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Why am I 'obsessed'?

I'm a Year 11 student and at times instead of revising for my other subjects, I grab an A-level Maths book, and start learning concepts from there. I do have discipline but the time i spend with my Maths book is literally more than the time i spend for my other subjects put together!

Is this a good or a bad thing? :frown:

P.S. I'm not under-achieving in any of my other subjects, if that helps. Sometimes I don't enjoy Maths but i feel the need to learn the modules anyway. I'm starting Further modules soon.

Reply 1

Fusion

20

This was like me with a level maths. I used to do questions from the book almost as a past-time.

Reply 2

Rav.

Its ok but remember that universities will look for good gcse grades all round and it would be useful not to restrict yourself to a level text if you enjoy maths, read around the subject.

Reply 3

yusufu

16

Take it easy and learn the stuff when you get to it. I never saw any point in learning ahead of the class. There's better things than maths for a boy of 16 to be doing.

Reply 4

electriic_ink

15

God knows but if you ever find out the answer please tell my why.

Spoiler

Reply 5

SimonM

18

Speaking from experience I would say it is a bad thing, but I can't stop myself either. (Well obviously not A level maths, but you get the idea).

If you want to go anywhere with your maths (at a top university) you are going to need to pass (well) GCSEs/A levels, you're just going to have to discipline yourself.

End hypocrisy.

Reply 6

qgujxj39

17

Sounds very much like me last year actually.

Reply 7

username130457

OP

2

tommm

Sounds very much like me last year actually.

Great. Did you take the modules early? :p:

Reply 8

Swayum

18

It's a bad idea. You'll find yourself thoroughly bored next year because you'll already know everything. And in class you won't be able to asess your ability relative to others because you'd have already covered the topics before so you're more used to them. I've been down this road and do not recommend it. If you want to show off or something in class, then by all means go ahead, but it won't win you any friends next year.

I personally stopped contributing to lessons where I'd already covered the theory before and felt annoyed when asked a difficult question and being the only person who could answer it because I didn't know whether it was because of my ability or because I'd come across it before. A classic example of this was knowing the trick to differentiating y = arcsin(x), but I'll never know whether I could have come up with it myself since I read about it first.

Reply 9

Doublereedfreak

2

Why would you do that to yourself!
*Faints in horror*
Maths is horrendous enough as it is!

Anyhoo, yeah I wouldn't go overboard. You could ruin your lessons at school and end up being bored by your favourite subject.

I do it in English. I'll read everything really fast or at home and then be really ticked off when we spend ages reading them. :p:

Reply 10

trm90

12

I'm doing that right now, although in an entirely different context. I'm browsing meteorology notes even though I'm doing geology and won't be doing anything nearly as maths intensive as met. for another 2 years minimum :toung:.

Reply 11

The Bachelor

13

Learn a few subjects you wouldn't get in college.

For instance, http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/52393.html

Reply 12

psanghaLFC

i agree with Yusufu, whats the need to learn A-level modules anyway? There are far more interesting things to be doing some which also involve maths.

Reply 13

username130457

OP

2

psanghaLFC

i agree with Yusufu, whats the need to learn A-level modules anyway? There are far more interesting things to be doing some which also involve maths.

Like?

I'm disregarding the infinity one, it looks scary. :s-smilie:

Reply 14

SimonM

18

Try some elementary number theory or combinatorics. Head off into the world of the mathematical olympiads perhaps?

Reply 15

yusufu

16

Ramadulla

Like?

I'm disregarding the infinity one, it looks scary. :s-smilie:

Like having fun with friends, playing some sport or some other wholesome activity.

Reply 16

username130457

OP

2

yusufu

Like having fun with friends, playing some sport or some other wholesome activity.

I seldom get invited to such activities. I find them more wearing than satisfying to be honest.

Reply 17

qgujxj39

17

Ramadulla

Great. Did you take the modules early? :p:

Yep, I've done my full A-level and two Further modules. Hence, I don't have the problem of going ahead of my class, seeing as I don't even have a class.

Reply 18

Dadeyemi

13

Swayum

It's a bad idea. You'll find yourself thoroughly bored next year because you'll already know everything. And in class you won't be able to asess your ability relative to others because you'd have already covered the topics before so you're more used to them. I've been down this road and do not recommend it. If you want to show off or something in class, then by all means go ahead, but it won't win you any friends next year.

I personally stopped contributing to lessons where I'd already covered the theory before and felt annoyed when asked a difficult question and being the only person who could answer it because I didn't know whether it was because of my ability or because I'd come across it before. A classic example of this was knowing the trick to differentiating y = arcsin(x), but I'll never know whether I could have come up with it myself since I read about it first.

Personally going at the classes pace would bore me I taught myself C1, C2 and M2 before A-level so basically just continued to C3, C4 or did extra modules, so there is no real need to get bored (but listening to things you already know repeated to class gets a bit annoying sometimes).

I feel like I should say that you shouldn't let it hurt your other subjects, but personally I think that the reduced workload from maths because I worked ahead really made A-Levels a lot easier.

Also if you want to do harder maths you could always get into Olympiad maths.

Ramadulla

Sometimes I don't enjoy Maths...