Maths9.com Blog

Why do some people absolutely hate maths? Is it really because it is a difficult and boring subject? Or is the perceived difficulty just an illusion? Let’s list a few points about why you should not hate it as much as you do:

Maths is about problem solving

When you see a problem, what is your first instinct? To run away from it or to try to solve it?

If the latter option is your preference, then you should not hate maths because it is a subject that develops a logical thinking process. A maths problem requires you to think logically and hones your problem solving skills.

Solving a problem is a vital skill – from a teacher arranging students in groups for a class activity to astronomers deciding the best parameters for an optimal trajectory of a satellite to be launched, every person will always encounter a problem and will have to solve it by logical thinking and some calculations.

Maths is about patience

Maths requires patience. Yes, it is very possible that you will make mistakes and not reach the correct result in the first few tries, but is it really worth leaving the subject to your hateful negligence just because you didn’t get it right the first time? Good things take time, so stay right there and don’t give up! It could just be that you were overlooking a simple yet important fact that was messing up your result.

Maths is about understanding

Maths is not about memorising facts, it is about understanding them. Every concept requires you to understand it and feel it, not memories each step in the proof of a theory. Every step has a meaning and can be replaced by another step if it provides the same result. You need to think and understand and understanding things is not a bad trait.

You can practice your concepts here to improve your understanding and build confidence.

Maths is not only about calculations

If you’re one of those who believe that maths is tedious and only about boring numbers then you are wrong. Maths is about a lot of things – patterns, shapes, games, functions, relations, routes and a lot more! Maths is not only about calculating numbers, it is also about finding logical solutions to most common as well as not so common problems in numerous ways.

Maths is used almost everywhere

Maths is used in almost every domain of life. From your daily activities like shopping from the nearby grocery store to various career paths, from business to fashion designing, maths is unavoidable.

Fashion designing looks fun, colourful and creative and it requires the designer to design according to the measurements of a model, adjust the parts of the design to match others not only in colour but in shape, length and size as well. Maths, we found you here too!

Maths is fun!

And last but not the least, maths is fun! Once you start to understand it and see how interesting it is, it is actually quite enjoyable. Maths based games are fun and so is understanding a new, cool concept.

Every child is special and possesses one or more special talent - something they are specifically good at, something they do better than other things. Like a seven year old boy could be really bad at dancing, but could be drawing beautiful sketches in his sketchbook and you may not even be aware. Here are some ways by which you can know about his interests:

Listen

As a parent, one should take keen interest in whatever the child has to say. Listening patiently is the key to finding what he/she is capable of. Kids talk about things that interest them and many times, they want to know how they can do it. So, next time when your child comes running to you to show something that's really interesting and you're working, keep your work aside for ten minutes and listen.

Do not judge

So he is talking about how his grandmother knit a beautiful sweater and is fascinated by the design she made and it makes you nervous that he is probably nurturing a hobby more suited to girls. Don't judge him! Appreciating the aesthetics of the design is not something that should make you skeptical about his hobbies, it should make you realise that he may have an eye for design and patterns - a useful and important trait of a graphic artist.

Do not jump to conclusions

Your daughter is shy and stays quiet in the company of others. She is hardly ever comfortable conversing with people outside her family and friend circle and you conclude she is antisocial and lacks communication skills. Wrong!

That alone shouldn't let you decide. She might be imagining strange characters in strange situations. She could be delivering beautiful speeches alone and talking wonderfully with her imaginary characters because real people scare her. It's not social skills she lacks, it's self-confidence. And that's what you should be working on.

Encourage

Encourage your kids to explore, learn, make mistakes and spend time on various activities. Don't stop them from doing anything unless it's harmful. Encourage them to learn from their mistakes rather than crying over them and feeling disappointed.

They know what makes them happy but are not sure and need your help and encouragement for this purpose.

“Maths is the worst thing ever invented by man. What were they thinking? Language is too easy, so let’s make up some creepy symbols and manipulate them to haunt every generation of kids.”

On January 21, 2014, on the Facebook fan page of the renowned author, Chetan Bhagat, the above statement (from 3 Mistakes Of My Life) was published posted on a Facebook status. This gave rise to a numerous positive and negative comments from people throughout the globe. A few people appreciated the statement, whereas a few completely disagreed with the statement.

Few people, in fact expressed contentment stating even Chetan Bhagat actually thinks of those lines as they think! Whereas a few more people stated that “mathematics occupies an important place in various branches of studies” and the statement was not agreed upon.

Among the numerous comments that followed the statement a comment indicated that “maths is a language of scholars”, whereas there was another comment, which stated that Maths annoys that person a lot. There was one  more comment, which stated that “maths is like sweet and a few like it and a few people do not.” This clearly tells as to how people are biased about this subject.

Even though the opinions vary among people, I feel Mathematics is an important branch of study and have put across my personal views herein.

Well! Maths is often considered a tough subject of study. Too many calculations, formulas, method of working out and such other things are really not a child’s play. The previous night of the Maths examination is truly a nightmare for many. But, what about life without mathematics? Learning only languages may help you to interact with people.

Even in various subjects of study like geography, physics or chemistry, various numerical calculations will be included and hence, mathematics can never be ignored. Apart from the usual arithmetic study, students will also be subject to study of algebra and geometry, with which mathematics is made interesting. Considering all these aspects, maths can certainly be considered ‘magic’. However, by following the below mentioned tips, maths can be learnt effectively.

• Practice maths daily – It is better to make it a habit. Students are required to dedicate at least two to three hours on a daily basis for this purpose. Practice only makes better at maths.
• Group studies can prove to be effective. - Compete with friends so as to decide who can solve quickly and effectively.
• Memorize the formulae – The formulae should be memorized well. It is ideal to make a chart of it and hang it against a wall, so that they can have a glance at it every day.
• Consider it equal to any other subject – When the students think this way, it will not generate any kind of stress. However, it is suggested to give a little more importance.
• Be confident – Solving the math problems confidently is extremely essential. Try to find new methods of solving a particular problem. Understand the concept well, so that it facilitates easy calculation.