Algebra.

Chagen

I'm struggling in it, and math used to be my best subject.

I can't believe this. I used to be extremely good in math. But today, we did Simplifying Radical Expressions, and I really didn't get any of it at all. And my teacher had another math teacher as a sub today, and she was a big enough cunt/asshole that I didn't ask for help at all. Not like I would've, given how painfully narccisstic I am.

I'm fucking ashamed of myself. This is just fucking embarassing. People used to look at me as a math god. They used to revere my skills. Now I'm having trouble, when I used to be a fucking math diety. What the hell? I feel like I don't amount to anything right now.

I walked home and to the library in a half-awake, only semi-aware stupor. I didn't even listen to any music. I had my PSP in my pocket, but I never pulled it out. I'm so depressed right now. What the fuck happened to my skills? What the fuck happened to my ability?

And then some fucking cunts bullyed and harassed me on the way to the library.

And then the library placed me on one of the computers in the children's section so now I'm sitting here forced to endure the screams of other people's worhless fucking spawn and-GOD FUCKING DAMMIT SHUT THE FUCK UP.

I feel worthless now. I'm nothing if I am not perfect and at the top of my game.

If I say anymore, I'm going to sound like another Columbine about to happen, so I'm just going to cut it short now.

 

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Wait, weren't you like, around 15 years old?

Chagen

Yeah...why is that surprising?

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Cause I remember learning Algebra before that, so i'm all "why are you complaining about it now?''

IanExMachina

Aren't you like 15 now? (or something being school age)

DonZabu

It's radicals that are tripping me up. I am not looking forward to Algebra II.

delta534

Chagen, one thing you have to realize is that sometimes its not what's being taught, but how it's taught.

Bee

Radicals take some getting used to.  What specifically about them is giving you trouble?

DonZabu

Everything about them, basically.

It doesn't help that my math teacher goes through the notes on the subject too quickly.

Bee

Well like, where did things start feeling weird with them.  Are you confused about the conceptual idea of a square root and what it represents, or some of the distributive properties to solve for things, or...I mean, where in the book can you put your finger down and say "this right here doesn't click."

glennmagusharvey

Yeah, logarithms took me a while to get used to, and so did limits.

This does sound kinda like me when I got to college.  I did really well in high school and then started sucking in college.

mathias

What are you talking about, algebra is totally awesome! Oh wait, it's that high school thing that masquerades as algebra, without even introducing any basic group or ring theory, nevermind then, because that bugs me to. Properly for entirely different reasons than the ones you just laid out, that is it bugs me that it's what people think of when they hear the word algebra, rather than the beautiful and elegant mathematical disciplines of group and ring theory (well as long as we don't move into ugly stuff like gröbner bases).

Anyways, all you can really do is make sure you understand the basic rules and concepts, then you should be able to simplify any problem, in theory at least, by careful application. In practice, you sometimes need a good idea (for general simplification, I don't think radical expressions should be too bad in and off themselves)  and as any any math teacher will tell you, the key to  getting the hang of doing these things is "practice, practice and yet more practice".

glennmagusharvey

Algebra, as in manipulations of variables and functions, is one of the coolest things ever once you get the hang of it.

And then once you learn derivatives and integrals, the toolbox grows...ahem...exponentially.

All Nines

I can't say I like formula/function/what-have-you based math all that much either, though I find simplifying radicals to be fairly simple. I much prefer multiplication.

DonZabu

@Bee: Simplifying them, for one.

Bee

Alright.  Are we talking about simplifying radicals that pop up in fractions, or pulling factors out of the root?

Like, are we talking about things like 2/sqrt(3), or showing how sqrt(8) = 2*sqrt(2)

DonZabu

Honestly, I don't even know at this point, nor do I particularly care. I'll just try and get through it to the best of my ability.

Bee

If you need help, please send a PM or something.  Seeing people give up on math is one of the few things that will sadface me every time :P

DonZabu

I don't normally hate math. I generally have good grades in the subject, and I like math that has practical applications. It's just stuff as arbitrary and pointless as this that trips me up. Polynomials was another one that really tested my patience.

glennmagusharvey

Actually, if you have math questions, just post them in this thread; several of us are great at math (ponicalica is a math major, I've tutored math for years, Bee is offering to help too) and we'd love to help.

In other news, I hate the rule against avoiding radicals in the denominator.

Nyktos

The point of rationalizing the denominator is so there's a "right" way to write every number.

Stormtroper

^^, ^: When they taught it to us, they outright said they were only teaching it so we'd know which box to check on an university entry test.

This does sound kinda like me when I got to college. I did really well in high school and then started sucking in college.

Pretty much.

Nyktos

stop saying things like that I'm scared enough already