How can chess improve my mathematical thinking?

[venger]

Hello,

I want to change my pattern of thinking from "you lazy good for nothing bum" to "I am the best that i can be". Any suggestions and comments about the way my mind is working?

What does it take to think like a mathematician.

I have tried the following:
-Think that math is fun

I am currently:
-reading the 7 habits of highly effective teens

 

[berkeman]

Some things that have helped me greatly:

-- Do not use the word "can't". (or cannot or any other variation) Try to make this a habit.

-- "Be positive" in your studies and your work. Try to keep a positive attitude about things, even when the going gets tough.

-- "Relax and focus." This mantra has helped me many times, from difficult studies all the way through 90+ hour weeks at a pressure-filled startup company.

 

[Moridin]

I make use of a perhaps somewhat different tactic.

I have the habit of eliminating my own ability out of the reasoning for the task or subject. For me, it is not if I will be able to do something or not; the question is just how much time it is going to take. It is generally quite useful to focus on the solved state instead of the problem state.

It does not matter if your self confidence is very low, if your mental attitude is right, you will have no trouble accomplishing your goals. Generally, success is almost exclusively centered to your own mental attitude, at least for studies even though there are some exceptions.

It also helps if you split your issue or subject at hand to smaller subtasks and deal with them on an individual basis.

 

[Mk]

One thing that I do that I think is extremely helpful is that I never, ever, ever, think something bad, or demean myself, or think of how I didn't do something, if I lost, or if I didn't do something in time, or etc.

 

[light_bulb]

i think about the worst things all the time, keeps me sharp. but i don't let it bring me down, if i were you i'd drop those quick fix books. i say have fun with what your doing and apply your goals to something you like to do, as you achieve goals you should feel better about yourself. i don't think anyone should waste time getting in another persons head, do things your way.

 

[venger]

The thing is i have seen "the secret" in google (goood movie) and it states that whatever you are thinking about it is going to be true. So now i just want to think a certain way. Can anyone give me some good strategies? Like i say, if i don't have a strategy of life I am part of someone else's strategy. For example not strategizing to control my debit card, someone can use that as an advantage and hack into it.

 

[turbo]

You're young. Try all kinds of things and follow what makes you happy and/or that you are good at. A couple of weeks before I graduated from HS, the school secretary pulled me aside and told me that I was going to get the "Silver V" award for participating in more extracurricular activities than any other senior. I already had academic and athletic letters in HS, but she (and others) thought this was a huge deal. In retrospect, she was right. I played trumpet, baritone, French horn, etc in band, and when I got romantically involved with a young lady who was in chorus, I joined up and made the All-State chorus as a baritone my first year. You've got to DO stuff to explore your abilities.

Edit: Self-help stuff is like newspaper horoscopes. You have to take control of your own destiny and if you sit back passively being spoon-fed advice instead of actively finding your own passions, you will not fare well. People can gather information from reading books and browsing the Intenet, but they will not get more intelligent or more self-aware or self-confident that way. You will learn more about yourself cutting, splitting, and stacking a winter's worth of firewood than you will from the books, TV shows and Internet sites that you take in all that winter.

 

[wuliheron]

There is a reason for everything we do, including thinking negative thoughts. Fortunately, we don't have to know them in order to change. You can think about things you are grateful for, chop wood and fetch water, see a psychologist, or run in circles screaming and shouting. Whatever works, works.

For myself, I work on remaining humble and doing for others.

 

[Weave]

Its funny, before I take a test I get super stoked by listening to Slayer or other thrash metal. I go in and dominate.

Works for me, in Calc got A's in all my exams, while the class average was like 67.4%.

I am also trying to transition into being competitive. When I have a competitive mind set I perform excellently. Whatever works for you though-experiment.

 

[venger]

I was wondering, is there a standard out there if you want to be the smart person? Aside to that, what might that be and what would an ideal smart person think about?

 

[radou]

Its funny, before I take a test I get super stoked by listening to Slayer or other thrash metal. I go in and dominate.

Sounds familiar. http://www.dark-smilies.de/pics/metal/metal011.gif http://www.dark-smilies.de/pics/metal/metal005.gif

I was wondering, is there a standard out there if you want to be the smart person? Aside to that, what might that be and what would an ideal smart person think about?

If you are going to follow any standards, you shall, by definition, look dumb.

 

[Evo]

Gak, don't read self help books, they use what is called the "make them sick, make them better" scam. I have taken psychology courses in this to learn how to drive behavior in others. They make you think you have a problem so they can solve it. The courses had some of the top self help gurus explaining how they extort, I mean manipulate, I mean "help" the public. Do not fall prey to this sort of thing.

Find something you genuinely enjoy and throw yourself into it. Do your best, but don't kick yourself if others do better than you. People are different and some are just more naturally inclined than others. But if you really enjoy the subject, put your "all" into it and understand and accept your abilities and limitations.

 

[symbolipoint]

Venger,
Study LONGER and daily. Restudy subjects(or courses) which you already studied, even if you already earned credit in them. When you solve textbook problems or perform proofs, spend extra time in the process and show each of your steps ( also allows you to restudy your own work, and sometimes find errors which you can correct).

Use example problems fully! Try to solve the examples by yourself before you examine the solutions. If the book solution seems to miss some steps, then you should find and fill in the missing steps.

Solve MORE problems, not LESS problems. Often students want to just do the items which the teacher assigned; sometimes students do less than what was assigned. If you have any difficulty with a lesson, be sure to do the assigned items and more items for practice, and concept & skill development.

 

[Daphne Bagshawe]

how can I think

A key question might be how can I decide to think at all ? After all to decide to think is itself a thought so how do I decide to decide to think ?This is surely rather more worrying than trying to change how we think.

 

[JGM_14]

a simple quote i heard one time "Take the least expected, and prepare for it, then when the most expected happens, you find yourself unprepared", or somthing like that Moral:perpare yourself
find some fun in it, i like chemistery and i can name most of the elements on the perodic table but i don't like math and i barely passd the year (.67% away) science i passed with a 96%
i heard one time that we remember 90% of what is important to us but we only remember 12% of what we hear
repetition is good
adged knowledge is like no knowledge, refresh your brain we tend to forget some older memories

 

[bakin]

Its funny, before I take a test I get super stoked by listening to Slayer or other thrash metal. I go in and dominate.

Works for me as well. Not Slayer, but I listen to some badass music before my test and it helps me relax. I also eat some chocolate; that helps me too :D

 

[venger]

The problem is my mentality, I would like to turn that into an effective positive manner. From the law of attraction, once matter is attracted to other matter there is more energy. If i take that and describe it as why i am not doing so well, that just means I'm not totally attracted to the matters that is being learnt. So overall, I would need to make myself jump on the matter and then i will learn in an effective way. Lastly, how can i make myself attract this matter?

 

[michealsmith]

maybe you could play chess..

 

[teleport]

Speaking of chess, take a look at this:

http://www.quadcitychess.com/benefits_of_chess.html[/PLAIN]

If you find it boring, my guess is that it will do you more damage than good. However, if you are willing to give it a try, begin going to chess clubs, and learn either by yourself, with books, playing, etc. you might find motivation coming from competition. I find that most people who like math, also enjoy logic games.