Nice People Thread Number 11 - A Treasury of Nice People

Yorkie1

I did maths A level twice (one in lower 6th, then retake in upper 6th) and got a C both times.

There was clear water between people like me, who plodded to that grade, and those for whom equations were like music - those who instinctively understood the concepts and thought differently from me.

To continue it as a subject to Uni needs you to have the sort of brain I've just described, and not one like mine! If it doesn't excite you, I can't see how you'd be inspired to 'get' all the theoretical stuff that is involved.

vivatifosi

I loved maths, however I fell ill and missed my second O Level paper. The rules meant that the maximum I could get was a C, which I did, but the same inflexible system meant that I could not then study it at a higher level.

Maths and I have a strange relationship. I didn't really get it until a really great maths teacher (thank you Mr Toms) unlocked it for me and it suddenly made sense. After that I couldn't get enough. He seemed to know exactly how to open it up for every student. For some it was about learning methods, for others it was understanding how they could benefit financially from using it. For me it was seeing the logic in it and how it could be used to unlock puzzles. Absolutely brilliant man.

LydiaJ

Yorkie1 wrote: »

I did maths A level twice (one in lower 6th, then retake in upper 6th) and got a C both times.

There was clear water between people like me, who plodded to that grade, and those for whom equations were like music - those who instinctively understood the concepts and thought differently from me.

To continue it as a subject to Uni needs you to have the sort of brain I've just described, and not one like mine! If it doesn't excite you, I can't see how you'd be inspired to 'get' all the theoretical stuff that is involved.

True. Also, lots of people find that maths comes easily and naturally up to a point, and then it stops doing it. For LNE, it was somewhere in the middle of secondary school. When he was struggling with A-level maths, it really didn't help that his parents kept saying "But you're good at maths" because he had been great at it in primary school.

For me, the cutoff was the end of the first year of a physics degree. We had 5 exam papers that year - three physics ones and two "maths for physicists" and the maths ones were my best papers. In the second year we did the core physics for finals, and then picked two options for the final year. By that point, I knew that the mathematical physics option was completely beyond me and not remotely a possibility for me.

LydiaJ

vivatifosi wrote: »

I loved maths, however I fell ill and missed my second O Level paper. The rules meant that the maximum I could get was a C, which I did, but the same inflexible system meant that I could not then study it at a higher level.

That's dreadful. :mad::mad::mad::mad:

vivatifosi wrote: »

Maths and I have a strange relationship. I didn't really get it until a really great maths teacher (thank you Mr Toms) unlocked it for me and it suddenly made sense. After that I couldn't get enough. He seemed to know exactly how to open it up for every student. For some it was about learning methods, for others it was understanding how they could benefit financially from using it. For me it was seeing the logic in it and how it could be used to unlock puzzles. Absolutely brilliant man.

:T:T:T:T

Nikkster

When picking 'A' levels, I was discouragedfrom opting for maths, but ended up getting an A at both GCSE and 'A' level. Both times, it ask seemed to click into place somehow just before the final exams.
One of my proudest moments at school was getting a piece of maths coursework back from the teacher who tried to put me off taking maths, and the only bit of red pen was a single tick at the end
I've got rather rusty now though, should really try to re-learn some of it.

michaels

I find explaining maths to my kids really difficult, I can't understand how it isn't as obvious as speaking in sentences, I have to try and think about how some people can draw things. However i would never have done a maths degree, too geeky and not enough girls on the course....

Thinking of Mr G.

chewmylegoff

I did maths at a level but I wasn't very good at it. My school forced me to also do further maths for reasons I still don't quite understand. I was good at pure but abysmal at applied maths - I just didn't get it. I got something like 97 or 98% in pure but 40-odd% in applied so that averaged out to a B overall.

I got 7% in further applied maths. I think 40% in further pure and got an N overall. I don't put that one on my CV!

neverdespairgirl

LydiaJ wrote: »

True. Also, lots of people find that maths comes easily and naturally up to a point, and then it stops doing it. For LNE, it was somewhere in the middle of secondary school. When he was struggling with A-level maths, it really didn't help that his parents kept saying "But you're good at maths" because he had been great at it in primary school.

For me, the cutoff was the end of the first year of a physics degree. We had 5 exam papers that year - three physics ones and two "maths for physicists" and the maths ones were my best papers. In the second year we did the core physics for finals, and then picked two options for the final year. By that point, I knew that the mathematical physics option was completely beyond me and not remotely a possibility for me.

For me, maths was easy and made perfect sense until we got to trigonometry. That I just couldn't get, all those horrible triangles and angles, they made absolutely no sense to me at all. When I was later shown to have the type of dyslexia that severely affects spatial understanding, that made more sense. Algebra and all the rest of it was a breeze, shapes had me in tears of frustration.

michaels wrote: »

I find explaining maths to my kids really difficult, I can't understand how it isn't as obvious as speaking in sentences, I have to try and think about how some people can draw things. However i would never have done a maths degree, too geeky and not enough girls on the course....

Thinking of Mr G.

I'm sure that you'll encourage your DKs to choose their study options on the basis of the likelihood of them getting laid.....

vivatifosi wrote: »

Which leads me on to an NP question. Who did you want to be growing up?

Who? I never remember wanting to be any particular person when I grew up. I am supposed to have said at my uncle's wedding, when I was 3, that I wanted to be a barrister like Daddy, though!

zagubov

I stopped Maths at Highers as I started to find it exasperating, particularly trig.

I bit the bullet a week or two ago and bought Mathematics for the Million by the amazingly-named Lancelot Hogben for 1p on Amazon.

Brilliant writer, talks about how to translate life into "size language". Writes as if it's enjoyable and makes it seem like it is. Should be on everybody's booklist I reckon.:)

neverdespairgirl

Very best of luck today, Gen, and happy wedding anniversary to you both.