve never gotten above a B+ in an algebra or calculus course and only got a 660 on the SAT subsection, but I found my niche in Statistics. I still consider myself good at math because of that; just not good at the same aspects.</p>
<p>@guineagirl96 So true.</p>
<p>I’d say being good at math means “You can do anything as long as you have your handy-dandy calculator.”</p>
<p>I got Bs and Cs in almost all my math classes save for calculus II and some independent studies. People say I’m good at math because I’m well ahead of the game, but by that definition I’m just as good as a third-year physics or math major. So in full honesty, one should differentiate between being “good” and “knowing a lot”.</p>
<p>In other words: Being good at math = Knowing a lot of math + Being good at coding.</p>