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Why do so many people hate maths?

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Original post by Nihilisticb*tch
I think Im good at both because my mum is good at english (and not so good at maths) and my dad is good at maths and hates english. I dont hate either but i am good at both. In my experience, people who are good at maths are also good at english. That is the case with all my friends as none of them are distinctly one way or the other. However there are people who are in top set maths but not in english however theyre usually still in set 2 and theres people who are top set english but not maths but again theyre normally set 2. So really i dont think theres that distinct a boundary. A lot of it has to do with interest as well, i think people are better at subjects that they like because they put more work into it. I also think people confuse not liking a subject with not being good at it. People who particularly like maths may grow to resent english so put little work into it.


Are you as good at both though, I just think that not many people can be as good at one as they are with the other because they're just so different whereas with science and maths there's quite a lot of links between them? I don't hate English either just don't really like it, I haven't always been good at maths though I used to be working at grade 5 but working at grade 8 and 9 now, don't think even if I revised loads for English I would be able to get 7 or above. also the people who are good at english in my year are also more naturally good at it, but with maths I think you have a certain ability with it but you have to practice it to know, yes some people are naturally good at maths but only to a certain extent cause you still have to practice but some people could practice it loads but still not become good at it which is another reason I think that
Yeah the interest part is true I guess but I like science and am good at it but haven't exactly put loads of work into it but with maths I have though, yeah I definitely haven't even put a quarter as much effort with English than I have with maths.
English is more about what you think about the extracts and you’re basically putting your ideas & interpretations on paper. Maths is more logical. :smile:
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The way its taught takes all the fun out of it. The interesting part is trying to work out problems by yourself, and we just end up memorising how to do specific questions.
I had picked English, Maths and Physics at A Levels. Fun times. I have high respect for authors, mathematicians and physicists alike.
Original post by inactive100
Whenever I ask a group of people which subject they hate the most or find the hardest, about 80-90% of them will name maths (and then the second highest would be physics)

I was just wondering why people find it so difficult / so hard?

I personally enjoy maths and hate subjects like English because it's so wishy-washy (by that I mean maths is usually just right or wrong and it's very logical).

I get that some people just have their dislikes but the dislike of maths seems to be so much more prevalent than other subjects.


Posted from TSR Mobile


Ever since I can remember I've not been very good at Maths at all. My primary school teachers used to complain at me for making silly mistakes, and I had to spend hours sitting inside my bedroom memorizing my time tables and practicing questions. It's not that I disliked it, but for some reason, just never grasped it.

I'm in secondary school now, and it's become even harder for me. It's like reading a second language, my brain can't seem to make sense of it quite literally.
On the other hand, English has come naturally to me from ever since I can remember as Maths comes naturally to you. I've been writing poems, letters, stories, whole books, reading, loved going into the library... Entered into competitions such as the Commonwealth writing competition twice and got golds, aced my GCSE English Language exam (grade 8). So, OP, for me, it's not really me disliking Maths, but just realizing that I just make sense of English more than I can understand Maths.
Also, I dislike Maths for the very reason you like it: the answer is either right or wrong. I find that dull. I love learning about the different perspectives, viewpoints, interpretations and discussions that I've learnt about in English.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by Sahyun
I had picked English, Maths and Physics at A Levels. Fun times. I have high respect for authors, mathematicians and physicists alike.


English? You might as well have picked psychology mate
Original post by theggbydealy
Ever since I can remember I've not been very good at Maths at all. My primary school teachers used to complain at me for making silly mistakes, and I had to spend hours sitting inside my bedroom memorizing my time tables and practicing questions. It's not that I disliked it, but for some reason, just never grasped it.

I'm in secondary school now, and it's become even harder for me. It's like reading a second language, my brain can't seem to make sense of it quite literally.
On the other hand, English has come naturally to me from ever since I can remember as Maths comes naturally to you. I've been writing poems, letters, stories, whole books, reading, loved going into the library... Entered into competitions such as the Commonwealth writing competition twice and got golds, aced my GCSE English Language exam (grade 8). So, OP, for me, it's not really me disliking Maths, but just realizing that I just make sense of English more than I can understand Maths.
Also, I dislike Maths for the very reason you like it: the answer is either right or wrong. I find that dull. I love learning about the different perspectives, viewpoints, interpretations and discussions that I've learnt about in English.


Yes but in maths there are a gazillion ways to get to the right answer. So there are different viewpoints, interpretations and creativity too
Math is a waste of time.
Physics is the best
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by GENERAL_MAO
Yes but in maths there are a gazillion ways to get to the right answer. So there are different viewpoints, interpretations and creativity too


You're right about that. But as I said before, the right answer in Maths doesn't come naturally to me as does English so I can't appreciate those different viewpoints and interpretations as the beauty of words come naturally to me than numbers and symbols. :smile:
Original post by Iahmed512
Are you as good at both though, I just think that not many people can be as good at one as they are with the other because they're just so different whereas with science and maths there's quite a lot of links between them? I don't hate English either just don't really like it, I haven't always been good at maths though I used to be working at grade 5 but working at grade 8 and 9 now, don't think even if I revised loads for English I would be able to get 7 or above. also the people who are good at english in my year are also more naturally good at it, but with maths I think you have a certain ability with it but you have to practice it to know, yes some people are naturally good at maths but only to a certain extent cause you still have to practice but some people could practice it loads but still not become good at it which is another reason I think that
Yeah the interest part is true I guess but I like science and am good at it but haven't exactly put loads of work into it but with maths I have though, yeah I definitely haven't even put a quarter as much effort with English than I have with maths.


I think there are more transferable links than people think though because I think at least to some extent English is also a test of intelligence. Like in English Language it tests your ability to think on your feet and think deeply about what you're reading and what it implies. I think that is in some ways similar to science in that in science you also have to think deeply about things and reason them. The general technique of analysis is used in both subjects. At least at gcse level, I think science is mostly just a memory game which is why I think science ability at gcse is mostly about interest. If you're more interested in science, you will remember it more and revise it more. I can understand your point about maths as I got a 9 in maths in my mock with no revision whereas some people struggle to pass maths with loads of revision. That's not me being big headed but it is true that some people struggle with maths and some people don't (although those that struggle with it are likely better than me in other areas). However I don't think this ability is correlated to lack of ability in English. I think the two things are independent of each other.
I don’t hate maths in general, there’s certain topics of maths that I don’t like but there are topics that I love. It really does just depend
Original post by Nihilisticb*tch
I think there are more transferable links than people think though because I think at least to some extent English is also a test of intelligence. Like in English Language it tests your ability to think on your feet and think deeply about what you're reading and what it implies. I think that is in some ways similar to science in that in science you also have to think deeply about things and reason them. The general technique of analysis is used in both subjects. At least at gcse level, I think science is mostly just a memory game which is why I think science ability at gcse is mostly about interest. If you're more interested in science, you will remember it more and revise it more. I can understand your point about maths as I got a 9 in maths in my mock with no revision whereas some people struggle to pass maths with loads of revision. That's not me being big headed but it is true that some people struggle with maths and some people don't (although those that struggle with it are likely better than me in other areas). However I don't think this ability is correlated to lack of ability in English. I think the two things are independent of each other.

Yeah English language is very little to do with memory, but some of it is to do with interpretation but yes it does require deeper thinking but I still wouldn't exactly say intelligence but maybe it is but in a different way so people thinking logically about it won't work so it is a different kind of intelligence.
I agree about the science part, but I haven't really revised loads for physics but I've usually found it easy and done well in it because I've liked it, because I've liked it I've remembered more and understood it more, but it's not because of revising though, same with quite a few other subjects.
Yeah it's fine, yeah that's the other reason I thought that, some of the people struggling to get or only getting a grade 4 in maths are doing a lot better or excelling in English which is the other area, like getting 6s, 7s, and above,
Yeah I know what you mean I didn't mean that they were directly linked so they affect each other but rather that usually one person is usually better at one or bad at one and good at the other, but not that they affect each other. However this can change though, but not always, maybe if I started revising English loads I may have started to like it, I started revising for maths kind of based on fear, I wasn't doing badly but nowhere near well enough and since all my a level subjects required it that's what made that even more the case but I still didn't hate it though and I started to really like it rather than just finding it alright.
Original post by xFFDPx
I don’t hate maths in general, there’s certain topics of maths that I don’t like but there are topics that I love. It really does just depend

You don't have to like every topic in maths to like maths overall, but if you hate a big topic or unit of maths then that is different, like if you hate algebra, because a lot of maths is algebra at gcse and a levels.
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I feel like it depends on how you are as a person. If you are creative and imaginative you may find English a more easy and enjoyable subject for you whereas if you find joy when things are complicated and challenging you probably would find yourself leaning to maths. I also feel that maths can be enjoyable but it must be taught in the right way for you. When a problem or situation is put in front of different people they will all react differently same with maths so being in a class full of different minds might not be the ideal way for you to learn because you wont always understand it at first whereas others will since that is the style suited to them , then they get a head start and when this often occurs you tell yourself you are bad at maths and it hates you and you hate it. However, maths is a subject of perseverance you wont always get it so you have to try extra hard sometimes to get past the hurdle. People don't always understand and give up to quick and thats the problem with those 80% of people they give up too quick including myself and I only blame myself not maths anymore its sad but yh
Original post by inactive100
Whenever I ask a group of people which subject they hate the most or find the hardest, about 80-90% of them will name maths (and then the second highest would be physics)

I was just wondering why people find it so difficult / so hard?

I personally enjoy maths and hate subjects like English because it's so wishy-washy (by that I mean maths is usually just right or wrong and it's very logical).

I get that some people just have their dislikes but the dislike of maths seems to be so much more prevalent than other subjects.


Posted from TSR Mobile

It is usually because maths is so hard unless you've practiced it a lot while you can wing English essay type subjects easily
It requires intellect to be good at it. Most people aren’t smart.
Maths skills are over-rated, as is STEM in general. I can run monte carlo simulations of the neutron transport equation in various reactor geometries. Doesn't get me a job.
I hated English... weekend homework was an hour maths, an hour physics and read a novel. Guess which one took up most of my weekend?
Original post by inactive100
Whenever I ask a group of people which subject they hate the most or find the hardest, about 80-90% of them will name maths (and then the second highest would be physics)

I was just wondering why people find it so difficult / so hard?

I personally enjoy maths and hate subjects like English because it's so wishy-washy (by that I mean maths is usually just right or wrong and it's very logical).

I get that some people just have their dislikes but the dislike of maths seems to be so much more prevalent than other subjects.


Posted from TSR Mobile

I like maths as once you get practised enough it is one of the best subjects. It is a subject that is terrible for last minute revision though . English type subjects are much easier to get by with minimal revision

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