I actually learned math in physics class. Because in physics class, the equations mean something. They represent a relationship between things that you can grasp. There are built-in sniff tests. You can go “Wait, the ball rolled off the table and then…started moving toward the ceiling? That’s not right, where did I…Oh I subtracted a negative number, I should have added a negative number.”
From Kindergarten up to about middle school, they teach by practical example. “You have two apples, and you buy two more, you have four apples.” “If you have two pizzas, each cut into 8 slices, you eat 5 slices from one and 6 slices from another, how many pizzas do you have left?” That stopped entirely in middle school to be replaced with “Here are abstract rules to apply to abstract numbers, and instead of explaining why here are paragraphs of “proofs” written in a logic system we won’t teach you anything about and therefore mean nothing to you, memorize it verbatim so you can write it on the test.”
Yeah I’m not compatible with math class as I’ve seen it taught. I can do math when it means something. Arbitrary meaningless bullshit busywork full of gotchas? Nah, I’m not doing it.
My third grade teacher told me that negative numbers didn’t exist because having less than zero is impossible. I think I’m justified in being bitter about my education.
So you’re bad at maths and extremely bitter about it. Ok.
I actually learned math in physics class. Because in physics class, the equations mean something. They represent a relationship between things that you can grasp. There are built-in sniff tests. You can go “Wait, the ball rolled off the table and then…started moving toward the ceiling? That’s not right, where did I…Oh I subtracted a negative number, I should have added a negative number.”
From Kindergarten up to about middle school, they teach by practical example. “You have two apples, and you buy two more, you have four apples.” “If you have two pizzas, each cut into 8 slices, you eat 5 slices from one and 6 slices from another, how many pizzas do you have left?” That stopped entirely in middle school to be replaced with “Here are abstract rules to apply to abstract numbers, and instead of explaining why here are paragraphs of “proofs” written in a logic system we won’t teach you anything about and therefore mean nothing to you, memorize it verbatim so you can write it on the test.”
Yeah I’m not compatible with math class as I’ve seen it taught. I can do math when it means something. Arbitrary meaningless bullshit busywork full of gotchas? Nah, I’m not doing it.
My third grade teacher told me that negative numbers didn’t exist because having less than zero is impossible. I think I’m justified in being bitter about my education.