Why do people struggle in math more than any subject? Do you have to be very smart to understand it?

Answer 1

Many subjects can be learned by memorization of the facts. You don't really have to understand them. As long as you have them memorized, you will do well on a test.

However, math is a subject that requires understanding. You can't just memorize the facts, because you still won't know how to apply them. Also, each math concept requires that you have learned and understood all the concepts that lead up to it. That makes it a more difficult subject to learn.

Answer 2

No one was born as a smart person! Now relax! Any body can be smart. First of all, you need patience to read the concept and then slowly the statements, defination and the formulas etc...You also have to be humble until you come to the point of complete understanding. If you practice in this way up to one complete lesson or a chapter, you will see some smoothness in the process of getting math.

Getting to understand step by step is like digging to find gold coins one by one from the ground of a treasure island! Once you know how to find and get to understand with patience, math will get easier and you also can be smart! No matter how the teacher is, you can invent your own way of learning through book example. Of course, the good teaching would be addtional source to make it easier too! But a good math student depends on his or her own way of learning!

Final advice! To be a good Math student, you need patience, concentration and avoid frustration when you learn by yourself! When you learn from your math teacher, bring your complete mind steady to concentrate!

Ignore: cell phone vibration, text message checking, note chatting and other communication! In other words simply you hear all the time from your teacher "Pay Attention"!

Hope you would be smart soon in Math!

Answer 3

I think people tend to struggle more in math because there is actually a right answer and there are set formulaic ways to reach that answer. If you take, say writing or art, it is all completely subjective and if you ask ten people the same question, there's no guarantee that all of them will give you the exact same answer. However, I don't think you necessarily have to be very "smart" to understand it. There are plenty of people who tend to be more "left-brained" that can pick up the logical and rational aspects of calculus and trigonometry much quicker than understanding the bureaucratic system of the U.S. government.

Answer 4

One theory is that you first learn your basic math skills by elementry teachers who hated math themselves and that's why they went into elementry education. They are teaching you math, reading, grammar, and pe all together. They are going to be more enthusiastic about the subjects they are more interested and confident in.

The best math teachers can demonstrate practical applications either in the next level of math or science or day to day activities.

Think about your third grade teacher teaching you your multiplication tables. All she (probably a she) taught you was that you had to memorize them.

No, you don't have to be very smart to understand it. It helps to know why your are learning the subject. If you are taking physics at the same time you take calculus it helpes because Newton developed calculus to answer simple classic physics problems. When you are studying the first elements of physics they aretn't that complicated and the calculus you use to solve them aren't that hard because it is the basic, simplest concepts in that school of math that was just developed to answer those simple questions like determining the exact velocity of a falling object at a given instant. Then you study progressivly more difficult physical phenomonon with progressively more complecated calculus but the individual steps from one level to the next are not that big.

The best math teachers I ever had were my physics professors.

Well that's one theory.

Answer 5

Sometimes math makes absolutely no sense at all to me.

I struggled for years with math... I was so happy to be done with it... never to have to study it again.

Then late in life (well... 40 something.... ) I went back to college to finish a degree. I had straight "A's" in everything I studied... and there I was... ready to graduate... ready to finish up... Finally...... and a counselor called me to say, "You need a math class... you're short three math credits... that's all you need, and you can't graduate without it" she found me some "Principals of math"... or "introduction to weird math"... or "Math for people who can't stand Math, but have to take it to finish college"... or something like that...

I took the class at night... I absolutely hated it... I looked like someone's grandfather, sitting in the back row... and this math stuff didn't do a thing for me... I absolutely hated it.... I hated it so much, I said it again... I absolutely hated it....

I attended every class... I took every test... and I was getting nothing from it. But I had to do it. Then the final came.... before the final I spent a lot of time reviewing all the tests I'd taken up to that point... I reviewed all the homework... I mashed the buttons of my calculator... I determined that the absolute best grade I could Hope to get out of the class was a "C"... and I could only do that if I managed to get every question right on the final.... I was doomed.... there I was, a straight "A" student, who hated math... didn't understand it.... didn't want to.... and didn't care.... but I had to finish this math class with a passing grade, or I wouldn't finish college.... not only that, but I'd have to start all over again... my credits were about to expire as far as the university I was attending was concerned... Dammm.... I'd just wasted "How Many" years? And I was about to fail "weird math" ... I took the final... hoping that I'd get at least a "D" and manage to graduate by the skin of my teeth...

I got an "A" on the final, and an "A" for my grade in the class.... What the? I was so bad at math that my calculations showed I'd get a "C" at the absolute best? Shows how much I learned in that class....

Answer 6

It depends on the person. I'm a psychological person, I really don't research, I depend it on the masses. Anyways, back to your question. Mathematics is a hard subject, I agree, however, everyone has the ability to perfect the skills of math. In order to understand math, you must fathom the basic concepts and skills of math. I see mathematics this way, Every question is derived from simple concepts, just put in a complex way.

Answer 7

math consists of formulas and a logical approach is needed to learn math.
No you have not to be very smart to understand it. but if you have patience and hard working capabilities then math becomes an easy subject.

Answer 8

You can cheat or BS on other subjects, a la Bart SImpson doing a book report, but math makes you have to face the problem and work it out on your own.

Math is not hard. We just don't like being challenged.

Answer 9

no you need a good teacher. I hated math until highschool I then had Mr. Woodland as a math teacher and I went from hating it to being on a math team that one state. If you need someone to help explain anything please feel free to email me. Just don't give up try to get a good tutur or teacher. Not everybody learns the same way so keep trying until you find a teacher like.

Answer 10

No I just hate math .