I am not good at math. Does it mean I'm stupid?

[Booster]

This question might seem queer. But it has been bugging me for quite some time. I mean, when you think clever, you think of whom? Einstein, etc. Those people had mastered 'the science of all sciences' - mathematics.
I had been a good friend of the major science up until about the fifth grade. After basic arithmetics, things went downhill for me. Physics and Chemistry that are also largerly based on math have remained a complete mystery to me so far.
I can't tell how much this deficiency has crippled my career, ways of thinking etc. For example, I started to work in accounting, but being unable to wield numbers had to retreat to other means of earning a living.
The thing is, I can't persuade myself that numbers are important and mean something. To my inner self they are nothing, really.
But when I see a complex formula I feel awkward. During these moments I think of taking a math course. What if my deficiency is nothing but a bad initial math teacher at school?
How do you think, what should I do about this?

 

[DotheDamnTHing]

not everyone is good at math

 

[Semidevil]

think of all the professors at your school....history, philosophy, english, political science, all the majors that are not science related.....I bet they are very smart people being able to obtain a ph.D and teach at college level.

Your just probably more of a liberal arts person...no biggie....

 

[notfred]

I'd say that not being good at math doesn't neccessarily make you stupid, but if you can't understand the equation of a line, then, well, I mean... it's not that hard.

 

[her209]

Turn your man card in here --->

 

[axelfox]

clever does not equate to smart.

 

[lokiju]

Well I'm similar there, my very last math class I took on the last day was a final test and the teacher said "you can get the best score possible and still won't pass" so I wrote my name on the test and walked out.

I've never been good at math but also loved science and always had A's for the most part also, though I never did get into anything overly heavy.

I don't think that being bad at math equals being stupid by any means, I've managed a successful career in the IT world and have done just fine without being able to figure out complex math equations in my head.

 

[SelArom]

there's two ways of looking at math: you can see it as being just numbers, or you can see it more abstractly. Anybody can learn the steps involved in solving a math problem and mimmic them on an exam to get the correct answer. but it takes a higher level of thinking to actually understand what you are doing to it and why you are allowed to do it and why it works. Once you can do that, you can apply that knowledge (not technique) to any similar problem, AND use build upon it to learn something even more complicated.

And yes, you probably did have bad math teachers who just worked out problems on the board and taught you "shortcuts" to get the right answer instead of actually opening your mind to higher level thinking.

It's no coincidence the smarter people in history have excelled in math. It's not because they were just "smart" (all though prodigies to occur). They learned to open their mind to a new way of thinking, allowing them to see things from different points of view.

The first thing you have to do to improve your math skills is set aside your disdain for it. Nobody will learn something they hate doing. Then, PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.

-SelArom

 

[Booster]

Damn. I still have nightmares of not passing a math test. And I'm almost 3 years out of college!

 

[Cawchy87]

I think math skills are part of being "smart" but not the be-all end-all of who is smart and who isn't.

 

[PlatinumGold]

bad at math = not smart or badly taught.

math is just an expression of logic.

 

[Twista]

<--math = my worse subject

maybe english class after that.. ok

that said, well im overly dumb.

 

[Booster]

'math is just an expression of logic. '
This I was afraid to hear.

 

[jadinolf]

Yep. It means you're stupid.

 

[her209]

Originally posted by: Cawchy87
I think math skills are part of being "smart" but not the be-all end-all of who is smart and who isn't.

But you would say that the person who was good in math plus something else is smarter than the person who is only good in math.

 

[PlatinumGold]

i'm not one that criticizes the US educational system, matter of fact, overall i think it is one of the best in the world.

but i do believe that many if not most math teachers in the US are bad teachers. i can remember when i was in math classes even in middle school, teachers always made such a big deal about how hard math was, how hard the metric system was etc.

 

[Booster]

Yep. It means you're stupid.

Crap

 

[sao123]

without math, you are doomed to hell. only those who worship math can achieve true eternal reward.

 

[Spamela]

relax, you could be like the Piraha.

 

[tm37]

Originally posted by: Booster

Yep. It means you're stupid.

Crap

lucky for you McDonald's now has automatic change machines

 

[Cawchy87]

Originally posted by: her209

Originally posted by: Cawchy87
I think math skills are part of being "smart" but not the be-all end-all of who is smart and who isn't.

But you would say that the person who was good in math plus something else is smarter than the person who is only good in math.

Yes, unless that person that was good at math happend to be a physicist. The way they think is off the charts.

 

[DaWhim]

if any of your math teachers tell you math is fun or try to make it fun, he/she shouldn't be teaching math.

 

[DaveSimmons]

If you wanted to try again, what you should do is back up to the point where you understood things and felt comfortable with solving the problems, no matter how far back you have to go.

You might get a used textbook at that level from Amazon used sellers, then get one for the next level after that. You might find that if you really understand algebra then the first part of calculus makes a lot more sense than the last time you tried.

And not being "smart" can just mean you're "normal' not stupid. You might also find that your analytical skills are weak but that you can be creative instead.

Many artists, poets, writers and musicians aren't good at math but I can still admire their talent and enjoy their work.

 

[SelArom]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
If you wanted to try again, what you should do is back up to the point where you understood things and felt comfortable with solving the problems, no matter how far back you have to go.

You might get a used textbook at that level from Amazon used sellers, then get one for the next level after that. You might find that if you really understand algebra then the first part of calculus makes a lot more sense than the last time you tried.

And not being "smart" can just mean you're "normal' not stupid. You might also find that your analytical skills are weak but that you can be creative instead.

Many artists, poets, writers and musicians aren't good at math but I can still admire their talent and enjoy their work.

yes, textbooks are an excellent way to get started. Also, I reccomend Algebra the Easy Way, Triginometry the easy way, and Calculus the Easy WAy, all by Dr Downing. EXCELLENT books that help you UNDERSTAND those concept using things you can VISUALIZE.

-SelArom

 

[DangerAardvark]

The problem is in the teaching, a lot of the time. For example, I really didn't understand how functions and graphs, and the weird equations all fit together until taking a college calculus course. In high school they focused on the process, but not the theory. Memorization instead of understanding.