What do you Kiwis think about math as a whole?
Do you guys like it or not?
Do you guys like it or not?
I’m studying calculus and physics for the first time. - And, admittedly I never took a lot of math classes when I was in university.
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Never use it lol
It's very important for all kinds of things. There are so many things you can do with math nowadays, even with just little. Just don't get demotivated by not getting something for the first time. If you have math related questions, I will try to help out, with the little that I know.
You need calculus to really get physics, but it kinda sucks in its own right. Fuck memorizing integrals.
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Study statistics. It changes how you think.
Where are you studying it?
Just self-teaching at the moment. Hopefully when the libraries open back up, I’ll do more of it there.
What kind of statistics if you don’t mind me asking?
Calculus was my most difficult class this past school year. I honestly cannot wait to start year 2 and finally finish math hell for my Computer Science degree. Just need to finish Discrete Structures, Calculus 3, and the apparently easy Statistics.
Personally, math can be fun, but it can also be infuriating. I think tests are the real killer though, homework and other things were fun to do, but tests also seemed to go wrong.
Personally, math can be fun, but it can also be infuriating. I think tests are the real killer though, homework and other things were fun to do, but tests also seemed to go wrong.
Math makes me cry despite it being useful.
Calculus was the second most difficult class I ever took in High School, being topped only by Physics. I had to go in every day after class to get help because I just didn't get it. Physics felt very abstract to me also, even though I tend to be more of an abstract thinker. I eventually sorta understood them, well enough to pass certainly, but that was many years ago. I don't have much of a math brain to begin with. Good on you for learning
Unless you are actually using it for something like physics or engineering, what studying mathematics will really teach you is how to reason in the most true and honest sense. Learning how to construct the natural numbers will be infinitely more valuable to most people than "learning" calculus.
Learning math is nothing like taking a math class in school, schools are designed to create the illusion of learning rather than actual learning. That's why so many people have trouble with 0.999... = 1, even though they took "algebra" in highschool, because they never actually learned the real numbers (Cauchy sequences), but only how to answer the questions on the homework and tests. Education is the biggest racket in the Universe.
Learning math is nothing like taking a math class in school, schools are designed to create the illusion of learning rather than actual learning. That's why so many people have trouble with 0.999... = 1, even though they took "algebra" in highschool, because they never actually learned the real numbers (Cauchy sequences), but only how to answer the questions on the homework and tests. Education is the biggest racket in the Universe.
Like what websites or resources I mean? I've always kinda had an interest in physics
The person whom you're replying to might have a different answer, but I'd recommend combinatorics. It really is a new way of thinking. Probability theory in general is quite the mind-bender, but in a good way.
Normal statistics I suppose? I specified my degree in Econometrics when I was back in college, but as long as you know the fundamentals (Means, medians, modes; normal/bimodal/non-linear distributions; standard deviation, variance, and 95% conf intervals; a fundamental understanding of regression models and testing/interpretation biases) you’ll be fine.
I’m really glad that I took as many stats classes as I did, because, it teaches you which questions to ask. Such as corona virus. You know all the deaths that Coronas been causing right? Well once you look into the statistics you see a very different picture of the world. The vast majority of deaths come from nursing homes. Amongst the general population the death rate from corona is 99.8%, and amongst my age demographic those deaths primarily comes the morbidly obese (read: death fats) and the autoimmune compromised. Those are two demographics who already know who they are. Once you correct for the population that is under the age of 60, not morbidly obese, and does not have a known autoimmune system healthy problem, the death rate drops to around 99.98%. Furthermore, there is a testing bias with corona test kits. They were only testing individuals who are already displaying symptoms of corona, until very recently the only reason you’d get tested is if you had symptoms in line with covid. That means there was a testing bias that was driving the number of positives up. Additionally, they weren’t counting people who died WITH corona the same as people who died DUE to corona. As in if you died from a heart attack, it doesn’t matter if you would’ve had that heart attack anyways in an alternate universe bc you ate a burger and smoked a pack every day for 20 years, you’d be counted as a corona casualty
anyways, to wrap up my autistically long rant - studying statistics just gets you to ask the questions you need to better understand the world. You start thinking in terms of normal distributions and standard deviations from the norm once you study it in depth. I suggest getting a cheap college text book online and watching YouTube channels. There’s this one I like called “Stat Quest”. I guarantee you it’ll make you a better person
