Mathematics has long been a curse for much of the world’s population. When people are told to describe Mathematics, words such as “daunting”, “hard”, “incomprehensible” and “burdensome” tend to be fairly common. Parallel to this sort of thinking, Mathematics has been a source of awe and beauty to a fair-share of the human population as well. Without Mathematics, life in its contemporary form is incomprehensible. However, the fact is, many people suffer from “Math-phobia”.
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| Mathematics is really beautiful.. |
Mathematics is basically a framework which is used to describe reality. All of mathematics rises from some basic concepts which are considered “fundamental truths”. The foundations of geometry are formed by Euclid’s axioms and postulates, using which geometry can be understood in all its richness. Anything that can be proved or disproved in mathematics is called a statement. If a statement is proved correct and has wide-ranging applications, it can be considered a theorem.
Thus, we can see that Mathematics is a very rigorous discipline. One needs to be able to understand the steps of a solution/proof to immaculate detail, which is no easy task. Also, in order to understand mathematics of every succeeding year, it is of insurmountable importance to be able to recall theorems and results of the previous years. Of course, such an ability is required in all subjects. But, in mathematics, this ability is very very important.
This is one of the reasons why Mathematics seems so daunting to many. Also, Mathematics is a very abstract discipline. It is really hard to grasp all concepts, thus making it really hard to solve problems with rather straightforward solutions. Thus, in order to develop an intuition for mathematics, daily, intense practice is needed.
According to me, one can follow a systematic approach in order to understand Mathematics as it truly is; a truly remarkable feat of humanity. The basic principles and definitions need to be memorized. Then, the functions of certain symbols and their meanings should be properly understood. In fact, in order to illustrate the importance of symbols in Mathematics, I would like to tell you a story about Newton and Leibnitz. Newton and Leibnitz were involved in a heated debate regarding who developed Calculus. They used different symbols to denote the derivative of a function and its integral. It is widely considered that the difference in symbols used in the UK and the rest of Europe was the reason why UK mathematics fell behind for a while.
After the basic principles and symbols have been understood, one should describe in their own words what the concept they are trying to learn is about. For example, when one is learning set theory, it is very important to understand what a set is. Many learners skip this step and indulge in the complicated Mathematical calculations without understanding what a set is. This hinders understanding a lot.
Understanding the basic principles and symbols will help learners come a long way down the road of success in Mathematics. After understanding the basic principles and symbols, one should dip their toes into the “actual” mathematics (equations, relations and dealing with numbers). Memorizing the formulas is no good; understanding why the equation works and how it is derived is very important. For example, for any quadratic polynomial (in standard form), there exists a relation between the product of its zeroes α and β, and the constant and coefficient of the x^2 term (α *β = c/a). In order to understand why this is true, one can use the quadratic equation to derive this result. Knowing how results are derived can help one understand better.
After understanding the concepts in a detailed manner, some problems should be attempted. Attempting questions without understanding fully can be very derogatory. Another important point is confidence. Many people have the required skill to succeed in mathematics, but they are unable to reach their full potential. A lack of confidence can be implied in many cases.
Confidence is very important in Mathematics. I had a bad run of form in Mathematics at the star of 2014, which was a result of zero confidence. I managed to build up my confidence using the methods described above and today, I am confident regarding my mathematical ability (before 2014 too, I was pretty good!).
Having fun is also part of the learning process. Learning Maths can be fun, though in many cases it isn’t (it has been stigmatized as being tedious in many cases). I always feel a sense of wonder learning mathematical concepts, concepts which have helped humanity in such a profound way. I hope this was helpful!
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| Mathematics is very important for modern civilization |
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