Some advice for someone who hasn't a clue

[NelsonsXanadu]

Hey everyone, I'm new to your community here, and before I ask my questions, I'd just like for you know that I'm horrible at math. I'm really really bad at it, but I love it! Its one of those love / hate relationships that I really wish would be reconciled. I have a very bizarre fascination with loops, paradoxes and things of that nature. Things that repeat, self reference and loop are just infinitely cool to me. When I was young I learned that pi never ended, but would keep repeating to infinity, that concept really blew me away. Anyway, I'm in a community college right now, and I love the idea of majoring in a science but I really am scared garbageless of math. I was thinking about taking a major in Information Science and Technology at Rutgers. Cause I also like computers, and information techy type stuff. I supposed I like the idea of math, and physics but I'm rubbish with anything past Algrebra II! I'm 22 now and I'd like to formulate some kind of plan in the near future, but it seems that the main subject I love, I wouldn't be able to succeed in.

 

[VeeEight]

Try leisurely reading some material on the topics. You mentioned you were interested in properties of pi. Try reading some analysis. The Mystery of the Aleph is a fun book to read. Formally, Understanding Analysis by Abbott good. The key is to understand the proofs and apply those to the sample exercises.

I'm not sure what Algebra II is but if you haven't studied basic calculus, you should. It can be tedious to learn and is not as fun as things like analysis or number theory, but it is fundamental if you want to get your degree in science.

 

[General_Sax]

"...but it seems that the main subject I love, I wouldn't be able to succeed in"

With an additude like that I'm inclined to agree with you.

You know the best thing about being "horrible" at something? It's far easier to get better at that thing.

 

[QuarkCharmer]

I'm no expert (on anything really), but I used to have a similar problem. When I was 15-22ish I enjoyed science and math, but I was absolutely horrible at calculations. I think a big factor there was my fear of the subject. Later in life I sort of tossed my fears away and went for it, obviously more mature than I was years before. I found that it only takes dedication, the ideas are not very complex, it just takes time, patience, and practice. I completed Algebra 1 in high school (or whatever the minimum algebra to graduate was) with a minimum grade possible and now I am doing fantastic in every math course I have taken.

It is really a cumulative subject, so it is really important that you go back and study what you have problems with. The foundation seems really important from my limited perspective.