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humbled by math
Jeffrey
Veteran
Ok so I was working in my organic chemistry and there was a problem where I had to solve a quadratic equation and had no clue. A quadratic equation is something from Algebra so I ordered an Algebra book which was fortunately cheap. Now there was a pre-algebra section and some of it I didn't know how to do. So now I have ordered a pre-Algebra book. At this rate I will be circling 'Dick and Jane' sometime next month hehe. The Algebra book has some recognition of series a lot like our 'crack the code' on New Buddhist. Anyhow I am humbled.
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Comments
I've never got beyond 'Dick and Jane', Jeffrey.....
Life and ignorance humbles us. Well done samsara. Just as you are humbled by what others find simple we find in the Buddha realm similar situations.
We struggle with a doctrinal or meditative issue and the experience, wisdom and advice of seniors, experienced sangha, lamas etc puts us to shame.
As I said to Mr Cushion only this morning, 'You may support me but without me you are nothing!'
What arrogance from a piece of stuffed cloth . . .
@Jeffrey
Post the problem please?
.
Most people will never use quadratic equations in their lives, apart from in school. Isn't school supposed to be there to teach us life skills?
If you're going into a field where you need that kinda thing, they should teach it to you. I think they do this just to keep kids in school until they're 18, otherwise they'd be done years earlier and the parents wouldn't know what to do with them!
I remember one nun (Sister Kathleen) who taught maths.
Bear in mind I was so bad at it.... It was subsequently discovered that I suffered from Dyscalculia, but that didn't actually help me at this particular time....
I simply could not get my head round Algebra.
a + x = 12 over y .... What - the - actual....??
One day, in sheer exasperation, she yelled at me across the classroom -
"For goodness' sake child! How on earth are you going to cope if your eventual job requires you to know these things?!"
To which I replied,
"What on earth makes you think I'd even take a job that requires me to know these things - ?!"
(An hour's detention followed.... and I still couldn't do the homework...)
(Eventually, when it was realised that I really did have a genuine problem coping with numbers, I was excused homework, but still had to attend lessons, although it was applied in modified form for me. Something which I believe to this day, stuck sorely in Sr. Kathleen's craw....)
@federica I can tell you one thing: "a + x = 12 / y" won't actually yield an answer (unless two of the variables had numbers to assign to them), so that wouldn't be your fault.
Shut.
The hell.
Up.
...
...
@federica Good Answer!
@AldrisTorvalds the answer is a plot. Or rather several plots where a is variable.
. Never yield to a math teachers whim... who does she think she is giving you unsolvable problems huh !? Suck on that math teacher!
y = 12/(a +x) where a is any number. See link below.
http://fooplot.com/#W3sidHlwZSI6MCwiZXEiOiIxMi8oeCsxKSIsImNvbG9yIjoiIzAwMDAwMCJ9LHsidHlwZSI6MCwiZXEiOiIxMi8oeCsyKSIsImNvbG9yIjoiIzAwMDAwMCJ9LHsidHlwZSI6MCwiZXEiOiIxMi8oeCszKSIsImNvbG9yIjoiIzAwMDAwMCJ9LHsidHlwZSI6MCwiZXEiOiIxMi8oeCs0LjUpIiwiY29sb3IiOiIjMDAwMDAwIn0seyJ0eXBlIjowLCJlcSI6IjEyLyh4KzUuNTMxKSIsImNvbG9yIjoiIzAwMDAwMCJ9LHsidHlwZSI6MTAwMH1d
I clicked on the link.
It's a picture of a pair of curtains, taken by a tripod-supported camera - that has fallen over.
Sorted.
Next!!
.
And the Good Answer comment was to federicas comment to the nun not to federicas comment of @AldrisTorvalds post...
Some people I know are very good in Maths and in fact, because of them, does not understand humility.
@Victorious the problem was a quadratic
Example:
x^2 +2x +1 = 0 ; solve for x
math symbols, ^: x^2 is x squared so 2^2 is 2 squared = 4
you can do it by writing an expression like this:
x^2 +2x +1 = = (x+1)^2 = 0
The solution is -1 because substituting that for x makes the equation true
Another:
x^2 -1 = 0
(x+1) (x-1) = 0
Here both x = 1 and x=-1 fulfill the equation as true
The problem I had was that the quadratic equation contained decimals and very hard to just eyeball. I might have multiplied everything by 1000 and tried to solve it, but it would still be hard to eyeball. I know there is a 'plug and chug' formula which is an algorythm (method) to solve, but I wanted to go back to basic math just because.
I am through 800 pages of the pre-Algebra book mostly skimming and doing story problems for practice. A lot of math you don't use for chemistry, but it is nice to know what the curriculum and so forth is. For example you don't use much geometry in chemistry though I'm sure somebody in some journal or other finds a use.
Sure. Just pm if you want help. Looks like you are on this.
. Maths is fun I understand the temptation to solve it yourself!