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Poll: are you good at math? More

Poll: are you good at math?

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  • B) (Score:1)

    by Deamos ( 108051 )
    Well sorta.

    Algebra I am ok at, Trig I never really got into.

    Then again I was a SLACKER in high school and only discovered around Senior year that with a minimum of effort (really) that I could have had solid A's and B's all through high school.

    The sole exception being physics which I could not for the life of me; no matter how much I studied, get above a C. Why? The math.

  • I'm pretty good at math. I've always struggled some with Calculus, but in every other area from Linear Algebra, to normal Algebra to Discrete Math, I've excelled. I don't know what it is about Calculus that I struggle with, but it almost seems too... theoretical? at times. Probably not the word I'm looking for.

    • C for me too. I'm more of a natural at Lit/English/etc., and have to work a bit harder on math, but I usually get it.

      The trick with Calculus is getting used to "rates", "rate of rates", "maxima", "minima", etc. It's really pretty cool once you get your head around all that. Analytic Geometry was really cool. Rotating shapes in space and what not--helped me really visualize 3 dimensions better.

      I was very lucky to have an EXCELLENT Calc prof for Calc I & II. He made it seem so easy. He used to say
    • Same here, but reverse it, kinda. Good at Algebra and Calculus, but forget the rest.
    • I have some problems with Calculus, but most of it is simply remembering it, now. I am "good" at math - I was a year ahead of the "year ahead" programs (algebra in seventh grade, geometry in eighth, calculus as a junior in high school) - but definately not the best of the above-average.

      I'm terrible at working radicals into and out of equations while solving. I always have a hard time wrapping my mind around it, and I don't know why.

      This is where I get weird and scare people...

      I do math for fun. When I'm
  • FYI - A physicist is probably better at math than an aerospace engineer (rocket scientist).

    Have a math minor, used to be fantastic at it. Don't use it enough now-a-days, though...
    • Have a math minor

      Doesn't everybody and their pet sheep? It's usually only a couple more classes than the engineering major requires. In my case, I was actually missing the easiest math class in the entire freaking world, because I was not a CSci major. Took discrete my senior year with a bunch of freshman CScis. Good times.
      • It required 4 more math courses. Dunno why not every engineer already has one. And, besides, if you are an engineer, you should be pretty damn good at math (sure, I use a calculator and show all the steps when I work it out on paper... does that mean I suck at math or I just like to keep a trail of work?).
        • Well, I do it because I suck. I can't keep track of anything in my head. I have to show my work, or risk giving somebody a wrong number and appearing incompetent.

          But maybe you were scarred by one "-6 Show work!" too many in your undergrad years. :^)
  • But my wife pwns math.

    In fact when I took trig-- the teacher was horrific. I learned nothing and got an A-- she (the spouse) was livid. She knew I didn't know jack and there was no way I deserved the grade. I like bragging on her and her math degree.
  • Ok. I'm good at math relative to the entire populous, but probably not so much relative to the subset of creatures that is slashdot.

    Like all good little engineers, I took math through Calc 4/5 with some bonus stats, discrete, and numerical analysis thrown in. I never failed a math class, but I came damn close with Calc 3.

    But...oh. my. god. I cannot do arithmetic in my head. I can't make estimates as to whether something will increase or decrease if you change a particular factor. I can't even keep tr
    • All of the engineering math (the full fun of calculus, differential equations, statistics, etc.) plus a linear algebra and matrix theory course.

      But I, too, can't do basic math in my head. However, I have a knack for solving variables magically.

      And I want to smack the person that taught me "touch-point" in elementary school. GAH! Now, when I add, you see little dots all over my page. eVil. These tricks they teach you when you're young are lingering beasts when you get older.
      • Linear is required for engineers where I come from. Well, "Linear Alebra with Differential Equations" is required, but the school I was at only offered them as separate classes, so I had to take both Linear Algebra and Differential Equations, which kind of sucked. (Though it turns out those two are the only useful calc-based classes, and everything else was just a bunch o' prerequisites.)

    • Re:A... (Score:2)

      by Otter ( 3800 )
      Ok. I'm good at math relative to the entire populous, but probably not so much relative to the subset of creatures that is slashdot.

      I've forgotten pretty much every bit of calculus I've ever learned, which wasn't all that much to begin with.

      On the other hand, I'm pretty strong in statistics for a non-specialist, and I'm Karl Freaking Gauss compared to the statistical imbeciles of Slashdot.

  • If the weather's right.

    There's some chaos theory for you. Try to compute the volume under that curve.
  • I can do algebra and basic trig 'til the cows come home. I think I could handle calculus (it's been a number of years since I last took a class), but I'm very much out of practice.
  • Can you not see I am serious about calculator?

    A)

    A the mother-fucking-A A.

    I am teh suck at math.
  • Definately F. I'm taking 094 for the 4th semister now. I think my Dain is Brammaged.

    Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
    Reason: You can type more than that for your subject. (Bastards! My original subject was 'F')

  • D-E (Score:2)

    by Abm0raz ( 668337 )
    In high school, I was one of those freak kids that could multiply 4 digit numbers in my head ... since then i found beer and it's down to 2 digit.

    In 8th grade I finished first in regionals and 9th in the state in MathCounts (crappy-ass 'try and make nerds feel better about themselves' competition). I almost didn't make states cause I had strep throat. I wasn't allowed to enjoy the pool party or any of the social aspects (even in 8th grade, what few girls that were there woulda looked hot in bathing suits
  • About 83% of the time I have no problem, but the other 37% of the time I can't handle math.
  • Sorry... I still wonder how I got my computer science degree. I was told there was much maths in it.
  • And the feeling is mutual. :-)
  • I like to think of myself as a math god, but truth is that I am closer to very good than very divine. There hasn't been enough extracurricular math in my life.
  • Does that mean I'm good at math for taking such an advanced class, insane because I'm taking it for fun, or bad because I failed the exam?
  • = 1B

  • I got a degree in math. I was majoring in Mechanical Engineering for a while but took a semester in Nuclear Physics and decided that I was not that insane after all.

  • though i rarely use it. when i'm doing a lot of thinking about personal issues/trying to work my way through life, i often come up with mathmatical ideas. i remember i only got a 700 on the math section of the SAT, but i got a perfect score on the math section of the ACT. highest math class i ever took was linear algebra, so there's a lot of high level math stuff i never got around to.
  • I'm not a rocket scientist, but my other third has degrees in physics, astrophysics and space sciences. Of the two of us, I'm the better mathematician. Yes, I'm good at maths (although lack of use has seen a little oxidization in a few areas). Maths is the most beautiful thing in the universe.
  • See reply [slashdot.org] ;-)

    But then, I did do a degree in it...

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