quote:Original post by higherspeed
I think that perhaps this topic should be laid to rest now. Also Gauler, although I agree with you that what most of what has been said is rubbish, I think you have to remember that most people have only studied applied maths. I''ve only done a small amount of pure maths at A-Level involving groups. I''ll be doing plenty of algebra next year at Uni though. But most people don''t have the benefit of any course, so don''t seem surprised when they don''t understand what exactly they''re doing.
You''re right. When I was taught algebra and calculus, everything was more or less just handed to me and I couldn''t accept much of it. I had a ton of questions which nobody answered. Finally, one of my teachers was extremely knowledgable and answered all my questions. I learned it all backwards, hard stuff first, then applied what I knew to the basics. It really helped. Maybe it will help other people.
The root of confusion is confusion... I guess. I just made that up. Sorry if I sounded like a jackass.
