Is Math the Ultimate Mind Distraction?

[Hop1pop]

How do you guys enjoy math?

 

[Mentallic]

Most of us would have found it easy as it came naturally to us from a young age. That would be the biggest reason, it's easier to enjoy something when you're good at it.
I also love how I can start with a question, having an idea in my mind of what the answer will approximately be, but then find that the math tells me it's something way different to what I expected.

 

[Angry Citizen]

Same reason people enjoy untying knots and putting together puzzles. You're working towards an inevitable and logical outcome, but it's all up to your technique to get you there. Nowhere is this more apparent than in something like trig identities.

 

[poor mystic]

Dear Hop1pop
Maths is a wonderful kind of puzzle for me, and even though it is hard work I find it very satisfying.
I tend to be a slow worker in maths, probably because it's not my training, but the challenge of finding useful solutions to general problems has caught me and I think it is so much better than TV. Every truth I find helps me find other truths.
For me it's about transcending the need to reach outside myself for help; to cultivate self-sufficiency.

 

[The Chaz]

One reason I like math is that you can do _____ (whatever it is that we DO!) with just a paper and pencil. I would have to get special permission to enter the multi-million dollar DNA lab where my friend works... just to see some basic properties of cells or whatever.

But check out this proof that an even number times and even number is even.

2m*2n = 4mn = 2(2mn). Boom.

Or an even function times and odd is odd.
(let f be the even one)
f(-x)*g(-x) = f(x)*(-g(x)) = -f(x)*g(x).

 

[arunma]

How do you guys enjoy math?

I enjoy math because I get paid more than the guy who majored in art history. :)

Seriously though, at first I didn't enjoy math. My parents just told me that if I want to actually get a job someday, I'd have to do well in it. I only started getting good at math around eighth grade. And as has already been said, it's easier to enjoy something you're good at.

But there are really two different definitions of the word "math." To some people, math is solving differential equations and computing line integrals. To others, math involves proving theorems about homologies, Abelian groups, and other such stuff. I like the line integrals...don't like the proofs so much. I guess that's why I'm a physicist.

 

[The Chaz]

Good point, arunma. I hate golf, and I am bad at it. Which came first??

I like(d) math because I was naturally good at what kids call "math". Once the abstraction began (see "homomorphisms, et al.), I started to hate math. But don't tell anyone ;)

 

[stevenb]

How do you guys enjoy math?

We pray to Odin, and he gives us the inspriration.

Really, I don't know why. Perhaps because (despite all the associations with nerds) it's the coolest thing ever conceived by man.

 

[lisab]

How do you guys enjoy math?

Solving math problems is very relaxing.

 

[arunma]

Good point, arunma. I hate golf, and I am bad at it. Which came first??

I like(d) math because I was naturally good at what kids call "math". Once the abstraction began (see "homomorphisms, et al.), I started to hate math. But don't tell anyone ;)

Yeah, I know what you mean. I actually did a math major in undergrad. At first I thought it'd be really cool. After all, my favorite part of physics was doing computationally-intensive problems and then triumphantly reaching the solution (OK it didn't look so glamorous in practice, but whatever). Calculus was really cool, but once I started doing real math, I realized that I wasn't doing nearly as many integrals as I'd like to be doing. Heck, I didn't really do any integrals at all. Even when I behaved well, the most the professor would let me do is a matrix diagonalization. I found a way around the boredom by taking all the classes that normal math majors would consider "weak," like numerical analysis, differential geometry, an advanced calculus. But I found that the math I really liked came from the classes I was taking for my physics major.

...and then I went to grad school and found out that real physicists only get to do physics problems once in a blue moon. Seriously, where do I go to do surface integrals every day (and get paid for it)!?

 

[Proton Soup]

i can't say i ever enjoyed math for math's sake. at least not in a mathematician sort of way. but that's OK, because i just went into engineering the first time through and used it as a sort of monkey wrench. maybe you just need to find your hook. some people like statistics. i have no idea how, as it just seems like drudgery to me. but find the thing you like, figure out how math helps you further that goal, and maybe it will become interesting.

 

[TubbaBlubba]

Well, I think that math is beautiful. Mathemathical proofs tend to be wonderfully elegant.

 

[Helios]

Math is neat because it doesn't matter whether the math teacher likes you or not. You just slap your finished test down and say "read 'em and weep". Unlike your commie social science teacher who might dislike you for your opinions.

 

[s09]

When I was in school, it was a nice challenge. I also enjoyed seeing everyone at awe of me making those calculations :) .

 

[The Chaz]

Math is neat because it doesn't matter whether the math teacher likes you or not. You just slap your finished test down and say "read 'em and weep". Unlike your commie social science teacher who might dislike you for your opinions.

man, you had me laughing for a while! Of all the things to say when handing in a test!

I don't remember too many commie teachers besides my intro to psych. She's Canadian. EH??

 

[xxChrisxx]

I don't, I avoid it as much as I can.

I think people who enjoy it are nuts.

 

[Hop1pop]

man, you had me laughing for a while! Of all the things to say when handing in a test!

I don't remember too many commie teachers besides my intro to psych. She's Canadian. EH??

Naw, we Canadians are considered Socialists by the Americans.
Anywhoo, I get what you all are trying to get at, you guys just happen to be good at it and then in turn you liked it. :P

Just how I am naturally good at being creative and artistic. Which sucks because I can't really make a good living from those skills.

Im really happy to see mature, honest, intelligent replies posted so quickly . Its a shame most forums arent like this, because I like to communicate ideas and opinions with people on the internet.

 

[Hop1pop]

One reason I like math is that you can do _____ (whatever it is that we DO!) with just a paper and pencil. I would have to get special permission to enter the multi-million dollar DNA lab where my friend works... just to see some basic properties of cells or whatever.

But check out this proof that an even number times and even number is even.

2m*2n = 4mn = 2(2mn). Boom.

Or an even function times and odd is odd.
(let f be the even one)
f(-x)*g(-x) = f(x)*(-g(x)) = -f(x)*g(x).

what? I'm beginning to think that I am illiterate with mathematics.

 

[Topher925]

I don't enjoy it. I just try to deal with it the best I can.

 

[The Chaz]

what? I'm beginning to think that I am illiterate with mathematics.

Well THAT was not my purpose!
Informally, we can conclude that two even numbers multiplied together gives another even number. 6*8=48
10*44=440
etc. But to prove this for ANY two even numbers, we arbitrarily pick two. With m and n natural/whole numbers/integers, 2m and 2n are even numbers. When we multiply them, we get 4mn. This is even, since it is twice a natural/whole/integer 2*(2mn).

 

[xxChrisxx]

Well THAT was not my purpose!
Informally, we can conclude that two even numbers multiplied together gives another even number. 6*8=48
10*44=440
etc. But to prove this for ANY two even numbers, we arbitrarily pick two. With m and n natural/whole numbers/integers, 2m and 2n are even numbers. When we multiply them, we get 4mn. This is even, since it is twice a natural/whole/integer 2*(2mn).

Oh my god, that is so dull.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I don't remember too many commie teachers besides my intro to psych.

I had a spinster history teacher who complained there was a communist under every bed except hers.

 

[Hop1pop]

Well THAT was not my purpose!
Informally, we can conclude that two even numbers multiplied together gives another even number. 6*8=48
10*44=440
etc. But to prove this for ANY two even numbers, we arbitrarily pick two. With m and n natural/whole numbers/integers, 2m and 2n are even numbers. When we multiply them, we get 4mn. This is even, since it is twice a natural/whole/integer 2*(2mn).

YOU SPEAK IN TONGUES!

 

[rewebster]

I had a spinster history teacher who complained there was a communist under every bed except hers.

did everyone else in the commune have bunk beds except her?

 

[Hop1pop]

I had a spinster history teacher who complained there was a communist under every bed except hers.

LOL , sounds kinda like a perv... with latent sexual fetishes involving communists...

 

[Hop1pop]

We pray to Odin, and he gives us the inspriration.

Really, I don't know why. Perhaps because (despite all the associations with nerds) it's the coolest thing ever conceived by man.

I give you thumbs up, I like your post, it is funny :P

 

[Norman]

To me, math is a tool. I don't enjoy it anymore than I enjoy a hammer or a knife. What I do enjoy is utilizing it to solve problems that are interesting to me.

 

[xxChrisxx]

To me, math is a tool. I don't enjoy it anymore than I enjoy a hammer or a knife. What I do enjoy is utilizing it to solve problems that are interesting to me.

This x 1000.

 

[kntsy]

Math is more precise than other subjects. Other subjects(esp.social science or culture) just require you to write an essay on sth and there is no definite answer. Math is not about your opinions good or bad;but about your answers right or wrong.

 

[Mentallic]

Oh my god, that is so dull.

It's just an example!

 

[stevenb]

It's just an example!

It could just be a dull example, or perhaps "luster" is in the eye of the mathematician.

 

[Hop1pop]

Math is more precise than other subjects. Other subjects(esp.social science or culture) just require you to write an essay on sth and there is no definite answer. Math is not about your opinions good or bad;but about your answers right or wrong.

maybe that is why i don't like math very much, i have a hard time remembering equations and the steps that are needed to get a certain number.

I am more skilled with opinions and what not.

 

[Hop1pop]

It could just be a dull example, or perhaps "luster" is in the eye of the mathematician.

yeah, like how that teacher thought that everyone had a commie rapist under their beds.

 

[Proton Soup]

It could just be a dull example, or perhaps "luster" is in the eye of the mathematician.

when people talk about "beauty" in mathematics, i wonder if this is what they mean.

 

[The Chaz]

Oh my god, that is so dull.

As your god, I declare this to be not dull.
What "interesting problems" do you solve with math?

 

[Norman]

As your god, I declare this to be not dull.
What "interesting problems" do you solve with math?

For the reference trapped electron radiation environment of Jupiter, what is the best shielding configuration of Aluminum and Tantalum to minimize the ionizing dose at a depth of 10 mils in silicon for a 108 day Jovian tour.

Is that interesting enough? I thought it was.

 

[Hop1pop]

For the reference trapped electron radiation environment of Jupiter, what is the best shielding configuration of Aluminum and Tantalum to minimize the ionizing dose at a depth of 10 mils in silicon for a 108 day Jovian tour.

Is that interesting enough? I thought it was.

could you explain this in stupid form please?

 

[xxChrisxx]

As your god, I declare this to be not dull.
What "interesting problems" do you solve with math?

Calculations to make engines that operate at the very limits of the material or a well balanced chassis to go rounds corners quickly.

Very loud, very fast cars are infinitely more interesting and awesome that the equations that are used to design them.

The maths in a means to an end, nothing more.

 

[Klockan3]

Maths is a subject that gets more beautiful the more of it you understand, after a while you get to a level where nothing else can even compare. Who cares about some car when you have the logical fabric of the universe unraveling in front of your eyes?

 

[xxChrisxx]

Who cares about some car when you have the logical fabric of the universe unraveling in front of your eyes?

This is why engineers are inherently more cool than mathematicians.

 

[bp_psy]

I am more skilled with opinions and what not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0if7dj-bTI
Logic is what I like about math.

 

[Klockan3]

This is why engineers are inherently more cool than mathematicians.

According to engineers... It is not like most people find any of them cool anyway.

 

[xxChrisxx]

According to engineers... It is not like most people find any of them cool anyway.

They find the products (real tangible things) we make cool, stuff we produce doesn't have the effect of sending the room to sleep.

Mechanical Engineers > All other engineers > Maths nerds.
(guess what I do for a living

 

[Klockan3]

They find the products (real tangible things) we make cool, stuff we produce doesn't have the effect of sending the room to sleep.

If you are talking about what you do then you wouldn't keep anyone awake either. A few might be interested in the results but they are just interesting in expensive cars with powerful engines and not the engineering brilliance behind it.

As an anology, just about everyone loves what computers provides but they have no interest in the work behind it all, beginning with the first steps when quantum mechanics was invented, to solid state physics where they invented the transistors, to circuit theory kicking off for real, to discrete maths which was always the stepchild now got into the spotlight since it proved to be extremely useful.

The difference is that different people operate at different levels, the car mechanic is closer to the end product than the mechanical engineer who is still closer than the physicist.
Now the reason you think that your work is cool is because you are preoccupied with how cool you think that the end result is, but your work in itself is extremely dull compared to more pure problems.

Edit: And I am not a math nerd, I got an engineering degree in addition to maths and physics. Engineering is just too dull for me.

 

[Norman]

could you explain this in stupid form please?

NASA JPL will be sending a satellite to Jupiter sometime in the future. Previous Jupiter satellite missions have measured the radiation environment around Jupiter. When those previous missions were designed, they were over-engineered to account for our uncertainty in the radiation environment. That means much higher mission costs because you need to put more, possibly unnecessary, mass into space. More mass, means much larger launch costs.

Since we have a better understanding of the radiation environment, a more detailed study of the types of material and configuration of that material for a satellite is needed. So, for the known trapped electron (also, protons and heavier ions, but electrons are the most intense) radiation environment, how do you minimize mass but still have scientific instruments which will not fail. The radiation will destroy (virtually) all non-shielded electronics.

 

[The Chaz]

They find the products (real tangible things) we make cool, stuff we produce doesn't have the effect of sending the room to sleep.

Mechanical Engineers > All other engineers > Maths nerds.
(guess what I do for a living

an equally ridiculous (though more obvious in its fallacy) statement would be "english > all other Latin-based languages > Latin"

 

[bp_psy]

an equally ridiculous (though more obvious in its fallacy) statement would be "english > all other Latin-based languages > Latin"

Do you mean that Mechanical engineering is not a type of engineering.

 

[xxChrisxx]

an equally ridiculous (though more obvious in its fallacy) statement would be "english > all other Latin-based languages > Latin"

Way too serious bud. Next time i'll include:

[JOKE]
Joke text here.
[/JOKE]

For your convenience, as clearly the tongue out emoticon was not obvious enough to convey the intent.

 

[stevenb]

Mechanical Engineers > All other engineers > Maths nerds.
(guess what I do for a living

I got the joke but I prefer my version.

Electrical Engineers > Theoretical Physisists > Mechanical Engineers > All other engineers > Maths nerds. (can you guess what I do?)

Note that Theoretical Physicists used to be last, but the television show "Big Band Theory" has them moving up the coolness chart, and soon they will overtake Electrical Engineers. They may even break out of the dungeon and encroach into the lower levels of the next sub-group, thus placing Librarians in jeopardy.

 

[xxChrisxx]

Urgh! Electrickery, do not want.