Mathematics

The truth is, anyone can be good at math. All you need is patience, practice, and someone who can start you off with a clear explanation on how things work.

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Being a mathematician is kind of like being a handyman:

 

1. Someone calls you up with a problem.

 

2. You go over and check out the problem.

 

3. Based on what you see, you identify what’s causing trouble.

Maybe you can use common sense to see what the problem is. Or maybe you have lots of experience and have dealt with something like this before. Or maybe you have no idea what’s going on, and you need to ask around for help and do some research.

 

4. You open your toolbox and see what tools you have.

 

Do you need wire cutters and a soldering kit? Do you need a ladder, net, and cat treats? Or do you need some log and exponent rules to extract a pesky x trapped inside an equation?

 

5. You come up with a plan to fix the problem.

 

Your plan will be based on your analysis and your available tools. This plan might include building or buying additional tools. Or maybe using an existing tool in a creative manner.

 

6. You get everything together and take a first shot at fixing the problem.

 

 

In order to be a good mathematician, you need:

 

• A good toolkit - each time you learn a new skill in math, you’re adding a new tool to your toolbox.

 

• Experience - the first time you see a tough problem, you might have to ask for help or do some research (or peek at the answer). But the second, third, fourth, … n-th time you encounter this kind of problem, you’ll know exactly what to do – because you’ve done it before!

 

• The courage to ask questions  - when we ask questions, we humble ourselves in the pursuit of becoming better. That is a very noble and brave thing to do.