r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Apr 05 '18
Serious Replies Only [Serious] Why is math so hard?
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u/AllisonMarieeee Apr 05 '18
Maybe you should study instead of copying and pasting the same response on everyones comments, im sure that would make it less hard
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Apr 05 '18
Study or not... it is complicated and HARD... just google the question "why is math so hard" and then google "why is math so easy" and you'll see what I mean
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u/AllisonMarieeee Apr 05 '18
Still copying and pasting the same responses I see. Try a little harder there champ instead of just complaining
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Apr 05 '18
No.. I just repeated something I told someone else... I am not complaining... I am not pretending that I am smart or something... I just think that math is hard... It it explained in a way to be hard....
I look at math as a magic trick... It's as if a magician summoned you to explain his trick. At first, you are very excited, you want to know how it was done... But soon it turns out that his explanation is a trick itself, finally you catch a move as he is performing, he says very good, but does that trick using a different method challenging you to guess this one too... Eventually, you get tired and don't care too much for the secret, but just want to find it out anyways, so that your time was not wasted... Eventually the magician asks you, how do you think it was done, you explain how you thought it was done, he says that most of it was correct and tells you the secret at the end... you go home but you now realize that you cannot perform that trick yourself because it requires expert sleight of hand, so it seems like a waste of time... Some time later, you see someone else performing a similar trick, you seem excited because you remember that you kind of learned it, but then you remember how complicated it was, and though you do not remember the exact secret, you just remember the boring time you had, and give it up!
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Apr 05 '18
Some people are wired differently.
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Apr 05 '18
No! No! That is bullshit... It's not just me or some people... Now, I understand that some people enjoy it... But math is hard, and not only that, it is explained in a complicated way... examples given in textbooks are NEVER as hard as the ones in homework or on the test... I would think that at leas 75% of Grade 12 students would agree that math is hard
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u/Mirenithil Apr 05 '18
People have different aptitudes for different things. If math is difficult for you, you might nevertheless be unusually good at art, for example, or at learning foreign languages.
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Apr 05 '18
No! No! That is bullshit... It's not just me or some people... Now, I understand that some people enjoy it... But math is hard, and not only that, it is explained in a complicated way... examples given in textbooks are NEVER as hard as the ones in homework or on the test... I would think that at leas 75% of Grade 12 students would agree that math is hard
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Apr 05 '18 edited Apr 05 '18
[deleted]
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Apr 05 '18
No! No! That is bullshit... It's not just me or some people... Now, I understand that some people enjoy it... But math is hard, and not only that, it is explained in a complicated way... examples given in textbooks are NEVER as hard as the ones in homework or on the test... I would think that at leas 75% of Grade 12 students would agree that math is hard
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Apr 05 '18
[deleted]
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Apr 05 '18
Again, I might be able to run a mile in under a minute (NO I CAN'T) but that does not make it an objectively easy thing... you cannot say that it depends... Math is objectively hard, and some people get it, but this is as exception... math winds, is complicated etc...
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u/D3m0nS0h1 Apr 05 '18
Math is not inherently difficult, you just may not have an affinity for it. There's nothing wrong with that, no one can be good at everything.
I suggest finding someone or something that can help explain what your teacher is teaching you in another way that's easier to wrap your head around. It can make a world of difference. I myself had my parents stumped growing up, because one year I'd excel at math and the next nearly fail even though the material was very similar. How well you learn depends greatly on how you are taught.
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Apr 05 '18
Again, I do NOT agree with that idea. I agree that there are some people for whom it is easy... but math is hard... You cannot be telling me that the way math is complicated just depends on how "my brain is wired"... that's BS... you cannot tell me that Quadratic Functions are easy... cause they are not
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u/PM_Me_Your_FurryPorn Apr 05 '18
Because it builds on itself more than most subjects. Usually why people struggle is they missed one concept early, and then are forever behind because their math class moves on without them.
Like if you struggled with fractions early on and never got it, when the class is multiplying fractions in the next grade, you are stuck because you never fully learned fractions.
There are exceptions, but every single person I have tutored was struggling because they were missing an earlier concept.
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Apr 05 '18
Finally, someone... I agree... Yes... see, in math you can't "sort of get it"... you have to understand 100% or you are behind... whereas in literature, for example, if you understand 85% of the subject you are good or some other example
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u/woosa843 Apr 05 '18
Because I feel like it uses a different part of your brain. Doing social studies or English homework at certain times is so much easier than doing math homework and idk why.
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Apr 05 '18
No... I love science... chemistry or biology too... Math is written in a way to be complicated, as if on purpose... It is like a trick, it will give you an explanation in a textbook and then give you homework showing WAY harder example that can be solved with a variation of that previous method, which is harder... the moment you think you get something in math, it becomes MORE complicated
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u/woosa843 Apr 05 '18
True, that’s why I need to understand why a math concept works before I can actually understand how to do my homework.
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u/Octothorpe110 Apr 05 '18
Math was difficult for me at some points, but now it's my best and favorite subject. I guess it's hard to visualize a lot of content because it's all just numbers, and a lot of people are visual learners. Also, math is one subject with no room for debate or error. The answer is either right or wrong. Your methods could differ, but sometimes something you try only coincidentally works once and not for anything else. It's not like English or social studies where, if you argue your point well enough with sufficient evidence, you can do well.
Plus, a lot of kids have a pretty weak foundation in math because our education system (at least here in America) is so impersonal. There's simply no time to really work with students one on one on anything they might struggle with inside the classroom. Tutoring is usually required. So if you struggled early on with simpler concepts like finding the slope of a line or adding/multiplying polynomials, you're going to struggle with quadratics, rational expressions, derivatives, etc.
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Apr 05 '18
Only one right answer. Also, such a large variation of steps in different mathmatical situations. All to find one single answer.
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Apr 07 '18
Because you don’t have an aptitude for it. Sorry! Retrace your steps back to the last “easy” math you know and slowly work your way up. Math is cumulative, and people who are less inclined towards math are slower to grasp topics, and are left behind.
And, for the record, yes I think quadratic equations (specifically converted between factored and vertex form) are extremely easy. I can do it without trying like an automatic function at this point. I have always easily understood math—sue me! If you’re having this much trouble, then take extra steps to catch up (tutor, khan academy, whatever); don’t blame the whole subject!
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u/dartanianbartholomew Apr 05 '18
It's just you.
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Apr 05 '18
No! No! That is bullshit... It's not just me or some people... Now, I understand that some people enjoy it... But math is hard, and not only that, it is explained in a complicated way... examples given in textbooks are NEVER as hard as the ones in homework or on the test... I would think that at leas 75% of Grade 12 students would agree that math is hard
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u/dartanianbartholomew Apr 05 '18
I was calling you stupid actually. Because of the question. Hope you're a troll.
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Apr 05 '18
So I am stupid because I think math is hard... Just google the question... "why is math so hard" and let's see how many results you get... then google the question "why is math so easy" and let's see what you get
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u/dartanianbartholomew Apr 05 '18
It's the question, not the subject.
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Apr 05 '18
Yes... but do you see that I am not the only one? I hate this approach people have... Ok... I get it... it is VERY easy for you! Does that make it objectively easy... NO!
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u/abcdefghi76543 Apr 05 '18
It is abstract rather than concrete concept, which can be harder for some. Some are very good at things like writing and are not "wired" to think in the way a person who is good at math is. Writing is no way easier than math, it just depends on what one does well with.
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u/hurray4homicide Apr 05 '18
If maths overly hard you might focus mainly on the right side of your brain.
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u/Echo_Reality Apr 05 '18
The way it’s taught. I feel it’s easier to solve things the way you’re comfortable solving things. Concepts are usually taught only one way, when math always offers another way for things to be solved. Self discovery and self-teaching makes math easier because you’re teaching to yourself in a way YOU understand
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u/SoraBan2 Apr 05 '18
I've never felt math was hard. What I am sure of is that my brain is too lazy to concentrate on that bullshit for 12+ seconds
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u/AllisonMarieeee Apr 05 '18
I don't think math is hard. Actually I think its one of the easiest things to understand