[quote]rcsermas wrote:
Vicomte wrote:
wfifer wrote:
Vicomte wrote:
I think most people who are naturally intelligent suck at math. Other subjects, such as English, Biology, humanities, etc. are very intuitive. Math is systematic, but you must learn the intricate details of the system first, which takes work and study. As others have mentioned, naturally smart people grew up not having to work and study for their success, so they lack the drive/skill to do so when they have to.
I suck at math as well. Basic algebra is fucking difficult, even. Hell, I failed the easy math class my senior year. The one the stupid kids take just so they can tell their parents they took a math class. Kids with helmets on did better than I did.
For comparison purposes, Is cored 550 on the math section of the SAT. I scored 790 on the verbal section, but only because I made a stupid mistake and forgot what ‘vociferous’ meant. I knew nothing about the SAT until I sat down to take it.
Moral of the story: Math is hard for lazy smart people.
I really have to disagree with you. I’ve heard some say that the SAT math is particularly hard because they haven’t done it in a while. I’d argue that you should be able derive all necessary problem-solving methods from logic and an understanding of basic math terminology. Very little prior knowledge is needed.
On the other hand, the verbal section is based on your knowledge of obscure definitions. If you do a lot of reading this won’t be a problem, but that requires effort. I think we all know how easy it is to get through English without ever reading a book…hell, I’ve aced AP essays when I couldn’t name the protagonist.
The only difficult subject for lazy smart people is History–not enough detail in the lectures to test well.
I’ll have to disagree with you, as well. At least in reference to math and history. If very little prior knowledge was needed, I wouldn’t have been staring at my paper saying ‘How the hell do you do that, again?’ Math is all about memorizing complex algorithms. Do this, then that, then that and that, take your answer and do this and that, and you’ll get it right every time. If you haven’t put the time in to know exactly how you’re supposed to do it, and even what exactly you’re supposed to do, you will fuck it up.
As you mentioned about English essays, anyone who isn’t a moron can do that because there’s no right or wrong, exactly, and no study is required as there is no memorization. I’ve seen people who are truly atrocious writers (read:complete morons) do well in math simply because they took the time to study and learn how the math works. Obviously being intelligent helps with math as well, but simply taking the time and doing the grunt work of memorizing the steps will take you much farther, at least moreso than any other subject, even science. Logic is much more useful in Biology than Algebra.
I’ve always done very well in history without even trying. There’s enough detail in lectures if you extrapolate a bit using basic knowledge anyone who’s ever picked up a book would know. Of course, I had an AP teacher once who was so fucking stupid I had to put wrong answers on his tests so I could pass. You can’t fudge dates and the like, obviously, but the rest can be intuited rather simply with a basis of general knowledge and an able mind. Not so with maths.
Of course, I’ve been known to pick up a book now and then. But I don’t think anyone can honestly call themselves intelligent when they don’t read. It’s sort of a prerequisite. It’s the ability to apply what you’ve read and learned otherwise that makes you smart.
Math is not about memorizing complex algorithms at all. Everything in the math classes that most people have to take (algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus) is intuitively logical, and from just knowing the basics you can reason through some of the most advanced problems. Most people who don’t do well in advanced math have a very poor foundation in the subject from a young age (usually a lack of interest, sometimes poor instruction). These people then lack the capability to take the more advanced concepts and break them down to an elementary level, which, in my experience at least, is key to grasping a true understanding of them.[/quote]
These ‘basics’ that you talk about are the complex algorithms. They must be memorized, as I’m sure you’ll agree. It’s not intuitively logical, it’s so coldly logical that it goes much farther beyond intuition. Language is intuitively logical. Even if you don’t know the rules exactly, you can still find your way around it. Even a foreign language. Math relies so much on precision and accuracy that it becomes unmanageable in unskilled hands. There’s no margin of error. You make one tiny mistake in the course of solving a problem and the whole thing is fucked, even if you do everything else right. It’s all hard lines and concrete geometry, there’s nothing ‘human’ about it.
Of course, I just hate the stuff. I suppose it comes down to individual inclination.