Don't Panic
The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins is my current companion at breakfast/lunch/dinner {whenever I can help it}. But this ain't about the book. This is about an extract that I chanced upon [the relevant chapter is also available online here]
I have been always a little math-o-phobic. I have tried to analyse this many times, and it's come down to one of the two: conveniently blaming it on some of the tartars that taught the subject when I was in school, or to me having no natural ability in that area.
On reflection, it is the former. For on the two occasions that I had wonderful teachers, I did rather well. It is quite psychological, this aversion. It keeps coming back in waves. And it has been compounded by lack of good teachers during undergraduate studies. They totally squeezed it of all juice replacing it by a worthless and sodden pulp.
I have some friends who share this feeling, and funnily, we're engg. graduates - the kind who should be using maths as a friendly toolkit. I still have to learn how to do that.
[I would like here to go back to the subject of school maths teachers and recall one who was living proof that Aunt Agathas do exist in real life. I would not be surprised, much like Bertie, that the afore-mentioned lady "eats broken bottles and is strongly suspected of turning into a werewolf at the time of the full moon".]
So when I'm going to have my next chronic attack of "the numbers", I'm going to think of dear old Silvanus Thompson and to try not to be outdoors on full moon days.
The important thing to remember about mathematics is not to be frightened. It isn't as difficult as the mathematical priesthood sometimes pretends. Whenever I feel intimidated, I always remember Silvanus Thompson's dictum in Calculus Made Easy: 'What one fool can do, another can'.
I have been always a little math-o-phobic. I have tried to analyse this many times, and it's come down to one of the two: conveniently blaming it on some of the tartars that taught the subject when I was in school, or to me having no natural ability in that area.
On reflection, it is the former. For on the two occasions that I had wonderful teachers, I did rather well. It is quite psychological, this aversion. It keeps coming back in waves. And it has been compounded by lack of good teachers during undergraduate studies. They totally squeezed it of all juice replacing it by a worthless and sodden pulp.
I have some friends who share this feeling, and funnily, we're engg. graduates - the kind who should be using maths as a friendly toolkit. I still have to learn how to do that.
[I would like here to go back to the subject of school maths teachers and recall one who was living proof that Aunt Agathas do exist in real life. I would not be surprised, much like Bertie, that the afore-mentioned lady "eats broken bottles and is strongly suspected of turning into a werewolf at the time of the full moon".]
So when I'm going to have my next chronic attack of "the numbers", I'm going to think of dear old Silvanus Thompson and to try not to be outdoors on full moon days.
2 Comments:
This post has an amazing sense of déjà vu and not for one reason.
Firstly it was only yesterday that I bought 'The Selfish Gene' upon DNA's recommendation. He says that book had influenced him the most.
Secondly that thing about math. Same with me - not that I have ever done badly - in fact somebody even went as far as categorizing me as 'a math wizard' - however never ever felt confortable except the three year of 10th,11th and 12th when a truly amazing man taught me. So i don't think it is wrong to blame it on the teachers.
This feeling has since grown with the coming of M1,M2 and M3(next sem) - I know it's good - but I don't seem to like it!
[Hope they haven't chaged any parameters anywhere!!)
Ahh, Maths! I share a similar phobia of maths. I generally do well in my maths papers but I don't like it. In fact, I don't hate it either. I have a weird relationship with maths. It is compounded by the fact that my mother and brother are math geniuses!
My biggest problem areas in maths are probability and statistics :). I had to grapple with the above subjects while preparing for my BE seminar. As you can imagine, I had a terrible time.
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