Photographic memory and perfect gpa, but i have low intelligence.?

[sportsstar469]

whats up everybody i just wanted to talk to you guys about a problem I am having.i am currently a college student with 4.0 gpa. now this my sound great but I've just taken 30 credits of gen ed courses. not easy but not hard either. Spanish 1 and 2, intermediate algebra, sociology, gen biology lab etc. english 1 and english 2 anyway i was able to pass those classes by memorizing everything AND LIVING IN THE TUTORS OFFICES.. however i have no logic or common sense. now that I am in chemistry and trig, its really starting to show. i am extremely lost in chem lab. i do not know what to do. and it seems i have an inability to comprehend anything. i will ask my chem, math, or bio teacher for help on things that everyone else easily understands. however as theyre explaining it I am thinking to myself what the ? i don't understand still. at this point i feel embarrassed and just say i understand. i did stay after with my previous professors for a while after class, and that's the only way i got A's but I've been doing that for this semester and its not working.
how can i have an incredible memory, yet no intelligence? i used to be a smart kid. not only did i have a memory, but i was good at math, and could think on higher levels then most of my peers. i can remember things, but i can not apply things or interpret results. i am basically a stupid person with a camera for a mind. what's worse is i want to be a doctor so i am a math/science major. i know there are different types of intelligence but i feel like i don't fall into any of those groups. i can't comprehend things verbally, i am terrible with pictures and graphs, I am not good at music or sports, I am not logically nor do i have an utter presences of common sense. i think i might be borderline retarded. I am considering getting my IQ done, but i think I'm just going to drop out of school. what's funny is i had a job at a Christmas tree store and i had trouble learning how to stock the shelves with the hands on jobs has.

but yeah my dad wants me to be a doctor, but i don't think I am up for it. how did i go from being a smart kid to a dumb adult? i did harder chemistry as a 9th grader successfully then i could do now porrly. i think ill just change majors and become a kidnergarden teacher.

 

[leright]

Quit being so hard on yourself. Everyone feels dumb every once in a while. Just keep a positive attitude and keep studying hard.

 

[Phrak]

You may be cut-out for corportate management.

 

[symbolipoint]

Last paragraph from sportsstar469 said:

but yeah my dad wants me to be a doctor, but i don't think I am up for it. how did i go from being a smart kid to a dumb adult? i did harder chemistry as a 9th grader successfully then i could do now porrly. i think ill just change majors and become a kidnergarden teacher.

What your dad wants you to do can only be used as a start for a direction. What do YOU want to do? At some time, you must change major field of study to what you believe you want.

You did not do harder Chemistry in 9th grade than what you do now. If what you "do now" is not harder than in 9th grade, then you can do what you have now better. What you have now must be harder. Either your "now" class is easier and you do better than in grade 9, OR your "now" class is harder and you do poorer than in grade 9. Anything else is illogical.

Are you overloaded compared to your set of courses from 9th grade? You should read about lab activity exercises before lab class session and prepare yourself for the session. Create models and draw pictures to give yourself a feel and produce a map for help in directing yourself. This is early in the school year and you might be going into a transition unlike what you worked through previously.

 

[irises28]

Last paragraph from sportsstar469 said:
You did not do harder Chemistry in 9th grade than what you do now. If what you "do now" is not harder than in 9th grade, then you can do what you have now better. What you have now must be harder. Either your "now" class is easier and you do better than in grade 9, OR your "now" class is harder and you do poorer than in grade 9. Anything else is illogical.

I feel like I am a competent individual, but I didn't even follow you here.

But seriously, if you are better at memorizing things you may be pretty successful in chemisty/biology. Just because everyone seems to be understanding the material, doesn't mean they actually do. They may be having as much trouble as you and just embarrassed to admit it.

 

[sportsstar469]

Last paragraph from sportsstar469 said:

What your dad wants you to do can only be used as a start for a direction. What do YOU want to do? At some time, you must change major field of study to what you believe you want.

You did not do harder Chemistry in 9th grade than what you do now. If what you "do now" is not harder than in 9th grade, then you can do what you have now better. What you have now must be harder. Either your "now" class is easier and you do better than in grade 9, OR your "now" class is harder and you do poorer than in grade 9. Anything else is illogical.

Are you overloaded compared to your set of courses from 9th grade? You should read about lab activity exercises before lab class session and prepare yourself for the session. Create models and draw pictures to give yourself a feel and produce a map for help in directing yourself. This is early in the school year and you might be going into a transition unlike what you worked through previously.

well I am taking general chemistry 1 with lab. i am in college which i should have mentioned. in chapter 3 we are going to be covering moles. i am currently in chapter 1 however. when i was searching through my car i found an old worksheet from 11th grade(wasnt 9th my bad) and it was about solving moles and some harder stuff i don't remember. my point is i successfully completed chapter 3s material in 11th grade, whereas i can't even do dimensional analysis in chapter 1 as a college student.

yes i agree what i want to do is important.i've always wanted to do something math/science related. I've always looked up to people who could take calculus-differential equations and grasp it. i struggle with algebra. i don't enjoy math or science, i just wish i was good at it because no matter how well you can memorize something, true intelligence comes in the form of critical thinking skills!
but yeah sometimes you can take college classes that are easier than your high school classes. these aren't remedial classes or anything but my college offers remedial classes like arithmetic for people who are truly math deficient. those don't count for credit though. i actually had to take an elementary algebra class for no credit because i bombed the placement test. i then took intermediate alg/intro to trig in the summer. and now I am in college algebra/trig/pre calc? but I am struggling with basic function notation even though i aced the intermediate algebra in 6 weeks. but i memorized a lot of it didnt really learn so much.

yes i have an overloaded schedule. i have math, biology 102(gen bio 2) lecture and lab, chem 1 lecture and lab. 5 days a week.

btw i am an excellent speller i just type with two fingers sorry if this is illegible.
but i do have a pretty good memory. i can visually picture someone to an exact tee who I've seen as a child. i met my great grandmother maybe 5 times in my life and she died when i was like 6 but i can envision her exact details, her earings her dress her pearl necklace..this sounds wrong. but I've never been diagnosed with a photographic memory.

 

[sportsstar469]

I feel like I am a competent individual, but I didn't even follow you here.

But seriously, if you are better at memorizing things you may be pretty successful in chemisty/biology. Just because everyone seems to be understanding the material, doesn't mean they actually do. They may be having as much trouble as you and just embarrassed to admit it.

well the chem requires a lot of math. biology is cake for me. I am in biology 2 now, and i expect an A. biology is cake. we're just doing taxonomy. chem is math and my brain is not wired to well for math.
btw the quote you quoted wasnt posted by me, idk why it says i said that lol.

 

[thrill3rnit3]

Maybe you should try learning things without resorting to rote memorization first?

Try to convince yourself why something is true (in everything you learn) and not just accept it as fact. Usually you'd personally know if you have convinced yourself enough, or if your "proof" has some holes and inconsistencies. That's how I think you'll actually learn the material.

What parts of math/algebra are you struggling with, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[sportsstar469]

Maybe you should try learning things without resorting to rote memorization first?

Try to convince yourself why something is true (in everything you learn) and not just accept it as fact. Usually you'd personally know if you have convinced yourself enough, or if your "proof" has some holes and inconsistencies. That's how I think you'll actually learn the material.

What parts of math/algebra are you struggling with, if you don't mind me asking?

whats rote memorization? we're just reviewing function notation and the word problems get confusing for me. i wasnt to strong in right traingle trig so that unit should be fun...lol
i could try to learn the material without memorizing it however that would lead to me not passing the course. i am not really able to learn that way.

 

[symbolipoint]

My response to post #6:

Do not fool yourself about General Chemistry in college. It can be a HARD course. Would you consider backtracking a bit before you are in too far through the semester and do "Elementary Chemistry" instead? Also you NEED Intermediate Algebra competence in General Chemistry.

You really must UNDERSTAND Intermediate Algebra for much of what this leads to as a prerequisite: for Physics, for Pre-Calculus, for Trigonometry, for many other physical science courses including Engineering; even possibly for some mathematical modeling in biological sciences. If necessary study Intermediate Algebra again and master it!

 

[thrill3rnit3]

whats rote memorization?

It means relying purely on memorization to learn the material.

we're just reviewing function notation and the word problems get confusing for me. i wasnt to strong in right traingle trig so that unit should be fun...lol

Are you having trouble understanding the problem itself? Can you put the problem in mathematical terms (ie. an equation)? Or are you having trouble with the math itself (solving equations, etc.)?

i could try to learn the material without memorizing it however that would lead to me not passing the course.

Maybe that's the problem. The stuff isn't really sinking in because you're studying "to pass the course", not to learn the material itself. Of course if "passing the course" is your goal, whatever you learned today, you will forget tomorrow.

i am not really able to learn that way.

On the contrary, I don't think you're actually learning the material if you're just memorizing it. Say, for example, mathematics. No one is going to be able to "memorize" all the facts and equations and whatnot. You learn by understanding the concept behind it.

I see that you're in trigonometry. I'm pretty sure memorization won't help you in proving identities that much

 

[symbolipoint]

sportsstar469 continues:

whats rote memorization?

That just means, memorizing exactly what is seen or written but often or not necessarily with much understanding, but not necessarily excluding understanding.

we're just reviewing function notation and the word problems get confusing for me. i wasnt to strong in right traingle trig so that unit should be fun...lol
i could try to learn the material without memorizing it however that would lead to me not passing the course. i am not really able to learn that way.

Memorization cannot serve you as the only way to learn Algebra and Trigonometry. You need to understand the concepts and must think. This is why I say, learn Intermediate Algebra well. The skills and concepts carry over to the study and applications of Trigonometry. The function notation may be confusing at first, but then this requires study and practice. You learn about number functions in Intermediate Algebra. You must really learn how to express and work with function in written and graphic form so that you know by context when "f(x)" means "The function named 'f' with the independant variable 'x'", and when it means simply, "the number 'f' multiplied by 'x'". This may be a little confusing for a few hours during its introduction in Intermediate Algebra, but later in the course and certainly in Trigonometry, you must make the correct reading interpretation instantly.

 

[mal4mac]

i think ill just change majors and become a kidnergarden teacher.

Nope, being able to stack shelves is a major requirement for Kindergarten :-)

Heck, if you're getting A's just keep on getting A's! It doesn't matter if you're doing it by memorisation. What works ..er.. works! You might like to memorise "Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction" by Timothy Gowers. He says, if you don't understand something, just memorise the trick and move on. The penny might drop later. If not, don't worry, you have the trick memorised! You can still get the answer, which is what really counts. That'll get you the A, as you have found out. That'll also allow you to calculate bone density, or whatever doctors do.

Medical school involves a lot of memorisation, they're always complaining about it. All those Latin names of bones & vessels to learn. No need to know how to calculate much of anything. You should really shine there!

Patients are a lot easier to deal with than toddlers, be a doctor not a kindergarten teacher!

 

[sportsstar469]

My response to post #6:

Do not fool yourself about General Chemistry in college. It can be a HARD course. Would you consider backtracking a bit before you are in too far through the semester and do "Elementary Chemistry" instead? Also you NEED Intermediate Algebra competence in General Chemistry.

You really must UNDERSTAND Intermediate Algebra for much of what this leads to as a prerequisite: for Physics, for Pre-Calculus, for Trigonometry, for many other physical science courses including Engineering; even possibly for some mathematical modeling in biological sciences. If necessary study Intermediate Algebra again and master it!

who am i trying to fool? i said i thought gen chem was hard. but I've already discussed the curriculum with my professor, and i have done these things in 11th grade. i asked him about it. i am not repeating courses, i aced intermediate algebra i na 6 week accelerated summer session. my chem teacher says i have the concepts down I am just talking myself out of it. idk I am not so confident.the class I am in now is college algebra/trig/intro to precalc. but yeah I am not retaking classes. i understand enough, and i worked hard the first time. to be honest i only care about my degree and knowing what i have to do to get my degree. i don't even know what iwant to do yet i might just switch to education and ill have all my requirements.

It means relying purely on memorization to learn the material.



Are you having trouble understanding the problem itself? Can you put the problem in mathematical terms (ie. an equation)? Or are you having trouble with the math itself (solving equations, etc.)?



Maybe that's the problem. The stuff isn't really sinking in because you're studying "to pass the course", not to learn the material itself. Of course if "passing the course" is your goal, whatever you learned today, you will forget tomorrow.



On the contrary, I don't think you're actually learning the material if you're just memorizing it. Say, for example, mathematics. No one is going to be able to "memorize" all the facts and equations and whatnot. You learn by understanding the concept behind it.

I see that you're in trigonometry. I'm pretty sure memorization won't help you in proving identities that much

solving equations is like from pre algebra lol. i think i have some understanding other than memorization, but for like word problems i memorize how to do them. it just won't get solved by anyother way.

sportsstar469 continues:


That just means, memorizing exactly what is seen or written but often or not necessarily with much understanding, but not necessarily excluding understanding.


Memorization cannot serve you as the only way to learn Algebra and Trigonometry. You need to understand the concepts and must think. This is why I say, learn Intermediate Algebra well. The skills and concepts carry over to the study and applications of Trigonometry. The function notation may be confusing at first, but then this requires study and practice. You learn about number functions in Intermediate Algebra. You must really learn how to express and work with function in written and graphic form so that you know by context when "f(x)" means "The function named 'f' with the independant variable 'x'", and when it means simply, "the number 'f' multiplied by 'x'". This may be a little confusing for a few hours during its introduction in Intermediate Algebra, but later in the course and certainly in Trigonometry, you must make the correct reading interpretation instantly.

well i understood functio nnotation i nintermediate algebra, and i was able to get through last nights homework ok,just needed refreshing. if q is a function of for each x input there must be one output of q etc i understand that just word problems arent clear, and the unit conversions dimensional analysis gets messy in chemistry. but I've done dimensional analysis in elementary algebras back in the spring.

Nope, being able to stack shelves is a major requirement for Kindergarten :-)

Heck, if you're getting A's just keep on getting A's! It doesn't matter if you're doing it by memorisation. What works ..er.. works! You might like to memorise "Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction" by Timothy Gowers. He says, if you don't understand something, just memorise the trick and move on. The penny might drop later. If not, don't worry, you have the trick memorised! You can still get the answer, which is what really counts. That'll get you the A, as you have found out. That'll also allow you to calculate bone density, or whatever doctors do.

Medical school involves a lot of memorisation, they're always complaining about it. All those Latin names of bones & vessels to learn. No need to know how to calculate much of anything. You should really shine there!

Patients are a lot easier to deal with than toddlers, be a doctor not a kindergarten teacher!

yeah i agree what ever works works imo. I am not going to kill myself to ask why the square root of a negative number like -9 is 3i. even though i know that's cause its an imaginary number. ill ust memorize that that's how it should be. but we haven't even talked about imaginary numbers in this class that is from my intermediate algebra class fro mthe summer. i was just trying to make a point.im going to check out that book though it sound pretty nice.

 

[thrill3rnit3]

solving equations is like from pre algebra lol. i think i have some understanding other than memorization, but for like word problems i memorize how to do them. it just won't get solved by anyother way.

So if the instructor decides to slightly vary the problem for the test, then you're pretty much screwed because you didn't "memorize" how to do that specific problem.

Meanwhile, if you actually take the time to analyze why the problem was done that way, then no matter how the instructor toys around with the problem you're not going to have any problems with it. Also, you begin to realize that that is not the only way to do the problem, which in turn gives you the flexibility to approach the problem however way is most comfortable to you.

Just trust me with this, since some point in my life (albeit a young one), I've thought of resorting to memorization, until I finally realized its ramifications.

 

[sportsstar469]

So if the instructor decides to slightly vary the problem for the test, then you're pretty much screwed because you didn't "memorize" how to do that specific problem.

Meanwhile, if you actually take the time to analyze why the problem was done that way, then no matter how the instructor toys around with the problem you're not going to have any problems with it. Also, you begin to realize that that is not the only way to do the problem, which in turn gives you the flexibility to approach the problem however way is most comfortable to you.

Just trust me with this, since some point in my life (albeit a young one), I've thought of resorting to memorization, until I finally realized its ramifications.

well I am sure the problem will be varied i mean in my previous math class there were tons of variations. i don't know what I am supposed to understand. the way math is taught i nschools, is that you need to learn HOW TO DO MATH. learn the quadratic formula, learn,factoring,learn rationals.learn how t osolve for y. i mean but what does it all mean? i know that solving an equation you are finding the y value but youre not tought why that is important. that's not how math is taught nowadays.

 

[sportsstar469]

wow i didnt think this was possible but today in biology a student who sat next to me said he bombed the quiz. I am like is this hard for you he said yes i can not recognize things and momorization is hard for me. i saw he had a math syllabus I am like what math are you in. he's like...calc 3... I am like wtf? i figured if you could do math yo uwere smart enough to rule the universe in my opinion.btw i had a question. I am still trying to convince myself I am not stupid. i have been trying to multiply big numbers in my head. if i can multiply a number like 6945x3 in my head and get the right answer is that at all impressive? or is that 3rd grade material. like i don't even write the problem down i have to remember the problem and work it out all in my head. also when dealing with the number i listed above you have a lot of numbers that you need to carry over and **** to the next groups.
if its not impressive tell me the truth i can take it LOLS.

 

[pr0blumz]

You didn't need College Algebra before enrolling in Chemistry? At my school, we had to have it already or be enrolled into two simultaneously. Don't feel bad. I tutored my girlfriend last semester who was totally clueless and she got an A and I got a B in College Algebra. She still laughs at me about that.

 

[sportsstar469]

You didn't need College Algebra before enrolling in Chemistry? At my school, we had to have it already or be enrolled into two simultaneously.

i had to pass intermediate algebra, which was algebra 2 with some trig thrown in there (right triangle)

 

[Tiger99]

I agree that it sounds like you're being really hard on yourself. You say you "can't" do a lot of things. But I think maybe when you try you spend the whole time thinking about how you can't do it. Your mind can only think so many things at once, and it sounds like you're focussing all its energy on negative self-talk. I have this problem sometimes too actually.

Maybe you could try writing down what goes through your head when next time you try to solve a chemistry problem.

(I mean the stuff like "I'm never going to be able to do this. I can't even stock shelves. I'm really not intelligent. That other guy is smarter than me and he couldn't do it, so how am I supposed to? All I can do is memorise.")

Then once you've got that all cleared out, put it aside and think about chemistry instead.

 

[Feldoh]

My 5 year-old cousin can multiply numbers together through memorization, but has no clue what it means.

Memorizing is not learning if you can't do anything with the material.

 

[keniwas]

wow i didnt think this was possible but today in biology a student who sat next to me said he bombed the quiz. I am like is this hard for you he said yes i can not recognize things and momorization is hard for me. i saw he had a math syllabus I am like what math are you in. he's like...calc 3... I am like wtf? i figured if you could do math yo uwere smart enough to rule the universe in my opinion.


btw i had a question. I am still trying to convince myself I am not stupid. i have been trying to multiply big numbers in my head. if i can multiply a number like 6945x3 in my head and get the right answer is that at all impressive? or is that 3rd grade material. like i don't even write the problem down i have to remember the problem and work it out all in my head. also when dealing with the number i listed above you have a lot of numbers that you need to carry over and **** to the next groups.
if its not impressive tell me the truth i can take it LOLS.

Alot of what you are saying gives the impression that you want people to feel sorry for you. Negative self-talk often leads to this sort of mindset where you recognize (just as is happening now with this fourm) that all this bashing yourself gets people to respond. Truthfully it's a behavior you should avoid because it's much easier to convince yourself that you are incapable of something than it is for someone else to convince you that you are capable.

That much aside, as to your question about doing calculations in your head. There is nothing about being able to multiply large numbers in your head that makes you intelligent. If your brain is wired that way then that is great, god knows I wish mine was. However this doesn't suggest anything of intelligence. Take the Oliver Sacks Twins for example, neither could read or perform basic multiplication. Yet both were able to instantly recognize and generate prime numbers. No trivial feat.

Most people who can perform huge multiplications in their head are quoted as saying they don't even see the numbers while they do it, they usually associate the constituent products with shapes or symbols or words etc...

The real question is how you can use that ability intelligently. The Sacks twins clearly had some piece of insight that the rest of us are devoid of, but sadly all they ever did was used it to play a game with each other. One could probably say Riemann had a similar intuition about the primes, the difference between the two cases is that Riemann used his ability in a constructive manner, while the twins (whether it was because they were incapable of doing so or not) didn't. This in my opinion is where somone could talk about the intelligence of Riemann vs the twins.

That said, there is nothing wrong with feeling challenged at something you enjoy doing. I am a physics student and can do most of the difficult derivations I encounter with ease while others can't see the algebra like I do. However, give me a numerical problem and I almost always choke. I can't explain why, I just don't see the numbers the same way I see the algebra, even though they are so closely related.

Stop being so hard on yourself, and most importantly stop trying to make people pity you. You will find that once you stop feeding on the attention gained by telling people you are a failure, you will find you are much more capable than you allow yourself to believe.

 

[sportsstar469]

I agree that it sounds like you're being really hard on yourself. You say you "can't" do a lot of things. But I think maybe when you try you spend the whole time thinking about how you can't do it. Your mind can only think so many things at once, and it sounds like you're focussing all its energy on negative self-talk. I have this problem sometimes too actually.

Maybe you could try writing down what goes through your head when next time you try to solve a chemistry problem.

(I mean the stuff like "I'm never going to be able to do this. I can't even stock shelves. I'm really not intelligent. That other guy is smarter than me and he couldn't do it, so how am I supposed to? All I can do is memorise.")

Then once you've got that all cleared out, put it aside and think about chemistry instead.

that sounds like a great idea and i think you're right. ill try that next time.

My 5 year-old cousin can multiply numbers together through memorization, but has no clue what it means.

Memorizing is not learning if you can't do anything with the material.

how is multiplying a 4 digit number buy another number in my head memorizing it? i actually do the whole problem in my head i go through all the steps i don't use any of those online techniques. i carry the numbers etc the same way you would on paper. but it sounds like your cousin is very smart!

Alot of what you are saying gives the impression that you want people to feel sorry for you. Negative self-talk often leads to this sort of mindset where you recognize (just as is happening now with this fourm) that all this bashing yourself gets people to respond. Truthfully it's a behavior you should avoid because it's much easier to convince yourself that you are incapable of something than it is for someone else to convince you that you are capable.

That much aside, as to your question about doing calculations in your head. There is nothing about being able to multiply large numbers in your head that makes you intelligent. If your brain is wired that way then that is great, god knows I wish mine was. However this doesn't suggest anything of intelligence. Take the Oliver Sacks Twins for example, neither could read or perform basic multiplication. Yet both were able to instantly recognize and generate prime numbers. No trivial feat.

Most people who can perform huge multiplications in their head are quoted as saying they don't even see the numbers while they do it, they usually associate the constituent products with shapes or symbols or words etc...

The real question is how you can use that ability intelligently. The Sacks twins clearly had some piece of insight that the rest of us are devoid of, but sadly all they ever did was used it to play a game with each other. One could probably say Riemann had a similar intuition about the primes, the difference between the two cases is that Riemann used his ability in a constructive manner, while the twins (whether it was because they were incapable of doing so or not) didn't. This in my opinion is where somone could talk about the intelligence of Riemann vs the twins.

That said, there is nothing wrong with feeling challenged at something you enjoy doing. I am a physics student and can do most of the difficult derivations I encounter with ease while others can't see the algebra like I do. However, give me a numerical problem and I almost always choke. I can't explain why, I just don't see the numbers the same way I see the algebra, even though they are so closely related.

Stop being so hard on yourself, and most importantly stop trying to make people pity you. You will find that once you stop feeding on the attention gained by telling people you are a failure, you will find you are much more capable than you allow yourself to believe.

i guess i just need to work harder and stop being a negative nancy/

 

[boboYO]

that sounds like a great idea and i think you're right. ill try that next time.how is multiplying a 4 digit number buy another number in my head memorizing it? i actually do the whole problem in my head i go through all the steps i don't use any of those online techniques. i carry the numbers etc the same way you would on paper. but it sounds like your cousin is very smart!

if you can multiplication of big numbers in your head the same way you do it on paper all it means is that you have a good enough memory to keep track of all the numbers. your question was, 'is that impressive' and i guess the answer is yes, it's impressive, but it has nothing to do with intelligence.

 

[emyt]

I probably couldn't multiply 6945 x 3 in my head (quickly) , but I wouldn't care to practise that skill either - it's conceptually boring.

 

[sportsstar469]

if you can multiplication of big numbers in your head the same way you do it on paper all it means is that you have a good enough memory to keep track of all the numbers. your question was, 'is that impressive' and i guess the answer is yes, it's impressive, but it has nothing to do with intelligence.

fair enough i guess i was just saying i didnt ''memorize how to do it'' i appplied the concepts used to multiply numbers.

I probably couldn't multiply 6945 x 3 in my head, but I wouldn't care to practise that skill either - it's conceptually boring.

yeah. do you guys have any advice on how to be better at unit conversion problems for chemistry.

 

[Feldoh]

how is multiplying a 4 digit number buy another number in my head memorizing it? i actually do the whole problem in my head i go through all the steps i don't use any of those online techniques. i carry the numbers etc the same way you would on paper. but it sounds like your cousin is very smart!

If you go through all the steps then you didn't just memorize it, you actually know what it means to multiply. My cousin knows that 5*5=25 but he doesn't know what it means or how to do it, he simply knows that when someone says 5 times 5 it's 25, etc...

 

[sportsstar469]

If you go through all the steps then you didn't just memorize it, you actually know what it means to multiply. My cousin knows that 5*5=25 but he doesn't know what it means or how to do it, he simply knows that when someone says 5 times 5 it's 25, etc...

exactly...but i didnt multiply 5x5 i took my knowledge of 5x5 and applied it to solve a problem i hadnt memorized... i still don't see how youre saying i memorized it and didnt apply concepts, or that i don't know what it means to multiply... if i multiplied 10x6 i could understand...but i applied myself and did a 4 digit by another number.

 

[Feldoh]

It's an analogy, I'm just saying that if all you do is memorize things without logically thinking about it that you really have not learned anything.

Obviously in the case of multiplication you have learned something where as my cousin has not since he just memorized a table.

Make sense?

I'm not saying memorization is bad, it's only bad when all that you've done is memorize information rather than thinking about it.

 

[symbolipoint]

Originally Posted by Feldoh

If you go through all the steps then you didn't just memorize it, you actually know what it means to multiply. My cousin knows that 5*5=25 but he doesn't know what it means or how to do it, he simply knows that when someone says 5 times 5 it's 25, etc...

Response from sportsstar469

exactly...but i didnt multiply 5x5 i took my knowledge of 5x5 and applied it to solve a problem i hadnt memorized... i still don't see how youre saying i memorized it and didnt apply concepts, or that i don't know what it means to multiply... if i multiplied 10x6 i could understand...but i applied myself and did a 4 digit by another number.

That is knowing a basic multiplication fact. You still understand the fact and there is no conflict in both of these being true.

Your question about unit conversions for Chemistry is essentially just slightly elaborate use of multiplication involving ratios. Each ratio typically has two units; one for each number. You can choose to use a ratio in one form or in its reciprocal form. You just must be certain to keep the units where they belong.

 

[sportsstar469]

It's an analogy, I'm just saying that if all you do is memorize things without logically thinking about it that you really have not learned anything.

Obviously in the case of multiplication you have learned something where as my cousin has not since he just memorized a table.

Make sense?

I'm not saying memorization is bad, it's only bad when all that you've done is memorize information rather than thinking about it.

yeah well i guess its a 70/30 split for me lol in the favor of memorization.

Originally Posted by Feldoh Response from sportsstar469

That is knowing a basic multiplication fact. You still understand the fact and there is no conflict in both of these being true.

Your question about unit conversions for Chemistry is essentially just slightly elaborate use of multiplication involving ratios. Each ratio typically has two units; one for each number. You can choose to use a ratio in one form or in its reciprocal form. You just must be certain to keep the units where they belong.

i just get pretty confused on english to metric conversions. like i know how to start the problem but i don't know the first step. once i have the first conversion I am usually OK.

what io mean is i know i have to draw the lines and at the beginning put my starting units and at the end put my ending units but i can't make the first conversion step.

 

[symbolipoint]

i just get pretty confused on english to metric conversions. like i know how to start the problem but i don't know the first step. once i have the first conversion I am usually OK.

There are a couple of typical, classic exercises which you should try, since almost everybody knows the relevant ratios without needing to look for them in any reference book:

How many inches are in 1.000 mile?

How many seconds are in 1.00 year?

Each of those rely on more than just one ratio each. You would need a trail of conversion ratios to reach the results. Try working through those sample exercises and you will learn to think clearly about proportions and unit conversions.

 

[thrill3rnit3]

The key thing in those types of conversions is to cancel unneeded units out (and convert them to needed units), so set up your fractions/ratios to make sure that happens.

 

[sportsstar469]

There are a couple of typical, classic exercises which you should try, since almost everybody knows the relevant ratios without needing to look for them in any reference book:

How many inches are in 1.000 mile?

How many seconds are in 1.00 year?

Each of those rely on more than just one ratio each. You would need a trail of conversion ratios to reach the results. Try working through those sample exercises and you will learn to think clearly about proportions and unit conversions.

ok I am going to try those. just curious why you put those 0's after the decimals? those zeros are signifigant right? 1.000 is 4 sigs and 1.00 is 3?
im assuming those are 1 mile and 1 year .

the first one i got 1/6960 inches which makes no sense LOL
i did1 inch over 1
then in the next square i did 1 ft over 12 inches and canceled out inches
then in the next square i did 1 mile over 5280 feet
then i multiplied and got 1/6969...
lol i thought these types were easy iwas strugglign with the much much harder ones LMFAO now i have to go and elarn theese ones -_-.
not going to do the second one because I am not sure wheere i messed up here lols.

i thought iw as supposed to start with 1 inch over 1 and then put 12 inches on the bottom of the enxt square to cancel out, but apparently i mixed up the orders. i don't understand this.

 

[symbolipoint]

sportsstar469,
Other important guidance thrill3rnit3 gave you. You must arrange the ratios properly so that you can cancel units.
At least you recognize that your result was wrong, and you seemed to identify the correct ratios to use. Continue those exercises, since you may find the correct arrangments and correct results.

Look at what you start with; decide what kind of result you want.
For the one mile to how many inches, you know you are starting with ONE MILE, and you want a result of INCHES.

Forget about the significant figures for just now. Focus on the use of ratios to make the units conversions.

 

[sportsstar469]

sportsstar469,
Other important guidance thrill3rnit3 gave you. You must arrange the ratios properly so that you can cancel units.
At least you recognize that your result was wrong, and you seemed to identify the correct ratios to use. Continue those exercises, since you may find the correct arrangments and correct results.

Look at what you start with; decide what kind of result you want.
For the one mile to how many inches, you know you are starting with ONE MILE, and you want a result of INCHES.

Forget about the significant figures for just now. Focus on the use of ratios to make the units conversions.

LMAO i think i got confused because you said inches first. in reality i should be STARTING with miles. miles is my known and I am LOOKING for inches. wow i really do not have any common sense its pretty scary. but i do understand now. 63360 inches.

yeah i did realize my answer made no snse. because obviously there had to be 5280 times 12 inches in one mile. (there's 5280 feet in one mile and 12 inches in a foot) i knew that before doing the problem but i wanted to make sure icould do it properly..which i guess i couldn't!
a lot of the problems on the quiz will be ahrder though. like density problems, and like problems where you are going from like meter/second to miles per hour

 

[symbolipoint]

a lot of the problems on the quiz will be ahrder though. like density problems, and like problems where you are going from like meter/second to miles per hour

You will be using the SAME mathematical concept.

 

[sportsstar469]

You will be using the SAME mathematical concept.

im sure that is true but it is still way more difficult for me. my chem teacher said the same thing as you though. he said dave its the same thing you just WANT to do something different and make up rules. but its the same thing. btw i lost my chem folder so i don't have my polyatomic ions sheet...great...
sulfate i so4 with a neg 2 charge right?