math, or not so much

[lauradi7dw]

When I was a senior in high school, I won a small medal for having the highest score in my high school on a national multiple choice math test.

My math teacher (who thought I was nearly hopeless, and may have been correct) asked "How did you do that?" I don't remember what I said to her, but the answer was that I have a pretty good visual memory in some ways. I can't deal well with some types of spatial relationships, but I could look at an angle and tell how many degrees it was, for example, something that's pretty useful in a timed multiple choice test on geometry & trig. Most of my success (grade-wise) in any mathematics harder than simple arithmetic has come from plugging numbers into formulae properly rather than actually comprehending what's going on. While I have been enjoying the wording in some of the Physics problems (I was pleased to see that the traditional problem of changing furlongs per fortnight to other units was there, and I really like the one that begins "Tamar wants to cut down a large, dead poplar tree with her chain saw, but she doesn't want it to fall on the nearby gazebo.") but I have been reminded of what one of Florence's friends said about Physics at Lexington High School "It makes you want to die." In my case, it makes me want to cry, not die. I have unfortunately discovered that some of my instinctual fudging also works here, though. One of the online problems was almost identical to a problem in the book for which the answer (but not the strategy) was provided. I guessed, and the computer marked me correct. I suspect I am not the only person to do this. The professor said that the first year they were using the online homework system he assigned all the problem sets online, and was startled to find that many people who seemed to be doing OK on the homework couldn't pass the tests. Now only a few problems are online, and the paper homework requires that one show all the work. Time for more weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. (item of packrat entertainment, though - I am using the same protractor I had originally).

Comments

[calygrey.livejournal.com]

Really physics is just more plugging numbers into formulae, except more interesting. I learned to comprehend the math after doing the plug-in method many, many times. After awhile relationships start to make sense. This method works for #1 son as well. Showing all your work is really the preferred way to learn this stuff.

[mollishka.livejournal.com]

Really physics is just more plugging numbers into formulae

Uhm, no. This kind of common misconception is a huge indicator of the crap that is science teaching. Physics is understanding the relationships between parameters describing a system ... if you understand the relationships, then the formulae are more like descriptions than miracle workers. *sigh*

[lauradi7.livejournal.com]

We understand that the formulae are modeling the physical reality. Being able to plug in the numbers means at least a simple understanding of what the variables mean. Still, that's pretty different from having math look like
the real world. I'm looking forward to being able to figure out how much force is happening with biceps when an arm bends, but I don't really expect to be able to work all the way backwards and make up a formula myself if I want to know something like that.

[dvmp.livejournal.com]

I prefer fizz-ics, the study of alka seltzer.