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Why do people like maths?

When I'm faces with a maths question of some kind the idea of working with numbers and symbols make me wince. Graphs in particular, the task of plotting results and analysing them make me... Well, wince I suppose. Also, the frequent situation where something is explained and then I lose track on where certain numbers and symbols have come from and which bit to work out next. I'm not slamming on anybody who likes maths, but I want to know what makes you want to do it? Is it that some people like me simply cannot understand it despite truly trying to do so?

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Reply 1

VQG

The immense satisfaction after solving a particularly tricky problem.

Reply 2

+ polarity -

It's the language of the universe!

Reply 3

dragon500uk

The fact it makes sense and is the same no matter how you look at it. Just makes you sigh in relief. It usually has right and wrong answers so it's a break from real life :P

Reply 4

fuzzybear

Understanding is the key to maths, most people I know who hate maths just simply haven't got round to figuring how or why something works, instead they just do a question by plain memorisation - this way you're not actually understanding, instead, you're simply doing a repetitive task which is no wonder you get bored easily. Thats why I think most Alevel students think mechanics modules are more interesting then statistics, because with stats you're literally just given a formula out of nowhere and asked to put numbers into it, and churn out an answer from this, which even a maths enthuaist would find boring and uninspiring.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 5

ihatecricket

Why are trees made out of wood? why is the grass green?

Its a generic question, people like maths because its what they like..things are the way they are because thats how they are.

Reply 6

takethyfacehence

How logical it is, how you can work it out somehow just from using the right rules. It might not be easy necessarily but it makes sense and it's not got all the nuances and distractions of words and opinions and things. It's just facts, pure and simple.

Reply 7

LeeC

Original post by ihatecricket

Why are trees made out of wood? why is the grass green?

Its a generic question, people like maths because its what they like..things are the way they are because thats how they are.

Why is your post not funny?

Because it's not.

Reply 8

Onique

Original post by VQG

The immense satisfaction after solving a particularly tricky problem.

Best feeling ever (:

Reply 9

Obadetona

For me it's because it's the one thing that works every time, it all just works.

Reply 10

miser

To me, I just think it's so elegant - it lets you distill complex relationships down to the most succinct statements possible.

Reply 11

Farhan.Hanif93

So it's this thread again... I suppose it is personal statement season. :sigh:

Reply 12

strawberry

my goodness, the feeling when you've done a whole page of a proof by induction, other people look at it and get a headache, but you got it absolutely perfect. The knowledge that it's always right, and anybody who doesn't get the same answer as you do is WRONG! :P:

Reply 13

fuzzybear

Original post by VQG

The immense satisfaction after solving a particularly tricky problem.

Agree but the downsides to that is when you're stuck on a question, that for me is probably the most frustrating feeling I've experienced in my school life so far, it could really put downer on my day :frown:

Reply 14

ihatecricket

Original post by LeeC

Why is your post not funny?

Because it's not.

Steady on Lee, no need for the hostility! I wasn't making a joke! I was just asking rhetorical generic questions :confused:

...its 5hit when you have to explain

Reply 15

LeeC

Original post by ihatecricket

Steady on Lee, no need for the hostility! I wasn't making a joke! I was just asking rhetorical generic questions :confused:

...its 5hit when you have to explain

Lol it was supposed to be taking the piss rather than hostile but it was really a useless post...unless there is an explanation? Are you not just saying people like maths because they like maths?

Reply 16

Blazara

It's universal - languages may separate people but anyone from any background can get it/do it.

Reply 17

ihatecricket

Original post by LeeC

Lol it was supposed to be taking the piss rather than hostile but it was really a useless post...unless there is an explanation? Are you not just saying people like maths because they like maths?

pretty much yeh lol haha

Reply 18

SsEe

No essays.

Ok. Real answer. I think it's all about taking broad concepts and studying them / classifying them / linking them. It's nice to see an idea develop, and to find a deep connection with something seemingly unrelated that you studied 2 years earlier. Then you find that you can use this connection as a bridge to answer difficult questions in one area by rephrasing them in terms of the other. I think there's something quite nice about the overall structure of maths.

Reply 19

Manitude

I can list off a few things I like about maths, but I don't think any one of those reasons are the 'main' reason why I like it.

I'm good at it/can understand it.
It's exceptionally logical.
It applies to everything - it can be used in so many areas.
It's elegant, looks aesthetically pleasing to me (bit odd, i know!)
It's clever - when I came across integration I was astounded at how 'clever' the concept was.
As a physicist I LOVE how solutions and areas of maths can be directly applied to physical systems very very well. In other words, that maths can be used to describe the world very accurately.