Math phobia, why?

[Little Linguist]

I hate math because it did not come easily to me.

Because I have a lack of patience, I tend to give up the ghost on things I don't automatically do well and enjoy. Like, it's a waste of effort and energy to invest in things I don't do well - to express this in math, let me say:

If I have a cost of 1 and a benefit of 10, I think this is cool shit. But if I have a cost of 10 and a benefit of 1, that blows. And well, math was always a 10:1 cost:benefit ratio.

 

[Prototype]

I find it extremely boring!... And the shapes I see get in the way!

 

[booyalab]

because 7 8 9

 

[FC3S]

Math has never bothered me.

 

[ygolo]

True, but unless you're already a master at it, it is very difficult and takes a lot of time.

I don't think you have to have mastered Linear algebra for it to make things easier, just know some of the techniques. I never mastered it.

What I am alluding to is that the Linear algebra techniques make things easier. If you try to solve a common linear algebra problem without the techniques, it will take an awful lot of time.

I do agree that a good math teacher helps a lot. I've had crappy ones all my life, which is probably a big part of the reason I'm not good in maths (I excel in maths compared to 99.99% of humankind, but I still consider my level to be too low for me).

Well then, I suppose it is a mater of standards and expectations. If you believe you are 1 in ten thousand in terms of math skill, but still feel not good enough at it, how good would you want to be?

I hate math because it did not come easily to me.

Because I have a lack of patience, I tend to give up the ghost on things I don't automatically do well and enjoy. Like, it's a waste of effort and energy to invest in things I don't do well - to express this in math, let me say:

If I have a cost of 1 and a benefit of 10, I think this is cool shit. But if I have a cost of 10 and a benefit of 1, that blows. And well, math was always a 10:1 cost:benefit ratio.

Nothing has ever come easily to me...math included. I suppose it is a matter of what one naturally enjoys.

As far as benefit, those who do better at math, on average, make more money. I believe, there was also a paper saying that those with mathematical skill have a tendency to make more money in entrepreneurship than when working for someone else.

I find it extremely boring!... And the shapes I see get in the way!

Shapes? There was a genius who pictured numbers as shapes. There was a documentary on TV about him.

 

[Prototype]

Shapes? There was a genius who pictured numbers as shapes. There was a documentary on TV about him.

 

[Alwar]

I always associated mathematics with the environment in which is was taught--sterile looking cement cell rooms, rows of students wearing the same uniform. Then there is the endless drill and skill without any mention of the wonderful conceptual stuff that comes later. For me it took several years after school before I would even read a book because I associated learning with rote factoid memorization and parroting instead of understanding. I have heard this same scenario from others over and over again.

Am currently in the process of relearning basic math and pre-algebra because it became obvious that the lack of mathematical knowledge was (is) holding me back from understanding a lot of things that I want to learn, not to mention how it can streamline thought process and save time. If you like to think and never had the chance to really learn mathematics you ought to try again on your own, many of these subjects are quite rich and beautiful despite what you may have experienced in school.

Fear of mathematics is very common, here is a wikipedia article about it:

Mathematical anxiety - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[BlueScreen]

I see a few of each type struggle with math, while others find it almost innate. I wonder if math ability it is at all type related. You'd think it should be.

 

[Shaula]

Are you afraid of crunching numbers, or symbols?
Yes.

Are you intimidated when you see matrices or differential or integrals?
Yes.

Are you intimidated by any sort of math? If so, why?
Mostly all of it. High school math gives me headaches. I can't give correct change from the till and I still count on my fingers.

I would just like to know. Why the math phobia?
Because I fail. I don't understand math.

 

[mrgorbachev]

Why do people always seem to conflate being afraid of math and not liking math? I don't tremble when I see a number, I just sigh and wish I could be doing something else, though I will admit that I enjoyed trigonometry and algebra somewhat. But if I ever see another geometry problem I am going to choke someone.

 

[songofcalamity]

When I was younger, I was good in Mathematics and pretty much like it, but when I hit 12, my laziness got the better of me, and well, I literally didn't listen in class and didn't attempted to do any homework. Over the course of few years of complete neglect towards Mathematics, my A* became an F and because of it, I really disliked Mathematics, I couldn't see how it work. The teacher was teaching us more complex stuff, and I didn't understand Algebra and friends, because my foundation in Algebra was really weak and non-existent and everything then was Algebra Algebra and Algebra. So I gave up on Math.

Now, because my BIGGG examination is coming, this examination will determine where I go and my future, and in my country, failing Mathematics = no future, I am busy studying and learning Mathematics and Higher Mathematics (actually now I realized how fun Higher Mathematics is, esp. Logarithms - Only it sucks that I realized it a little too late) and doing Maths is fun!

To me, trigonometric identities is a still a novelty though. Oh, and Algebra is my friend now!

 

[metaphours]

When I was younger, I was good in Mathematics and pretty much like it, but when I hit 12, my laziness got the better of me, and well, I literally didn't listen in class and didn't attempted to do any homework. Over the course of few years of complete neglect towards Mathematics, my A* became an F and because of it, I really disliked Mathematics, I couldn't see how it work. The teacher was teaching us more complex stuff, and I didn't understand Algebra and friends, because my foundation in Algebra was really weak and non-existent and everything then was Algebra Algebra and Algebra. So I gave up on Math.

Now, because my BIGGG examination is coming, this examination will determine where I go and my future, and in my country, failing Mathematics = no future, I am busy studying and learning Mathematics and Higher Mathematics (actually now I realized how fun Higher Mathematics is, esp. Logarithms - Only it sucks that I realized it a little too late) and doing Maths is fun!

To me, trigonometric identities is a still a novelty though. Oh, and Algebra is my friend now!

I know exactly how you feel, bruv. This is my life exactly. 'Cept I've never been good at math and never will. Hahahah.

 

[Habba]

This thread is little bit too long to read, so I just drop my thoughts here regarding OP.

I'm studying Computers Sciences in university right now, and math studies are important part of it. And I don't like math at this level at all, for many reasons.

- The math teacher is probably the most boring and nerdy person there is. His total ignorance of the current social atmosphere would be amusing, if it wouldn't be ruining the whole class. Most of the time I can't hear what's he's mumbling, and the rest of the time I wish I wouldn't need to listen his "less interesting than pile of rocks"-tone of voice. I get strong vibes that he's a psychopath.

- Math is old-fashioned. Like I said, I study computer sciences. It's a science of which foundations are constantly changing. At any given moment, one trend can swipe across the field, and change practically everything you know. Core of the math hasn't changed much in the past two thousand years. And it shows, as the logics of mathematics are layers upon layers upon layers to the infinite. One bad example of this are the symbols used. Once during a lecture we were introduced to the set theory, and shown how unions, complements and such work. One simple task included at least 18 different non-numeric symbols! 18! That's a ridiculous amount to remember, especially when the symbols were unintuitive and uncommon. In Computer Science anything like that would be instantly discarded as being too complex and hard to manage. Simplicity is ingenuity.

- Advanced math has little, if any, common applications. I have studied few courses of math at university, and don't recall a single moment of my life after that in which I would have used the things I had learned there. Not many persons are willing to learn stuff they won't be needing.

 

[ygolo]

In Computer Science anything like that would be instantly discarded as being too complex and hard to manage.

Wait till you take Database Theory, Complier Theory, or the Theory of Computing. Abstraction is a basic skill needed for computer Scientists.

UML is another thing with a lot of symbols to remember. There are also countless numbers of computer languages and file formats to remember.

If you have trouble with 18 symbols, you will have trouble using API's in computer science, because they will have countless hooks that need to be remembered or looked up each time a hook is used.

- Advanced math has little, if any, common applications. I have studied few courses of math at university, and don't recall a single moment of my life after that in which I would have used the things I had learned there. Not many persons are willing to learn stuff they won't be needing.

Like I've said many times before, you have to TRY to apply something for it to be apply. Math unfortunately required more imagination and creativity for it's application than most people can muster.

Name a subject in math you believe is useless for a particular field, and I wager, without much digging, we can find an application. It just requires imagination.

Math is by far the most widely applied subject in history.

 

[LostInNerSpace]

Math unfortunately required more imagination and creativity for it's application than most people can muster.

I don't buy it. People just need a solid foundation to start from. Like most people I was taught to fear math as a child. I feel robbed of that experience. Now I have a lot of catching up to do. It just needs to be taught properly.

 

[ygolo]

I don't buy it. People just need a solid foundation to start from. Like most people I was taught to fear math as a child. I feel robbed of that experience. Now I have a lot of catching up to do. It just needs to be taught properly.

I believe everything can be learned given the proper training program...including imagination in math application.

 

[wren]

I've always had a math phobia. I only noticed it when I had a question about a problem, then blam! the phobia came to the front of my existence. Then I started equating my failure in math with problems in every academic subject that came my way, even those I might have not felt phobic about.

When I was about 30 I heard of parents who played math games with their kids. They played how many and how much equals this and that. I heard families played math facts and math family games. They also used rote memorization tactics to help their children learn basic facts. All good.

I never felt animosity towards the subject of math, I felt frustration. Why wasn't I catching on?! Is this rocket science fgs?! No, it's not rocket science was my answer to my myself.

Still I don't get how it's so hard to reach kids who have limited discipline in their lives and I wonder what teachers need to do to make the subject engaging and meaningful. Even if they could explain steps of math more coherently or tell how problems of math relate to one another and other subjects, like physics, I would like that.

Is math an invented science or a natural order?

 

[INTJ123]

I've always had a math phobia. I only noticed it when I had a question about a problem, then blam! the phobia came to the front of my existence. Then I started equating my failure in math with problems in every academic subject that came my way, even those I might have not felt phobic about.

When I was about 30 I heard of parents who played math games with their kids. They played how many and how much equals this and that. I heard families played math facts and math family games. They also used rote memorization tactics to help their children learn basic facts. All good.

I never felt animosity towards the subject of math, I felt frustration. Why wasn't I catching on?! Is this rocket science fgs?! No, it's not rocket science was my answer to my myself.

Still I don't get how it's so hard to reach kids who have limited discipline in their lives and I wonder what teachers need to do to make the subject engaging and meaningful. Even if they could explain steps of math more coherently or tell how problems of math relate to one another and other subjects, like physics, I would like that.

Is math an invented science or a natural order?

Maybe you just realized math was the piece of crap that it is in an early age.
Well maybe I was a bit cynical there.

I forgot the name but there are new visual ways of learning math.

I don't think this is the exact thing but similar. Supposedly this new method has gotten people who are like you, to excel in math.
New Way Of Teaching Math Comes From Singapore - wcco.com

 

[yenom]

Math is just manipulating information. People who suck at math cares about getting the right answer too much. Its the process that counts. All it takes is practice, practice and more pracitice, kind of like swimming.

 

[hommefatal]

I love numbers and calculation. But it when it becomes too abstract, difficult, and protracted I lose interest. Geometry sucks anyway.