Mathematics is hard?

Question

If mathematics is logical, then why does it doesn't make sense to most people?

I guess this question tends to involve a little bit of philosophy. Please do not give lame, pointless or provoking answer.

Thanks everyone for giving your insight. The maths I mean is university-level maths, especially algebra (geometry and matrices combined together, then deal with calculus at the same time). The 'most people' I mean in my question is based on the scores of assignments of others in my lectures. There are more than 100 of students there. I see that plenty got only half the total marks in assignments. Some only got few marks, even lower than half.

Answer 1

Nothing is hard or easy. It is just how it is presented to you when you are learning it. If the subject is presented to you with positive reinforcement, you would tend to love it. Also, because Mathematics is black and white and there are no grey areas. Either the solution is correct or it is not, unlike other subjects like language, history, etc. where subjectivity of the person comes into play. Nobody in their right senses will deny that 2 + 2 = 4. You will either score full marks or will not get any. Since, children are under pressure to perform better and each score counts, the are put under extra pressure when it comes to Mathematics. Things like these make mathematics hard.

It also involves the interest that one has in the field and the effort he/she is willing to put in.

Answer 2

Mathematics follows logic, but is like learning a foreign language. Some people have aptitude for it, and others must work at it. Too bad kids are lazy, and many teachers don't really understand that it is important to lead students to discover how to answer mathematical questions on their own. There should be some enjoyment in math, too.

Answer 3

Mathematical logic is not the way people's minds work.

It's hard to program a computer to do many things that people find easy. And, most people have trouble with simple logical puzzles.

I'm not trying to be philosophical-- just reporting empirical results noted by myself and others.

Answer 4

logical is a relative term.
one could also say there is nothing common about sense.
I don't agree that mathematics is hard for most people. It just depends on what you are applying math to compared to the practical application the individual uses:

a mechanic is excellent in converting fractions

a carpenter applies geometry

an architect uses trig.

All of these do not find math hard or illogical. The difficulty lies in applying it to an unknown application. When using new methods one may find it easier to imagine a practical application. Sometimes identifying or relating to the goals simplifies things.

Answer 5

its all bullsh*t,football managers just have the knowledge from the games which they have played and from Physical education classes that's it.Some would've been assistant managers to some respected names in the field n that's the way they know it,nothing more than that. the link that u have shared is quiet interesting but its all a mathematical sh*t.

Answer 6

There are some people who are good in math and there are some who are not. It depends on the way you study mathematics. For example for me I loved geometry but not algebra. It was too hard for me but I worked at it and I understood by studying and taking extra classes for it.

Answer 7

If it doesn't make sense to somebody, then that somebody is illogical. It's a problem with people, not mathematics; people are much more fallible than logic is.

Answer 8

This is logical but this is more of conceptual rather than common sense and for understanding conceptual things one need to have a good direction. For example why pi is irrational when pi = 22/7. This is the understanding people are given and if they are told that pi is irrational and 22/7 is an approximation they shall appreciate it. Every body does shopping and arithmetic for cost of the things and in general they do not do mistakes.

Answer 9

There's a big difference between intuition and logical understanding. For example: the Monty Hall problem. You're given a choice of three doors to pick from and you choose one of them. Monty reveals one of the other two doors and asks you if you want to keep yours or trade it for the other one.

Now, your intuition is going to be telling you that it doesn't matter which one you choose because you have a 50/50 chance either way. The truth of the matter is that you more of a chance of winning if you choose the other door. That goes against your intuition and, often times, people find themselves in that spot when they look at other parts of mathematics. If they don't see the logic behind it immediately, they regard it as difficult or illogical.

For the most part, understanding mathematics is not a question of difficulty of the problem, it's a matter of taking the time to understand the axioms that lay behind the theorems, postulates and what not that make up mathematics. Once you break through that psychological barrier that restricts you from seeing mathematics as logical, then you can begin to see it not so much as a pain to do, but more like an art form such as writing. Ask any mathematician, they'll tell you that what they do is working for beauty.

Answer 10

It probably has more to do with the way math is taught.


Math is very hard to learn and interpret in just ...one way. Most teachers only teach math one way, and the reality is, not all people learn it like that.


And when you have a weak foundation in math, then you break when the math gets complex. Think of it like a building. You lay the foundation...what happens if it's weak and you make the building taller?



Math isn't strictly logic. This is a large misconception. Basic math is logic. However, complex math is complexities built onto the struture of other logics which often has more to do with method than logic. It requires training and memory work to learn these methods, not just logic. You can't just look at a complex problem and go oh, logic and voila you have the answer. It doesn't work that way.


However, then there is a large portion of the population that just isn't very smart, therefore they will always struggle with math >.>