Math is wonderful... it's built upon a complete and logical concept that a singular object is one. Take a singular object and stick it with another object and we get two. Take this "two" and put it with another "two" and woohoo, we just multiplied! And yet, with this simple concept we can compute from orbital trajectories and celestial interception points right down to double root quadratics. It's incredible to say the least! Okay, I'm done preaching now...
-Jesse

| The Hitchhiker''s Guide to Programming |
"That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange aeons even death may die."
-H.P. Lovecraft

Edited by - Aphelion on February 17, 2002 1:26:00 AM

I appreciate you sharing your experiences and reasons why you like math so much. If you wish to continue to do so, by all means post away. I can only hope that this thread will help others who hate math, to love math.

Here is my conclusion. Take a programmer such as John Carmack. Yes, forgive me, he is overused as an example programmer. But we mostly admit, he is very skilled at coding. So, please, indulge me for a moment with him being the example. Why is he so proficient or good? It makes you wonder, doesn''t it? Especially since he is SELF-TAUGHT! To me, being self-taught is amazing considering others (such as myself) who are going into debt with in$titutions of higher learning to practice the same stuff he knows. The answer is quite simple. He sees learning information about math and programming a joy, a hobby, much like Einstein enjoyed physics so much. In fact, he "consumes all 3D information" like Pac-Man consumes ghosts, power pellets, and fruit.

They both have what is known as an autotelic discipline. It means "self goal" in Greek. In English, it means a goal within itself. The desire is not to get good grades, money, or any other outside factor than just learning those studies as play, not work, though they may be challenging. After all, the desire for good grades or a better job is poor fuel for study. From what I read of your posts, it seems many of you are like this as well, autotelic.

I read on some threads that early in his career, John Carmack would spend up to around 80 hours a week just studying programming and 3D math. 80 frickin'' hours a week!

Now I know some of us here may or may not have that time. Let''s scale this time down to moments. Well, what about before you go to sleep? Or what about before you get to school? Or stand in line at the bank? What are you thinking then? My point in this paragraph is that we have at least small opportunities throughout the day to make learning fun in otherwise boring everyday situations where we are not using our minds much. We can quiz ourselves to sleep. We can make a game saying that you will not get out of the car to eat at Dunkin Donuts until you remember the distance formula. You know, little fun, challenging things like that. Heck, make a full fledged board game if it helps. In the end, our minute daily habits build up to gigantic achievements or gigantic failures.


So I derived a little formula for myself that will help me (and hopefully help others as I keep reiterating). The reason why I hate math is because I am prejudice against it. It looks ugly. It makes little sense. The reason why it looks ugly and makes little sense is because I haven''t put in the time to get to know it better. And that has a direct affect on my attitude towards it. I''d rather play many hours of Half-Life mods than study vectors, scalars, and matrices. So I have put up the addicting games in the closet, the most incovenient place possible for which to get them out again. I am devoting my time, effort and energy much like Carmack, since I have the time, to math. And from here on out, I am looking at math as a fun game instead of some torture, though it may be hard at times. In those times of torture I may post around. Hehehe.

By the way, of these thoughts, a book in particular, really helped me see learning as fun. You may want to pick it up and read it. It''s called the Einstein Factor, by Richard Poe and Win Wenger, Ph.D.







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