If you're weak at maths does that mean your thick?

FishOnABike · 23-07-2016 06:38PM

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

That may be true for grammay, but what about spelling?

Touché. Guilty as accused and too slow to correct my fumble fingers on a phone. One portion of humble pie to go please.

Whatever happened to the 'last edited' status on posts. It looks like I mastered the mystery of time travel with my ninja edit.

MRnotlob606 · 23-07-2016 06:41PM

I failed maths so many times I can't count

HiJacques · 23-07-2016 07:40PM

Not knowing you're weak at maths makes you thick in my opinion.

bnt · 23-07-2016 08:22PM

For some reason, I did very well in trigonometry, remembered it well, and still use it all these years later. For example, I'm thinking of buying a new monitor for my computer. One I'm looking at is 27 inches diagonally with a 1440p resolution (2560 x 1440). I want to know what the Dots Per Inch figure is, and that's measured vertically and horizontally, not diagonally. Time to break out the Trig ... :cool:

edit: there is another way that uses the Pythagoras formula rather than Trig. Both give the same result:

108.79 dpi

Grayson · 23-07-2016 08:49PM

bnt wrote: »

For some reason, I did very well in trigonometry, remembered it well, and still use it all these years later. For example, I'm thinking of buying a new monitor for my computer. One I'm looking at is 27 inches diagonally with a 1440p resolution (2560 x 1440). I want to know what the Dots Per Inch figure is, and that's measured vertically and horizontally, not diagonally. Time to break out the Trig ... :cool:

edit: there is another way that uses the Pythagoras formula rather than Trig. Both give the same result:
108.79 dpi

Pythagoras is trigonometry.

Additional useless fact. Pythagoras invented the soul as we know it in western philosophy. The Greeks believed in an afterlife but it was an afterlife where you could get killed. He was the first person to say that a soul was indestructible.

Cantona's Collars · 23-07-2016 09:03PM

I had a piss poor maths teacher in secondary school.Kinda fecked things up for me as I lost complete interest in the subject.I could do the stuff but became lazy at it.
Later in college I used to drive 2 of the lecturers nuts as I could solve stuff in my head and come up with the answers,they kept asking "show me how you got that answer?" I said that I did it in my head,eventually I resorted to writing down random methods and solutions just to keep them happy.
I see people in work doing basic addition and subtraction using a pen and paper and find it odd,they are able to program stuff I can't, yet simple maths is a challenge.

Grayson · 05-02-2017 10:44PM

Resurrecting an old thread but I just read this and thought it was relevant. They're developing ways to help boost brain power. These involve doing exercises and stimulating parts of the brain.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/feb/05/does-brain-training-make-you-smart

Similarly, I found that improving my maths ability wasn’t about doing numerical press-ups to get better at sums, but learning to control my terror of doing them. My fear was diverting brainpower from the circuits I needed to solve the problem, so the scientists in Boston zapped part of my brain’s emotional-control circuitry with electricity to dial it down, allowing me to divert power to where it was needed. Zapping isn’t strictly necessary – they told me slowing down and relaxing would probably do much the same.

wakka12 · 06-02-2017 12:05AM

If you have a good memory or if you're well spoken , then people will regard you as intelligent

Widdershins · 06-02-2017 12:38AM

No, not at all. Some people are bad at maths because they didn't have a good teacher and they're probably intimidated by it because of that. Others just don't have a natural aptitude but would be good at other things. Ah..old thread

evolving_doors · 06-02-2017 12:49AM

A lot of psychological warfare going on. It would be common to hear people say 'Shur I'm terrible at maths I was no good in school' in front of their kids.... as if it's a badge of honour to laugh at. Same with the Irish language.

Only way to liven up a game of cards is with money.... then everyone starts counting and paying attention.

FlawedGenius · 06-02-2017 02:24AM

If you cant get the basics of maths like simplying adding dividing multiplying, then yes 100% ur thick. But some people can be socially good and even devient but anything involving numbers and good luck. Thats why The Kinahans and Hutches are so good at what they do. Apart from the killings

FlawedGenius · 06-02-2017 02:44AM

Previous post might hav been misunderstood. Christy Kinahan went to university, Gary Hutch has plenty of dough, knows how to work the banks amd numbers. Just incase im shot haha

endacl · 06-02-2017 02:53AM

There are three kinds of people. Those who are good at maths, and those who aren't.

Widdershins · 06-02-2017 10:29AM

FlawedGenius wrote: »

If you cant get the basics of maths like simplying adding dividing multiplying, then yes 100% ur thick. But some people can be socially good and even devient but anything involving numbers and good luck. Thats why The Kinahans and Hutches are so good at what they do. Apart from the killings

Or you have dyscalculia...

Widdershins · 06-02-2017 10:31AM

Gebgbegb wrote: »

A lot of psychological warfare going on. It would be common to hear people say 'Shur I'm terrible at maths I was no good in school' in front of their kids.... as if it's a badge of honour to laugh at. Same with the Irish language.

Only way to liven up a game of cards is with money.... then everyone starts counting and paying attention.

Self deprecating humour..

Permabear · 06-02-2017 10:46AM

This post has been deleted.

fizzypish · 06-02-2017 10:48AM

Gebgbegb wrote: »

A lot of psychological warfare going on. It would be common to hear people say 'Shur I'm terrible at maths I was no good in school' in front of their kids.... as if it's a badge of honour to laugh at.

This bothers me a bit. I'm ok with my math. Work in Engineering. By no means good. I learned my maths like a formula, someone good at maths understands the formula. Anyway I digress....

I see people I went to school saying **** like "Shur you were smart" or "Im a thick". In a lot of cases they sucked at math because they didn't bother their hole studying it. Did they think that I derived pleasure from spending evenings gawking at algebra? In any case maybe they were the lucky ones by living in the moment. Worrying about the future done me no favors.

fizzypish · 06-02-2017 10:49AM

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

When I left school I could perform long division of algebraic equations but not actual numbers.....

pauliebdub · 06-02-2017 04:42PM

My brother had learning difficulties in school, he could barely read, hold a pencil or do basic maths. He also had "teachers" who were happy to humiliate him in front of the class.

20 years later he now runs a very successful business, he has administrators to look after the book work.

LLMMLL · 06-02-2017 05:40PM

fergal.b wrote: »

Same here I still can't do my tables as they just come out a mixed up mess even though they were drummed into me all my school life, however I can build just about anything from an engine to a house and know how most things work just by looking at them so I don't think that if you are weak at maths you are thick you are just better at something else that someone who is good at maths is crap at.:)

.

This is one of the most irritating myths about intelligence. As if it's some per that everyone gets a slice from and if you get a big slice of mathematical intelligence then you'll get smaller slices of other talents. There are people who are good at most things, people who are bad at most things and plenty in between. Just because you're bad at maths doesn't mean you have some other talent that a mathematical person can't have.

Geuze · 06-02-2017 05:54PM

Gebgbegb wrote: »

A lot of psychological warfare going on. It would be common to hear people say 'Shur I'm terrible at maths I was no good in school' in front of their kids.... as if it's a badge of honour to laugh at. Same with the Irish language.

Good point.

People seem to accept, and even revel in, a lack of numeracy.

Whereas people would be ashamed of illiteracy.

[NB: I don't mean that they should be ashamed.]

We should treat them equally.

chicorytip · 06-02-2017 06:19PM

LLMMLL wrote: »

This is one of the most irritating myths about intelligence. As if it's some per that everyone gets a slice from and if you get a big slice of mathematical intelligence then you'll get smaller slices of other talents. There are people who are good at most things, people who are bad at most things and plenty in between. Just because you're bad at maths doesn't mean you have some other talent that a mathematical person can't have.

This post is, itself, a highly intelligent and coherent observation - one of the smartest I have read on Boards.
By the way, do you know what the definition of Applied Mathematics is? Hard Sums!! ðŸ˜‚

06-02-2017 06:29PM

LLMMLL wrote: »

This is one of the most irritating myths about intelligence. As if it's some per that everyone gets a slice from and if you get a big slice of mathematical intelligence then you'll get smaller slices of other talents. There are people who are good at most things, people who are bad at most things and plenty in between. Just because you're bad at maths doesn't mean you have some other talent that a mathematical person can't have.

You still hear that nonsense about people in certain professions that require a lot of study; they're somehow socially inept or lack interpersonal skills because they're so 'brainy'. It's usually pulled out of nowhere, most often intimate places where the light of the sun penetrates least.

This is a variation on that same assumed failing. "I'm useless at math but at least I know how to have the craic/wire a plug/play football!" etc.

JamboMac · 06-02-2017 06:39PM

I know lots of people who would be good at maths and coding languages for computers, but at times the same person i would class as thick. yes in those environments they may excel, but some of them really struggle with simple explanations and that can do may head in and the fact they always believe their right even when things couldn't be further from the truth.

Their is more then one kind of intelligence, it's not a simple black and white answer.

LLMMLL · 06-02-2017 06:46PM

JamboMac wrote: »

I know lots of people who would be good at maths and coding languages for computers, but at times the same person i would class as thick. yes in those environments they may excel, but some of them really struggle with simple explanations and that can do may head in and the fact they always believe their right even when things couldn't be further from the truth.

Their is more then one kind of intelligence, it's not a simple black and white answer.

Yeah but in fairness there's loads of people who are bad at maths/computers who are just as stubborn and struggle with "simple explanations".

Another thing is that a lot of people really resent people who are smart in the mathematical/scientific sense. For example, my brother is above average maths/science intelligence and AMAZING sportsperson. Give him any random weird niche sport and he can end up playing it at a fairly high level. I have no problem admitting that he's excellent at sports. But he has a major problem with me being described as very intelligent.

Galwayguy35 · 06-02-2017 07:20PM

I was terrible at maths, only managed a D in the Syllabus C level in the Leaving Cert.

JamboMac · 06-02-2017 08:07PM

LLMMLL wrote: »

Yeah but in fairness there's loads of people who are bad at maths/computers who are just as stubborn and struggle with "simple explanations".

Another thing is that a lot of people really resent people who are smart in the mathematical/scientific sense. For example, my brother is above average maths/science intelligence and AMAZING sportsperson. Give him any random weird niche sport and he can end up playing it at a fairly high level. I have no problem admitting that he's excellent at sports. But he has a major problem with me being described as very intelligent.

I don't think lots of people resent these people, but I do have somebody I know who is good in computer science but for some reason needs to boast and wants to be patted on the back, and if in another subject you score higher then him he'll lie and say he got higher then you even though the marks are there for you to see.

Sports I'm good at most because you have to know angles and how things work in real world, but maths currently I wouldn't be massively confident since I haven't really had to do it in a while. But my IQ is above average by a good bit, I think some specialise in an area become good in that area and assume they are best in all things.

I think I have an advantage on some being the youngest of a large family big sister a real book worm and middle sister more philosophical kind of brains, I would put myself as number 2 in mathematical brains out of 6 kids but overall intelligence possibly number 1. I think when theirs a little competition the youngest will tend to come out top in the end because they soak up info from older siblings.

railer201 · 06-02-2017 08:17PM

No, you might have had a teacher that was weak at maths. Maths is a subject that requires more understanding than memorizing. It is an easy subject, believe it or not, once you understand the proofs for the various formulae, eg in algebra.

Just learning off formulas without understanding them, makes the subject complicated and uninteresting.

A maths teacher I once knew referred to maths as the 'highest level of lowest cunning' and that about sums it up.

06-02-2017 08:23PM

Maths is quintessentially logical and to me that makes it easier much easier that say German grammar. Go back to the beginning and look at basic calculus and algebra.

LLMMLL · 06-02-2017 08:31PM

JamboMac wrote: »

I don't think lots of people resent these people, but I do have somebody I know who is good in computer science but for some reason needs to boast and wants to be patted on the back, and if in another subject you score higher then him he'll lie and say he got higher then you even though the marks are there for you to see.

Sports I'm good at most because you have to know angles and how things work in real world, but maths currently I wouldn't be massively confident since I haven't really had to do it in a while. But my IQ is above average by a good bit, I think some specialise in an area become good in that area and assume they are best in all things.

I think I have an advantage on some being the youngest of a large family big sister a real book worm and middle sister more philosophical kind of brains, I would put myself as number 2 in mathematical brains out of 6 kids but overall intelligence possibly number 1. I think when theirs a little competition the youngest will tend to come out top in the end because they soak up info from older siblings.

In my experience most people would be more comfortable admitting they are bad or average at sport than they are not very intelligent or even average intelligence.

Having said that there are people who do describe themselves as a bit thick. For some reason it's mostly women who will claim this (in my experience).

If you're weak at maths does that mean your thick?

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