I have dreams about being really smart

Original post by SepticArt

Part of me wishes I had the mental capability to learn physics, chemistry or advanced maths. I find chemistry and physics extremely interesting but I know I'd never be able to learn it as I can't even do simple algebra.... My brain isn't capable of grasping these concepts.

What the ****? Physics isn't difficult and neither is maths. The trouble is that most people share the same thoughts as you and set themselves up for failure.

Getting good at maths is the same as anything else, it just takes practice. If you immediately jump into it saying 'I can't do this', then you won't spend enough time doing it and you won't get good at it.

Everyone has the capability to be good at maths, everyone. I'd go as far to say that less people have the same capability to read and write. Maths is naturally how humans understand... nature.

And physics is just teaching yourself to look at the world like a 5 year old, and applying the maths you have learnt.

Get a grip man.

Reply 5

Klayton

Original post by goodfellow

What the ****? Physics isn't difficult and neither is maths. The trouble is that most people share the same thoughts as you and set themselves up for failure.

Getting good at maths is the same as anything else, it just takes practice. If you immediately jump into it saying 'I can't do this', then you won't spend enough time doing it and you won't get good at it.

Everyone has the capability to be good at maths, everyone. I'd go as far to say that less people have the same capability to read and write. Maths is naturally how humans understand... nature.

And physics is just teaching yourself to look at the world like a 5 year old, and applying the maths you have learnt.

Get a grip man.

Sound advice. If you believe you can't do something then you'll never be able to do it. People have limits, sure, but everyone underestimates where those limits lie.

Maths and physics and whatever... they're hard. At least, they're hard at first. But everyone who finds them easy found them hard at some stage, so you just got to persist :smile:

Reply 6

Super Mario 64

3

Original post by SepticArt

Lately I've been watching the big bang theory and I've started having dreams of being really clever. The truth is I'm a university student studying computer science and I'm about average or slightly below average, it takes me a little longer than other to understand the subject we are learning.

Part of me wishes I had the mental capability to learn physics, chemistry or advanced maths. I find chemistry and physics extremely interesting but I know I'd never be able to learn it as I can't even do simple algebra.... My brain isn't capable of grasping these concepts.

I know I'll never be smart but it's so depressing, I'd love to be able to show people I'm really intelligent and be able to help other people... but as it stands it's me who is always asking for help.

I guess what I'm really saying is do you think each individual person has a limit to how smart they can become? There's a reason some people are born geniuses, others average and others below average and it isn't just because they listened in class. I believe it's something in your genes that determines how smart one will become.

Absolutely not. We all begin with different capabilities but we all have the ability to reach 110%, we just have to keep trying and trying. You have to find the willpower to be able to become as smart/clever/intelligent as you want :smile:

Some people seem to be 'naturally' smart, and while genes do play a good influence upon intelligence, good nutrition and environmental factors play an even bigger part in my opinion. Just make sure you're as interested as you'll ever be in the things you want to learn about and the rest will flow like water :smile:

Look at the world around you, there's so much to learn about but not many of us seem to care.

Reply 7

najinaji

18

Original post by Klayton

Sound advice. If you believe you can't do something then you'll never be able to do it. People have limits, sure, but everyone underestimates where those limits lie.

Maths and physics and whatever... they're hard. At least, they're hard at first. But everyone who finds them easy found them hard at some stage, so you just got to persist :smile:

This is a good point. Remember how hard you found it to read and do arithmetic as a child? Really. Give a 2 or 3 year old the sum '2+2=?' and they'll struggle.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 8

Original post by SepticArt

I guess what I'm really saying is do you think each individual person has a limit to how smart they can become? There's a reason some people are born geniuses, others average and others below average and it isn't just because they listened in class. I believe it's something in your genes that determines how smart one will become.

Well just because you believe in this doesn't make it true. Infact it isn't true. Do some looking around and you'll find many studies saying that someones intelligence is mostly due to the environment they were brought up in, and the links between intelligence and and genetics are tenuous at best.

Reply 9

TurboCretin

20

Original post by SepticArt

Lately I've been watching the big bang theory and I've started having dreams of being really clever. The truth is I'm a university student studying computer science and I'm about average or slightly below average, it takes me a little longer than other to understand the subject we are learning.

Part of me wishes I had the mental capability to learn physics, chemistry or advanced maths. I find chemistry and physics extremely interesting but I know I'd never be able to learn it as I can't even do simple algebra.... My brain isn't capable of grasping these concepts.

I know I'll never be smart but it's so depressing, I'd love to be able to show people I'm really intelligent and be able to help other people... but as it stands it's me who is always asking for help.

I guess what I'm really saying is do you think each individual person has a limit to how smart they can become? There's a reason some people are born geniuses, others average and others below average and it isn't just because they listened in class. I believe it's something in your genes that determines how smart one will become.

Of course it can be. Go and look up Ramanujan. But that doesn't mean that someone who wanted nothing more than to study physics at university couldn't work their ass off during school to make it happen, even if they were an average maths student to begin with.

Also, it's not simply that physicists are intelligent and anyone that doesn't have a knack for physics isn't as intelligent. Intelligence can manifest itself in ways other than how good at maths you are.

FWIW, TBBT is a TV show. Take it with a pinch of salt.

Reply 10

username133326

16

I've never heard something in TBBT that I haven't understood...

I got an E in A-Level physics.

TBBT is not as high-brow as it likes to think it is.

Reply 11

DancerPerson

You've got to remember that there are many times of 'smart' out there. There's your maths/science smart as displayed on Big Bang Theory, but then there's also other types of intelligence out there, like if you're really really good at music, or really really skilled in art. I myself am considered literary/book smart, but I hate maths, but just because I don't like maths does not mean I'm stupid. There are just different types of people out there, and different types of intelligence as a result.

What is considered stupid, though, is setting yourself up for failure and giving up on yourself too soon. Just focus on what you're good at, and strive to be the best person you can be.

Reply 12

Notnek

Original post by goodfellow

Physics isn't difficult and neither is maths.

I hope you never become a teacher.

Reply 13

Original post by notnek

I hope you never become a teacher.

Why? So I won't be able to tell the student's that they should just give up because it's too hard?

Reply 14

Raj K

9

it all depends on MOTIVATION CONFIDENCE DETERMINATION PERSEVERANCE. EVERYONE is born on the SAME level - it just determines that how hard you work ..is how well you do.

Reply 15

+ polarity -

Original post by SepticArt

it takes me a little longer than other to understand the subject we are learning.

I'd never be able to learn it as I can't even do simple algebra.... My brain isn't capable of grasping these concepts.

I read a BBC article quite some time ago which said that all children learnt at pretty much the same rate, so I don't think it's correct to say that it takes you longer to understand things than others, unless you have found that you need different material or a different approach to learn things. The article suggests that "high achievers" simply put more hours in, which leads me to my next point (lost my train of thought :redface:

)

How can you say your brain isn't capable of grasping algebra? I'm fairly sure learning a language is harder than understanding algebra, and I posit that if you took the time to learn to be able to use or understand algebra, you could read all the things you want :h:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 16

Notnek

Original post by goodfellow

Why? So I won't be able to tell the student's that they should just give up because it's too hard?

No. So you won't be able to tell students that they're stupid since Physics and Maths are easy.

I work with someone who has the same opinion as you and he is an awful teacher.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 17

Namige

17

This thread is funny, as i find A level Maths and Physics very easy, while Computing(basically computer science) to be very very hard.

Reply 18

+ polarity -

Original post by Barden

TBBT is not as high-brow as it likes to think it is.

So true.

Reply 19