Can you be bad at numbers but good at maths?
I was wondering if you think you can be bad at numbers but good at maths?
I actually think you can be like this and I believe that this applies to me. As a young child, I was always the 'thick' one when it comes to numbers (from primary school days all the way to year 9 at secondary school). This was because at that age, a lot of the work was learning addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, times tables etc (in year 7 to 9 there was a little more to it than that but I suppose being good with different calculations helped a lot). Then came GCSE's and I was still bad with numbers, however I learnt all the different formulas and found it pretty easy. I got an A grade, and the only way I was losing marks was from silly mistakes when doing the workings out.
Now I am in College but I an not studying Maths at A level. However I am still terrible with numbers. I am very slow at working out things such as if someone said, what is 27 x 4 and I had to work it out in my head, I would be there for a while. Or if I had to add up something like 77 + 68, I would again be slow at working it out and if I tried to work it out quickly I would probably get it wrong.
So basically being good with numbers is the ability to do calculations (addition, multiplication, subtraction, division) correctly from the top of your head and doing it fairly quickly.
While being good at Maths involves knowing formulas to solve more complicated problems.
So do you think you can be bad at numbers but good at maths?
My second question, is do you think you are BORN being good at numbers, and are born being good at Maths?
From reading what I wrote above, I personally believe you are either good at numbers or bad at numbers ever since you are born, while Maths can be improved through good teaching.
I actually think you can be like this and I believe that this applies to me. As a young child, I was always the 'thick' one when it comes to numbers (from primary school days all the way to year 9 at secondary school). This was because at that age, a lot of the work was learning addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, times tables etc (in year 7 to 9 there was a little more to it than that but I suppose being good with different calculations helped a lot). Then came GCSE's and I was still bad with numbers, however I learnt all the different formulas and found it pretty easy. I got an A grade, and the only way I was losing marks was from silly mistakes when doing the workings out.
Now I am in College but I an not studying Maths at A level. However I am still terrible with numbers. I am very slow at working out things such as if someone said, what is 27 x 4 and I had to work it out in my head, I would be there for a while. Or if I had to add up something like 77 + 68, I would again be slow at working it out and if I tried to work it out quickly I would probably get it wrong.
So basically being good with numbers is the ability to do calculations (addition, multiplication, subtraction, division) correctly from the top of your head and doing it fairly quickly.
While being good at Maths involves knowing formulas to solve more complicated problems.
So do you think you can be bad at numbers but good at maths?
My second question, is do you think you are BORN being good at numbers, and are born being good at Maths?
From reading what I wrote above, I personally believe you are either good at numbers or bad at numbers ever since you are born, while Maths can be improved through good teaching.
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Mathematics is not the same as arithmetic. Having said that, some facility with numbers is required to make progress in mathematics.
Well I think once you reach GCSE level + you start to only need to know basic stuff involving numbers (square numbers etc). Stuff that involves more memory than method, kinda like formulas. That's what algebra is for 
I think some people are born better at maths than others. But for the people who aren't very good at maths there's always a way of demonstrating it to make it easier.
I think some people are born better at maths than others. But for the people who aren't very good at maths there's always a way of demonstrating it to make it easier.
I wasn't really good at Maths from a young age until I was in year 11, and then everything clicked. I'm now doing it at A2.
I really suck when it comes to working out real life problems like money changes n stuff like that but i'm good at maths.
Weird?
I really suck when it comes to working out real life problems like money changes n stuff like that but i'm good at maths.
Weird?
True story: at my Cambridge maths interview, I ended up saying '... and the answer is 300/20, but I'm not sure what that is without a calculator' to answer a question (the question was something along the lines of how many numbers of a certain type there were in a specified interval). I fully expected to be laughed at/etc, but instead, the two doctors actually took a couple of seconds to think about it themselves before concluding that the answer was in fact 15 
You really don't need to be great at arithmetic to be a good mathematician. If you actively had dyscalculia, that may hold you back, because the ability to distinguish between similar symbols/etc is quite important in actually writing down maths. But the subject is really more about ideas than about the actual numbers themselves. You may be disadvantaged in some exams because you might need to add up fractions/etc relatively quickly, but it's not going to stop you doing maths at a higher level.
You really don't need to be great at arithmetic to be a good mathematician. If you actively had dyscalculia, that may hold you back, because the ability to distinguish between similar symbols/etc is quite important in actually writing down maths. But the subject is really more about ideas than about the actual numbers themselves. You may be disadvantaged in some exams because you might need to add up fractions/etc relatively quickly, but it's not going to stop you doing maths at a higher level.
Original post by dylantombides
I was wondering if you think you can be bad at numbers but good at maths?
I actually think you can be like this and I believe that this applies to me. As a young child, I was always the 'thick' one when it comes to numbers (from primary school days all the way to year 9 at secondary school). This was because at that age, a lot of the work was learning addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, times tables etc (in year 7 to 9 there was a little more to it than that but I suppose being good with different calculations helped a lot). Then came GCSE's and I was still bad with numbers, however I learnt all the different formulas and found it pretty easy. I got an A grade, and the only way I was losing marks was from silly mistakes when doing the workings out.
Now I am in College but I an not studying Maths at A level. However I am still terrible with numbers. I am very slow at working out things such as if someone said, what is 27 x 4 and I had to work it out in my head, I would be there for a while. Or if I had to add up something like 77 + 68, I would again be slow at working it out and if I tried to work it out quickly I would probably get it wrong.
So basically being good with numbers is the ability to do calculations (addition, multiplication, subtraction, division) correctly from the top of your head and doing it fairly quickly.
While being good at Maths involves knowing formulas to solve more complicated problems.
So do you think you can be bad at numbers but good at maths?
My second question, is do you think you are BORN being good at numbers, and are born being good at Maths?
From reading what I wrote above, I personally believe you are either good at numbers or bad at numbers ever since you are born, while Maths can be improved through good teaching.
I actually think you can be like this and I believe that this applies to me. As a young child, I was always the 'thick' one when it comes to numbers (from primary school days all the way to year 9 at secondary school). This was because at that age, a lot of the work was learning addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, times tables etc (in year 7 to 9 there was a little more to it than that but I suppose being good with different calculations helped a lot). Then came GCSE's and I was still bad with numbers, however I learnt all the different formulas and found it pretty easy. I got an A grade, and the only way I was losing marks was from silly mistakes when doing the workings out.
Now I am in College but I an not studying Maths at A level. However I am still terrible with numbers. I am very slow at working out things such as if someone said, what is 27 x 4 and I had to work it out in my head, I would be there for a while. Or if I had to add up something like 77 + 68, I would again be slow at working it out and if I tried to work it out quickly I would probably get it wrong.
So basically being good with numbers is the ability to do calculations (addition, multiplication, subtraction, division) correctly from the top of your head and doing it fairly quickly.
While being good at Maths involves knowing formulas to solve more complicated problems.
So do you think you can be bad at numbers but good at maths?
My second question, is do you think you are BORN being good at numbers, and are born being good at Maths?
From reading what I wrote above, I personally believe you are either good at numbers or bad at numbers ever since you are born, while Maths can be improved through good teaching.
Like the first post, I think arithmetic is a different skill to other parts of maths (I'd say there's definitely more than one other 'type' though), and so it's possible to have different abilities in different areas, like you seem to.
As for your second question, I'd say it's a combination of innate and environmental effects (as with most things, really), some people are born with a natural strength in certain skills (for example, maths), while some people work very hard and *become* good at it.
Original post by kerily
True story: at my Cambridge maths interview, I ended up saying '... and the answer is 300/20, but I'm not sure what that is without a calculator' to answer a question (the question was something along the lines of how many numbers of a certain type there were in a specified interval). I fully expected to be laughed at/etc, but instead, the two doctors actually took a couple of seconds to think about it themselves before concluding that the answer was in fact 15
You really don't need to be great at arithmetic to be a good mathematician. If you actively had dyscalculia, that may hold you back, because the ability to distinguish between similar symbols/etc is quite important in actually writing down maths. But the subject is really more about ideas than about the actual numbers themselves. You may be disadvantaged in some exams because you might need to add up fractions/etc relatively quickly, but it's not going to stop you doing maths at a higher level.
You really don't need to be great at arithmetic to be a good mathematician. If you actively had dyscalculia, that may hold you back, because the ability to distinguish between similar symbols/etc is quite important in actually writing down maths. But the subject is really more about ideas than about the actual numbers themselves. You may be disadvantaged in some exams because you might need to add up fractions/etc relatively quickly, but it's not going to stop you doing maths at a higher level.
Haha, that's brilliant
I'm intrigued to know how you managed to get to 300/20 though if you can't do division etc without a calculator?Original post by Florence321
Haha, that's brilliant I'm intrigued to know how you managed to get to 300/20 though if you can't do division etc without a calculator?
I'm intrigued to know how you managed to get to 300/20 though if you can't do division etc without a calculator?I can't remember the question itself, but the 300 was something to do with the number of numbers in the interval, while the 20 was the number of numbers which had a particular property, or something like that - so saying 'one thing over another' makes sense if you can work out the two things without involving any actual arithmetic
I can normally do division - but not in the stress of an interview!
I remember researching up on this. There was some research which showed that the children good at maths at primary school tend to use their fingers to count more, which was unexpected as they had expected the kids who memorzed the times tables would do better.
so yes, I think being fast at calculations doesn't mean you're good at maths or vice versa.
so yes, I think being fast at calculations doesn't mean you're good at maths or vice versa.
i consider myself ok at maths, used to be good... not amazing... but good i was 2nd in my class, and ok i wasnt in top set, i was in the next one down (2a) and i got a B at GCSE (the highest mark i could) ... i havent used much maths in about 6 years though now and you definately loose it if you dont use it 
... now i doubt i could even manage a D 
but i never knew times tables i wasnt taught them at all, i know 9's and 2's and 5's everything else takes alot of working :| and i would quite often get all the working out wrong but end up with the right answer still...
but yes i believe you canbe bad at numbers but good at maths
x
... now i doubt i could even manage a D but i never knew times tables i wasnt taught them at all, i know 9's and 2's and 5's everything else takes alot of working :| and i would quite often get all the working out wrong but end up with the right answer still...
but yes i believe you canbe bad at numbers but good at maths
x
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by x-pixie-lottie-x
i never knew timetables i wasnt taught them at all
Explains why you caught that bus to Basingstoke and ended up in Grimsby.
TSR, do you want to know my embarassing secret?
Apart from the 2s, 3s, and 5s I don't actually know my times tables.
I never learnt them. To this day I work out 6 x 7 as 7 x 3=21, so 2 21's =42.
and when I have to times, say, 8 by 6, I double 12 and then double it again. Every single time! It would probably be quicker learning them.
Oh and I'm doing rather well on my engineering degree
So, yeah, bad at numbers, good at maths.
Apart from the 2s, 3s, and 5s I don't actually know my times tables.
I never learnt them. To this day I work out 6 x 7 as 7 x 3=21, so 2 21's =42.
and when I have to times, say, 8 by 6, I double 12 and then double it again. Every single time! It would probably be quicker learning them.
Oh and I'm doing rather well on my engineering degree
So, yeah, bad at numbers, good at maths.
The OP suggests that the capacity to learn and use formulae = good at maths that is not true either
Piko_Piko ... the capacity to learn tables would not have indicated that you are good at maths but the ability to take a multiplication and solve it in the way you describe does show you are good at maths
Maths is not, imo, about learning anything it is about understanding, manipulating, and problem solving ... arithmetic and formulae are just tools that help in the problem solving
Piko_Piko ... the capacity to learn tables would not have indicated that you are good at maths but the ability to take a multiplication and solve it in the way you describe does show you are good at maths
Maths is not, imo, about learning anything it is about understanding, manipulating, and problem solving ... arithmetic and formulae are just tools that help in the problem solving
Yes. I am like that.
But I disagree with this:
But I disagree with this:
Original post by dylantombides
While being good at Maths involves knowing formulas to solve more complicated problems.
While being good at Maths involves knowing formulas to solve more complicated problems.
Original post by This Honest
I wasn't really good at Maths from a young age until I was in year 11, and then everything clicked. I'm now doing it at A2.
I really suck when it comes to working out real life problems like money changes n stuff like that but i'm good at maths.
Weird?
I really suck when it comes to working out real life problems like money changes n stuff like that but i'm good at maths.
Weird?
That is EXACTLY the same as me! Some people think I am a bit retarded as I am so slow with maths. If someone even said '6 + 7' to me I would actually have to think in my head "add 3 makes 10, then add another 3 makes 13" to work out the answer!
Original post by Mr M
Explains why you caught that bus to Basingstoke and ended up in Grimsby.
Just though I'd mention that i'm from Basingstoke
Original post by TenOfThem
Piko_Piko ... the capacity to learn tables would not have indicated that you are good at maths but the ability to take a multiplication and solve it in the way you describe does show you are good at maths
Yey!
Original post by Mr M
Explains why you caught that bus to Basingstoke and ended up in Grimsby.
oopsy!
x
For making change in a shop I'd use the 'counting on' method, it's virtually impossible to make a mistake & customers seem to prefer it esp. if you do it out loud.
It's the one where you start off with the amount being charged and count upward to the amount tendered as you put coins into the change pile.
All you ever do is add and you end up with the correct amount of change without having to work out what it actually is.
It's the one where you start off with the amount being charged and count upward to the amount tendered as you put coins into the change pile.
All you ever do is add and you end up with the correct amount of change without having to work out what it actually is.
Original post by dylantombides
....
While being good at Maths involves knowing formulas to solve more complicated problems.
So do you think you can be bad at numbers but good at maths?
While being good at Maths involves knowing formulas to solve more complicated problems.
So do you think you can be bad at numbers but good at maths?
Maths is not about memorising formulae at all!
Yes maths covers a very wide range of topics and being bad at arithmetic doesn't mean you won't be exceptional in other parts of maths.
Some people are born/always have been very good at maths, but the vast majority with effort can achieve a lot in maths with hard work.
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