<p>Because, by the reflexive property, there are too many properties.</p>
<p>Because with math is an intangible subject. Most people can't see anything real with it, so as a result, they find it boring and useless. With engineering, you think of computers, bridges, robots, space shuttles, airplanes, engines, etc. and that's all cool. Math simply does not have the same effect.</p>
<p>Because math is boring (and i'm good at math)</p>
<p>It's just weird and once you get past geometry, none of it is even real anymore.... </p>
<p>like trig identies? who the hell is ever going to walk up to you and ask you to find the cosecant of something?</p>
<p>I personally found geometry one of the most useless classes ever. Why can't we just learn the stuff on the ACT and SAT and get on with it. Proofs are pointless and time consuming.</p>
<p>
[quote]
To be good at writing you must be creative; to be good at math, you dont.
[/quote]
**SOME **math does not need creativity, at least SAT math doesn't. Unfortunately, the math examined today in HS level does not require creativity. HOWEVER, math does entail tons of creativity, and simply cuz some are not familiar with it, they shouldn't condemn a subject without carefully examining whether what they say is actually valid or not.</p>
<p>A lot of it has to do with how math is taught. Many people not going into the science/engineering fields think of math as something they will need for the basic parts of their life. Others going into science / eng. will crave mathematics. The education system dishes out a standard one size fits all approach to mathematics for most students. Granted there is some merit in this approach because teens don't really now what they are going to do.</p>
<p>Part of it is to blame with young scientists/mathematicians. Of course it's fun sometimes to completely baffle people with tons of abstract ideas and esoteric vocabulary. However this turns of many people from mathematics. As Feynman emphasized, it is your responsibility to sort of bend over backwards in explaining something to the layperson so that they can understand and make an informed decision. To do otherwise indicates that you feel that science/mathematics is a privileged piece of knowledge that you are entitled to, when it belongs to everyone. If you can't explain an idea to a layperson, you don't really understand the subject matter too well yourself. </p>
<p>Finally, I have to argue that mathematics requires significant creativity. Mathematics is written in books, yes, but you can discover it yourself. Another example, Feynman had tremendous joy playing with series, and taylor series in particular. He looked at the nth derivative of various functions, and constructed a definition for the half derivative in high school that turned out t o be right. Too many students see mathematics as something they have to learn simply to pass exams and up their GPA. There is so much mathematics that can be investigated afresh by even a teenager just by a little thought.</p>
<p>Mathematics is the language of the sciences because it can describe and predict things we cannot even begin to imagine. All that is needed to learn this language is the willingness to let go of one's prejudices.</p>
<p>The thing is - even IF people had the option to pursue math in fun, interesting, and creative ways - what is to motivate them to do math in fun, interesting, and creative ways over playing computer games? Computer games can be challenging and interesting - AND they provide constant feedback and stimulation. They're ways to perpetually stimulate dopamine levels, so to speak.</p>
<p>(I use computer games as a primary example since they seem to be one of the primary distractions of talented young mathematicians).</p>
<p>Finally, let's not completely discount intelligence. Our brains did not evolve to do math. Our brains evolved to live in a social environment where food had to be obtained through creative ways. Most people probably are not intelligent enough to really understand math at a deep level. Yes, teaching practices are also to blame. And they are the ones that are more correctable. But even though expectations of positive outcomes DO help in learning math, they still don't change the fact that most people will probably never be able to survive a course in theoretical mathematics. Proofs ARE difficult to conceptually grasp - and they require one to grasp several concepts and steps at once.</p>
<p>And do people really enjoy being creative? In some ways, they may enjoy it. But while you can try different approaches in solving the same problem (without consulting anyone or anything) - the fact is that all of those approaches have probably been tried at some point in the past - and there is going to be no recognition of that. People WANT to be recognized for their creative deeds - and mathematics isn't the easiest way to express oneself creatively.</p>
<p>i don't like math.. because its boring and i don't like homework</p>
<p>math seems interesting to me, but the way i've been taught it bores me to tears. i really like solving puzzles and so on (i do logic puzzles, sudoku, etc for fun) but the way it is taught and the way i learn are at odds. i've always been much better with language-type things than math, in any case...i don't know.</p>
<p>I don't like math. I've never had a good teacher, the homework seems redundant.<br>
Half the time, it's because when I don't understand something I have nobody to explain it to me. I have a habit of asking "why?" but my teachers don't like to answer. They want me to just do it. But I have trouble solving problems if I don't know what the logic behind it is.
The other half of the time, it just seems unnecessary and useless. How is trigonometry useful in life? What does solving quadratic equations teach me about the world that can help me in the future? Where is the individuality and creativity in finding the angles of a triangle? </p>
<p>I understand that there may be practical uses of this in scientific fields, but I identify more with the knowledge I gain through history, psychology, and literature. To some extent, it really is just personal taste. </p>
<p>The only type of math I like are puzzles, word problems and proofs.</p>
<p>I have always loved math especially Calculus. The only subject I hated was Geometry, personally I don't give a damn about proofs. It seemed pretty pointless. Apart from that everything else is fun. One day in Calculus after HW I derived the quadratic formula by myself so I guess that gives an idea of how much I like it. Most people just hate it because they suck at it and teachers teach it badly. I remeber sitting in my Calc class my teacher would say something I would understand but the rest of the class would be like ***?</p>
<p>Proofs are fun.
I love factoring. I could do it all day and not get bored.
I'm good at math, I guess. I just don't really like it. </p>
<p>Oh....sorry, the question was why don't I like it? I don't like it because it seems like it has no purpose in itself. I like science better where you can actually apply the math.</p>
<p>Hm - it seems that a lot of us have some classical exercises that we enjoy when we do math by ourselves. One is deriving the quadratic formula (I found it very difficult in 8th, easy in 10th when I took calculus - though I was exposed to it in 8th) - another is proving obscure trigonometric identities that are in the form of sin(a) + sin(b). They're not particularly difficult and don't need much instruction beyond what we're expected. I also found proving some calculus identities later on pretty fun (though those proofs are far less rigorous than Rudin). </p>
<p>==</p>
<h1>It's so easy to sacrifice depth for breadth these days. There just is so much to do.</h1>
<p>I wish I had more time to self-study math. I was planning on some massive period of self-study in the last few years - but I've always been partial to science and I recently found a whole swarth of interesting cognitive science books. But now I just don't know what direction I have to choose - since it would take a LONG time to get a firm foundation on all the major branches of mathematics.</p>
<p>You know - a culture of cooperative problem solving where the average person isn't EXTREMELY smart is the type of culture that would promote interest in math.</p>
<p>I always investigate the math threads in the HeavenGames forums since there are a few people there who are awesome at math - but there's also room for people like me to help (I only go there for the occasional math thread now - I've been attached to that site since I was 11). Today I just learned of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambert's_W_function">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambert's_W_function</a> . Artofproblemsolving is too depressing. :p Well, if I started math earlier, then it probably wouldn't be so.</p>
<p>I think it's a toss up. It seems like Math more than any other subject lives and dies by the teacher. With Math, you need a good TEACHER, not someone who happens to understand the material.</p>
<p>Most of my math teachers have seemed like they "get" Math, but they don't really know how to teach Math.</p>
<p>I think teachers jump into teaching formulas and how to calculate what and when instead of giving people a feel for the subject first. Because all Math really does is manipulate time, space, and quantity. If more students were given the chance to put Math in a specific context, they might understand it better...</p>
<p>And don't even get me started on how the more advanced you get, the more Math turns into letters than numbers.</p>
<p>The only subject where good teaching matters more than it does in math is in philosophy. </p>
<p>Why is it that philosophy and math are considered to be the two most difficult majors? Because of the hard logic involved in both.</p>
<p>I don't think Math depends at all on having a good teacher. At some point you have to realize that nothing is going to be spoon fed to you. To get good at math, you have to get some good books, and start working your way up. </p>
<p>I would not consider what most high schoolers learn in the classroom to be real mathematics, more just a set of courses in computation with a shadowing of real math. </p>
<p>Of course the problems for homework are not going to be enlightening, the government wants you to be able to compute, and is not trying to train everyone to have such a deep knowledge of mathematics that we can all appreciate it. </p>
<p>Bottom line, I don't think most people actually hate/dislike math on CC because most people on CC don't really know what math is.</p>
<p>Most people do not like math because it requires a high intellect to get anywhere with it. Most people do not have a high intellect, so naturally, they don't like it.</p>
<p>The thing is - real math isn't even taught in schools because it is too conceptually difficult for the majority of the American populace to handle. Most of us do regard Algebra II, Geometry, Algebra I, etc as easy and trivial - yet - the majority of the American populace does have some trouble with those subjects.</p>
<p>Actually, my Algebra/Geometry textbooks do have some challenging and interesting problems in them - and they do prove a lot of the theorems. It's just that teachers never expect us to solve the harder problems or to prove any of the theorems</p>
<p>Shravas,
DS says he learned to derive it in 5th grade in algebra. Even DS2 (who says "Math is the work of the devil ;)") says he learned it this year (9th) in Alg II w/Analysis. Are you saying you guys haven't learned it?</p>