What's considered being good at Math?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Harvard University
21

<p>I send in my AMC score to yale... and it sucked... I got 111.5</p>

22

<p>I wouldn't consider contest math to be a really good indication of mathematical ability at any rate. One of my friends didn't even qualify for the AIME, twice. He's perfectly happy at MIT right now finishing up his undergrad math degree in three years.</p>

23

<p>Jeez, ubercman, you're pretty irritable... it isn't something you need to get all upset about, or attack hunter over. I'm pretty glad I'm not applying to Harvard if this is how obsessive you guys are.</p>

24

<p>be careful about taking Putnam in high school - you are only allowed to sit for it 4 times. Unless you are someone like like Gabe Carroll who made Putnam Fellow in high school, you may want to save your 4 shots for when you are actually in college and may have more chance of doing reasonably well on it..</p>

25

<p>my friend took it under a pseudoname</p>

26

<p>I'm not extremely irritable. I just like calling people out on their own acts of stupidity.</p>

<p>But to tell the truth, I am more irritable this week than normal, for reasons not related to this board (and not Harvard).</p>

27

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<p>Out of curiosity, why is this? Wouldn't MAA want to <em>encourage</em> young people to take the Putnam exam rather than deter them from it?</p>

28

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<p>I don't actually know, but I'm guessing that it has more to do with older students rather than younger students - you know, the people who drag their undergrad life out for 5 or 6 (or more!) years, taking only a couple of courses each semester or changing their major 10 times. An upper age limit wouldn't work because you don't want to eliminate people who start college late after working or military service. The limit of 4 shots has the undesirable effect of discouraging super-talented high school students, but then the number of high school students who would want to take the Putnam exam is probably infintesimal.</p>

29

<p>win IMO.</p>

<p>easier said than done, but it's that simple.</p>

30

<p>ubercollegeman knows what its all about.</p>

<p>Hunter1985 has no idea what he's saying.</p>

31

<p>Oh, how I love a good hypocrite, always brightens my day:</p>

<p>"And I like how you tried to steer the point away from the argument at hand (that you're clearly losing, by the way) by making a personal attack. Big two thumbs up to you."</p>

<p>Please flash back to your first reply to me:</p>

<p>"As a mathematician, I'm offended someone could even make a statement as ludicrously stupid as that."</p>

<p>and let's not forget:</p>

<p>"I just like calling people out on their own acts of stupidity."</p>

<p>Hmmmmmmm.....</p>

<p>Anywho, thank you julians, I'm glad I'm not the only one in this thread who's still trying to figure out the source of all this anger. </p>

<p>Seriously, I post a joking comment, and I am flamed more than Bill Gates on an Apple board. I really do not know where the anger comes from, or how in any way that's a stupid comment. If you do the impossible, or something, say, grad school level in HS, you have skills. Do you not believe in a challenge or a goal? Would you detest a bio teacher who, say said, "Through this (insert process I have no knowledge of) process, scientists believe they may find breakthoughs in cancer eradication, who knows, maybe one of you will find the answer?" Would you be upset if some incredibly gifted HS senior, with only 1 year bio + in the middle of an advanced class made some breakthrough in cancer research while, say, doing a research project? Would you condemn them for attempting things that were out of their league? Something tells me that cancer victims do not care how, or by whom a cure is found, as long as the solution is discovered.</p>

<p>Also, please do not twist my words by insinuating "my friends" derived a tan series (thereby attempting to ruin my credibility), I said students in years past- as told to our class by my math teacher; he's a very honest guy, so I believe him. </p>

<p>I'm not saying everybody has done it or must do it to be considered "good," I'm saying that some HS students (again, a few out of thousands) have done it, so, yes, they are incredibly brilliant. </p>

<p>The Newton quote was in response to your comment that by challenging people to think a different level, it is somehow equivlient to insulting past mathematicians, when in reality the reason we can solve such things (and methods used in solutions) derive from their work. </p>

<p>Now, I am no way making an affirmation, but I'm wondering if you would also have a grudge against child prodigies. Because you seem to be adament that there is an accepted level/age in which one should be allowed to solve certain problems. And you seem to get uppity when people go against these standards, so since early development and innate knowledge seem to be intrinsic to child prodegies or any exceptionally advanced student, would you bear some kind of grudge against them? </p>

<p>Well, that's my piece. I can elaborate, but all I did was post something I thought was challenging, and would, if solved, demonstrate at least some level of "goodness" in regards to math, which was the question posed at the start of the thread. It was just for fun, and I seriously don't know why you got so angry- there were no malicious intents, and, as what I posted has been discussed/posed in a CC Calc class, they are in some way relavent to HS seniors about to enter college. Sorry, but there was no "owning" (the correct expression, for the 1337, is p\/\/z0'rD), because there is no definative answer, as both of our mathematical experiences have been different. Based on my experience, my statement seemed perfectally legitimate, and just because your experiences have been different, mine are not invalidated. </p>

<p>/rant</p>