WHY IS MATH SO HARD?

82

By lord de cross

A LITTLE OF HISTORY

As far back as we know, math was an evolving tool that was needed for counting and then commerce. The first math problem was with no doubt in how to share a fire between two or three groups of cavemen. The second handy approach to that tool were our fingers. Can you imagine this four or five families in a cave being away from Mammoths and T-Rex's. When night fell, they needed to make sure all their off springs were inside too. So, ten fingers were available, until the clan grew in quantity. What was next? Their toes fingernails? heck no! The smell of it was an absolute deterrent. You might wonder what, or how accounting was born? Was later on when 'Habibi', a Phoenician seafarer, wanted to keep track of his jars of wine and sheep's skin. Otherwise he could've been held 'accountable' by his concubine 'Sarah'


FAST FORWARDING 85,000 YEARS

Chaldean-Assyrians founded Ur, 4,500 years before Christ. According to our records, it was the first new citadel with a population of 100 thousand inhabitants. Astronomy was already set in its ways and math was in the early stages of Algebraic equations, but who made this math so popular? First were the traders known as Phoenicians, who Invented commerce as is known. By the way, they were the first who wrote the modern numbers with little changes. The notion of Zero was left to the Arabian Mathematicians, actually algebra is a word that back in the second century was known as al-jabr...Well now back to our days.


STILL, WHY IS SO HARD LORD?

How can I start this, so you dear reader won't leave unsatisfied. and probably scared to dead of Math.

We all are born to understand our first basic words: Dad, mom, hi, food and so on. Our first senses grab colors, words, emotions, smiles...but a+b=c? Is like telling you in Chinese, Andrew added Brian and went to Cocoa Beach? What the hell is that?


MATH HAS ITS OWN LANGUAGE

Without notice..at age six or seven, you have to add math to your vocabulary. Is like teaching you a new language with this signs + - = * and later, %, or (a-b)(a+b)=c.


WE LEARN A LOT OF THINGS AT ONCE

We poor kids used to watch Sesame street or that 'Purple thing' Barney and had to listen to our 'repit after me' Teacher. Our first trauma is already set and... like zombies, we have to learn our tables and division without leaving behind adding and subtraction. No wonder most of us used to chew our pencils. Nice taste by the way.

IS ABSTRACTED AS A SIX DOLLAR BILL

We can touch our bike or our steering wheel. But putting in our mind this 6 times five, is like memorizing something totally new, to our little brain, who is used to hear mommy and our puppy bark. Is non tangible and has to be in our mind. Not all of us learned divisions that fast. We all needed to add and then subtract, and eventually make room for this up most torture, forget about square root. It was like an added mental punishment. Square root of 49 is seven? and what do you want to do with that..stick it in my nose?


STEP BY STEP

Math introduces us to Logic. "And why should I learn Logic Lord?" Well, if you had learn logic, you wouldn't have met your actual wife. Probably you could've been in Massachusetts at the MIT. We learn to crawl before walk and run, and math is build upon stages. All we learn, will fit eventually in the final Puzzle.


THE BRAIN, WE ALL ARE NOT MADE EQUAL

See how women learn a new language easier than us males? In the same sense, we all have our own level of mathematical consciousness. Some can become painters an others rocket scientists, Not all can be an Einstein or a Beethoven. We all have our uniqueness. Remember your math teacher taking his/her time more with others that with you?


MATH CAN BE EASY

You've gotta open your mind, accept the facts; Theorems and formulas are there for a reason. Some use short cuts or ', or tricks( a future hub). But, after all we all need Math to check our paycheck or read the statement at the Gas pump, right?

Comments

medor profile image

medor 8 months ago

Cool... math should never be taught outside it's application... it is part of the language of science... not a separate idea. most people cannot understand it without the story problem... nice hub.

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 8 months ago

Medor,

Thanks for stopping by. Tried to make it fun. Enough fun was given to us for free when we were kids. Have a nice one! Keep hubbing! keep huggin'!

andromida profile image

andromida Level 3 Commenter 8 months ago

I think math can an interesting subject to kids if maths teachers explain it with practical examples.Unfortunately, most of the teacher only focus on the theoretical aspects of maths.Great hub.

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 8 months ago

Thanks Andromida. You are my hero too.!

Binaya.Ghimire 8 months ago

I always thought math as an interesting subject until I reached the college. Very interesting, I loved your hub, specially the anecdotes.

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 8 months ago

Thanks Binaya. Your comments are always appreciated

LORD

Ratanak 8 months ago

I used to challenge the smart-student exam during grade 12 in Cambodia. I always enjoy thinking and memorizing those formulas. I loved your hub so much.

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 8 months ago

There are ways to memorize Ratanack.thnx for commenting//check my next hub too.

thougtforce profile image

thougtforce Level 7 Commenter 8 months ago

We all need math and I like the logic of it! I had a math teacher once that always talked about how beautiful math was! After she had explained a math problem she said: look how beautiful this is! It was quite easy and fun to learn since she was so passionate about math! You seem to be able to explain math in the same way!

Thanks for a interesting hub!

Tina

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 8 months ago

thougtforce,

My dad got a math tutor when I was 14...and from then on..my life changed. Thanks for your comments and positive feedback

LORD

ktrapp profile image

ktrapp Level 7 Commenter 6 months ago

I agree with your conclusion, math can be easy. And it's even easier when put into practical terms and examples. Great hub. Voting up.

icciev profile image

icciev 6 months ago

Joseph, reading this hub was interesting amazing and filled with a lot of sense of humor, it turns that I have a lot of logic since I am not married. its also funny to know that kids everywhere used to chew their pencil as we used to do this as well. thanks you made my evening. voted up

frugalfamily profile image

frugalfamily Level 4 Commenter 6 months ago

Good points, especially that we are all different. It is very interesting that my entire family is actually very good at math although half of us have dyslexia. I've always loved Algebra because it is like solving a big puzzle..just tougher to do when you transpose numbers.

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 6 months ago

Ktrapp,

Being yourself a Teacher...makes really my day, to hear from you. Actually your hub about volumes was awesome too. Math is hard because we have this mythical wall in front of us, and as you know, we don't need more problems to face this subject, Thanks again for your point of view.

LORD

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 6 months ago

Icciev, if you are not married... then you know that 2 plus two equals one, and two is company but three? There you go! Happy to hear that humour was a good ingredient for this hub. Thanks for the follow my friend!

LORD

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 6 months ago

Frugalfamily,

Interesting point of view..seeing Algebra like a puzzle, makes a lot of sense. And clears the road for a deeper study without worrying about what's realy this a+b=c. Thanks so much for your insightful comment

LORD

frogyfish profile image

frogyfish Level 6 Commenter 6 months ago

Interesting...you presented math as a new language...which it is for the child. Enjoyed your hub.

wilderness profile image

wilderness Level 6 Commenter 6 months ago

I think the reason math is so hard for many people is two fold - we teach math before logic, and we seldom teach the necessary skill of extreme concentration and to be exact in speaking and thinking.

Learning logic should precede math, and if so it will make math considerably easier. The bigger problem, though is being exact in what we see and speak (or write on paper). While such exactness is not usually necessary in every day speech, if one writes 1+2 instead of 1+1 the correct answer is not available. As equations become more complex it is easier and easier to skip over a division or square root sign. We have to learn to read the complete equation, not just most of it.

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 6 months ago

Froggy and Wilderness,

My personal experience started when this Engineer taught me Math in a new way. Mnemonics was handed to me like an xbox 360 plus a Wii of all time, and you are right Wilderness; Logic should be taught before math and no at the end of a philosophical Course. Kids would have a better perspective and tool..to take this bull by the horns..and balls...of fire!(don't wanna get banned you know?)

LORD

missolive profile image

missolive Level 7 Commenter 4 months ago

Math beyond dollars and percentages has always been a challenge for me. I think it's more of a mental block. However, if I view it as a language I have a better understanding.

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 4 months ago

There you go my friend...my dad got me this Engineer as a tutor..and from there I kept running...! Most likely your mental blockage started around first grade....just go back to 1973...Any bad experience as a kid?

Thanks for commenting my friend!

LORD

thesingernurse profile image

thesingernurse Level 6 Commenter 4 months ago

Wonderful explanation. You are right, we are all not made equal! That makes me think I was not really born with a knack in math... Just enough to get through high school and my college degree. hehehe!

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 4 months ago

Thanks thesinginnurse,

You are funny! Well math is there for all of us to get tossed and torture. We take...we took it like a man! And makes sense, who the hell wants to learn -+/x at six years of age?

LORD

winbo profile image

winbo 2 months ago

brilliant written.

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 2 months ago

Hi Wimbo,

Thanks for reading us, and you are always welcome to comment. Regards

LORD

jamila sahar profile image

jamila sahar Level 3 Commenter 2 months ago

very interesting ! as a musician i have always hated math, and we actually use mathematics to read and play rhythms but i always have to listen to it because i find math so difficult, thanks for sharing this useful hub ! voted useful and interesting !

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 2 months ago

Jamila Sahar,

A future Musician of well prestige. Sure those 1/8'sw 1/16's and 1/64's come with no warning on that Pentagrama. Hope you ejoy your writing with us Jamila!

LORD

John Sarkis profile image

John Sarkis Level 7 Commenter 6 weeks ago

Great hub lord de cross. I must admit, I was never good at math. Music and writing come easier to me than math ever did.

You make some really great points in your article. I enjoyed reading it.

Voted up

John

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 6 weeks ago

Hi John,

Well yes, Math can be hard, if you let it get its way. If you look at it as a new language, you will understand better why we feel like dragging it and sometimes, we tend to give up or look the other way. Thanks!

LORD

coffeegginmyrice profile image

coffeegginmyrice Level 4 Commenter 6 weeks ago

Funny and this hub brings back memories! I was one of the few who can't figure out the answers to daily Math problems on the blackboard, and the teacher won't let me get back to my seat...unless. I stood on the platform with the blackboard behind me, braving shame and discomfort so many times during Math periods in highschool; my fingers thick with chalk powder.

lord de cross profile image

lord de cross Hub Author 6 weeks ago

Coffeegginmyrice, Certainlt math can be a traumatic experience if you are facing a chalky problem! Thanks for leaving an awesome comment!

LORD

Submit a Comment
Members and Guests

Sign in or sign up and post using a hubpages account.



    • No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked
    • Comments are not for promoting your Hubs or other sites

    Please wait working