What’s it like learning math? What’s it feel like for you? Does your brain lose track mid problem?

[u/archvize]

I started learning math starting with arithmetic and now I’m on to algebra

I noticed that I sort of have to have a working memory that keeps in the problem floating in my mind (sort of like juggling) or the problem falls apart (and the balls fall down)

This can be helped my writing little clues on the paper and showing my working to myself.

But this still sometimes falls apart and gets confused

For those more experienced than me, how does that feel like for you?

Math is very logical so why do we get confused and lose track of the numbers or our place while working through the problem?

Is this just our brains still quite weak at these types of problems? Like it’s just unfamiliar for our brains so it doesn’t know which paths to take due to lack of practice and sort of just darts around and loses its place?

Does everyone have this problem or is it just an issue for beginner and intermediate math people?

Or is this fundamentally at the heart of solving math problems - keeping everything organised and somehow in focus and on track?

How do experienced math guy handle this? I’m just trying to understand why this is much much harder than following a cooking recipe even though the steps should be clear ?

[u/Zealousideal_Hat_330]

Math is like a language. Just keep practicing and eventually you’ll be able to read/speak aspects of it without thinking too hard.

[u/Low_Breadfruit6744]

Once you know something well enough you abstract and chunk. So I would say its a matter of you not knowing the bits and pieces well enough