is higher level math useless

[cavsinone_lbjdagoat]

there is a tl:dr at bottom

This is kind of a weird question but is all the math you learn after 8th grade useless? because by the 8th grade you know how to add, subtract, multiply, divide, fractions and decimals and such. these are the things you will primarily use math for in real life and it seems like once you get to high school they start teaching you math that is n/a in real life unless you have a job that requires you to do those things. Things such as multiplying binomials, solving quadratic equations, plotting points on a grid seem like they won't be used much after high school.

tl;dr: once one would know how to do basic real life math, is the math you learn in high school useless

 

[blickpall]

there is a tl:dr at bottom

This is kind of a weird question but is all the math you learn after 8th grade useless? because by the 8th grade you know how to add, subtract, multiply, divide, fractions and decimals and such. these are the things you will primarily use math for in real life and it seems like once you get to high school they start teaching you math that is n/a in real life unless you have a job that requires you to do those things. Things such as multiplying binomials, solving quadratic equations, plotting points on a grid seem like they won't be used much after high school.

tl;dr: once one would know how to do basic real life math, is the math you learn in high school useless

Learning higher level math teaches you how to think, in a sense. The skills you gain from solving higher level math problems are not limited to solving those problems, even though their influence in other fields of life is less evident. It's like how people claim that high school in general is pointless, when really high school is for learning how to learn, and maybe establish a few foundational skills and explore a few interests.

 

[blackcel]

For most people it is.

 

[cavsinone_lbjdagoat]

there is a tl:dr at bottom
This is kind of a weird question but is all the math you learn after 8th grade useless? because by the 8th grade you know how to add, subtract, multiply, divide, fractions and decimals and such. these are the things you will primarily use math for in real life and it seems like once you get to high school they start teaching you math that is n/a in real life unless you have a job that requires you to do those things. Things such as multiplying binomials, solving quadratic equations, plotting points on a grid seem like they won't be used much after high school.
tl;dr: once one would know how to do basic real life math, is the math you learn in high school useless

Learning higher level math teaches you how to think, in a sense. The skills you gain from solving higher level math problems are not limited to solving those problems, even though their influence in other fields of life is less evident. It's like how people claim that high school in general is pointless, when really high school is for learning how to learn, and maybe establish a few foundational skills and explore a few interests.

so it sort of boosts your overall IQ and problem solving skills?

 

[Battlefield3cel]

I think it would be useful if you used it in an applicable field like engineering, science etc

 

[Deleted member 1499]

Geometry can be useful.

 

[cavsinone_lbjdagoat]

Geometry can be useful.

don't take this in a rude way but can you elaborate?

 

[Deleted member 1499]

don't take this in a rude way but can you elaborate?

Calculating area and volume are pretty practical mathematical skills.

 

[blickpall]

so it sort of boosts your overall IQ and problem solving skills?

Yea, I'd argue that. It increases your mental blackboard, helps you think abstractly and solve problems that require induction or selecting from multiple approaches, not to mention that higher level math is much more relevant to the physical world than lower level math. What I mean by that is, you can understand physics much better because of calculus, for example.

 

[Deleted member 306]

Most of the stuff we learn is useful. The only math you need to know is what 80/20 means

 

[oblivioncel]

if you're a chad is not useful. if you're an incel you need to win the fields medal to redeem your whole existence

 

[anon101]

Anyone ever used integrals in real life?

 

[cavsinone_lbjdagoat]

I think it would be useful if you used it in an applicable field like engineering, science etc

computer programming?

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Anyone ever used integrals in real life?

i must be retarded. don't even know wtf that is tbh

 

[Deleted member 1039]

Its a waste of my fucking time. I fucking hate this dumbass education system, let me learn shit that actually pertains to my career

 

[ilieknothing]

You have a rope, you need to know the slope of the tangent to make a good noose

 

[BlackpilledTruecel]

yes its useless. just cheat

 

[blickpall]

Anyone ever used integrals in real life?

Understanding the concept has helped me in academic conversations in unrelated fields, so that's pretty real to me. This is a common, fallacious, and truly moronic argument against higher level math, because of what I wrote above: it's not about whether you use x niche element of any field of study, it's what you learned from the process of learning it and how it helps you understand things. I haven't discussed Napoleon or the Civil War IRL in years, does that mean that learning history is pointless? I haven't discussed Euclid in years either, does that mean that learning inductive reasoning using axioms was a waste of time? Durr, I didn't take the integral of the curve of this basketball when I shot it, but I understand the interrelationship between speed, acceleration, and thus force and can discuss it intelligently with people from fields other than my own, like the one time that I spoke with an engineer who explained to me why the rate of pressure build up was measured in m^3/s^2. Knowledge makes you a more worldly person, not because you use it every day but because you are more capable of relating to those that do.

computer programming?

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i must be retarded. don't even know wtf that is tbh

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I'll try to ELI5: speed is measured in meters per second. Acceleration is measured in meters per second squared, because acceleration is a change in speed, per second. Acceleration is the derivative of speed; speed is the integral of acceleration. You can find out the acceleration of a vehicle at any point in time by taking a derivative of the function of its speed. You can find the velocity of a car at any point in time by taking the integral of its acceleration if you know what its initial speed was. More importantly, you can use the equation of the integral or derivative to find these measurements out at any specific point in time. For example, if you want to know how fast the car was moving and how fast it was accelerating at 3.92 seconds of a 5 second 0-60mph sprint, you can do that knowing the equation of just the speed or just the acceleration and using derivative/integral as necessary to create the equation for the missing measurement.

 

[cavsinone_lbjdagoat]

Its a waste of my fucking time. I fucking hate this dumbass education system, let me learn shit that actually pertains to my career

I wish they would let you focus more on whatever it is you want to do when you get older because sometimes it just feels like i'm there all day doing busy work sometimes.

 

[blickpall]

I wish they would let you focus more on whatever it is you want to do when you get older because sometimes it just feels like i'm there all day doing busy work sometimes.

What happens when it turns out that you were wrong about what you wanted to do or what you end up doing, as most high schoolers probably are? You would rather repeat an entire education from the middle-school level than have the baseline skills necessary to switch majors in college, or simply continue with a few additional courses?

Don't get me wrong, your lack of desire to learn things that you find "pointless" and "stupid" is understandable, but you just have to accept that you're probably wrong about their uselessness too. Read my response to the person asking about integrals above to get a sliver of an explanation as to why.

 

[Tuttle]

don't take this in a rude way but can you elaborate?

Geometry is used in construction and such.

 

[BlackPill47]

Basically yes, OP.

As long as you can do the basics, work out your wages/NEETbux so you aren't fucked over and can also work out a household budget, that's all most people ever need.

Multiply your weekly figures by 4.333 for your monthlies and divide your monthlies by the same figure to get your weeklies.

 

[blickpall]

Why are you all trying to instill shit-tier work ethic and extinguish the learning potential of a fellow incel? Blows my mind.

 

[a-virgin-nigger]

Just take the required math classes for the field you are trying to get to. Simple as that. If you need higher level math, take it. Otherwise, all I ever used in real life was simple Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division which is nothing a calculator can't do. I do accounting and all I use is a calculator.

 

[grayjedi90]

Depends if you are into science and ingeneering it's your basic tool that you need to know. When it comes to daily life, it's pretty much useless most of the time.

The problem with higher math is this. Although we live in a world that suggests everyone can be a winner and do everything, if you truly want to succeed at higher level math you need some genetic brain disposition to math. I'm the perfect example for this. I worked at a shitty factory job and decided to go to school after work for a higher agree so that i could go studying. I somehow made my degree and went studying computer engineering. 

I really tried my hardest for two semesters to get all that physics and math stuff into my head but i just couldn't get it. No matter how hard i tried or who tried to explain it to me, it was impossible for me. Being good in higher level math is a gift which very few people have.

 

[Battlefield3cel]

Why are you all trying to instill shit-tier work ethic and extinguish the learning potential of a fellow incel? Blows my mind.

Blickpall is right.  I dont know about it's application in computing, but learning anything is never 'useless'. If you can do high level math, more power to you

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Depends if you are into science and ingeneering it's your basic tool that you need to know.

Being good in higher level math is a gift which very few people have.

 

[grayjedi90]

Why are you all trying to instill shit-tier work ethic and extinguish the learning potential of a fellow incel? Blows my mind.

Why does everybody assume in todays society that everyone can be a math genius or the next einstein if they want?

 

[grayjedi90]

Anyone who says higher Math is worthless in an ignoramus. Linear algebra is used for currency arbitrage algorithms for example. Dynamics used to model pricing. Just because you don't get pussy doesn't mean it's OK to be stupid.

And realistically speaking how many people use currency arbitrage in their daily life? Not many or if then not much!

 

[blickpall]

Why does everybody assume in todays society that everyone can be a math genius or the next einstein if they want?

First of all it's not everybody, second of all I never assumed that. While I admit that calculus can be tough, I don't think you have to be a math genius to understand it. Anyway, no one was talking about being or not being a math genius; we were talking about how some people in this thread are actively telling a person not to learn something without bothering to find out if they were capable of learning it or not.

And realistically speaking how many people use currency arbitrage in their daily life? Not many or if then not much!

Knowledge makes you a more worldly person, not because you use it every day but because you are more capable of relating to those that do.

 

[Deleted member 776]

I was never all that good at maths in school. I got a passing grade in year 11 thanks to a little cheating on my final exams and course work. I work in maintenance now. I get all sorts of odd stuff dumped on me to do because no one from day shift can be bothered.

I work with people who come to me to do stuff for them as basic as their wages.

At work i have had to calculate area, volume. Used Pythagoras and trigonometry. Use some algebra for stuff like Ohms law to design electrical circuits and calculating pressure and flow in hydraulic systems. The odd calculations relating to gearing and the angles of various things relative to each other. Some calculations designing small structures based on load. Sometimes i speak to one of our engineers for help. Both my grandfathers were engineers. My maternal grandfathers note books are one of my best sources of information. He wrote a lot of useful stuff down about mathematical tutorials.

 

[Berdea]

Depends on your career path.

 

[FeminismsCancer]

Solving quadratics, factorising, completing the square, inverse functions etc are used in even higher maths such as calculus II & III and Differential Equations. Those are the language of the universe & Physics. It's used in Engineering too.

 

[ordinaryotaku]

If you were to be a rocket scientist, astronomer, anything scientist related, etc. it would be helpful.

 

[thetruecelibate]

Failed math in high school

 

[cavsinone_lbjdagoat]

Failed math in high school

lack of trying or just not that good at it?

 

[thetruecelibate]

Failed math in high school

lack of trying or just not that good at it?

both.

 

[Sapientia]

Mental stimulation,anti cognitive decline that comes with age,rational thinking and more. Try to learn for the sake of improvement,to become a Übermensch.

 

[cavsinone_lbjdagoat]

Übermensch

do you have any methods for getting better at it?

 

[idkwattodowithlife]

You don't need anything above algebra for everyday living, or becoming a NEETbux, most people working just end up crunching numbers on excel, or doing some kind of consultancy email type work.

This is coming from a maths major, such as myself.

Would help maths enhance with your cognitive ability? Sure, it will but you gotta learn how to utilize it as well, and this comes from developing your intuition.

 

[cavsinone_lbjdagoat]

You don't need anything above algebra for everyday living, or becoming a NEETbux, most people working just end up crunching numbers on excel, or doing some kind of consultancy email type work.
This is coming from a maths major, such as myself.
Would help maths enhance with your cognitive ability? Sure, it will but you gotta learn how to utilize it as well, and this comes from developing your intuition.

do you regret majoring in math?

 

[blickpall]

do you have any methods for getting better at it?

I look at math as a different language that is describing a problem. To solve the problem you need to speak the language. To speak the language you must practice, and use it in different scenarios. When you learn new words or phrases, you have to understand what context those phrases are used in, and in response to what questions. Solving math problems is similar to that. I think that accepting this and thinking of it this way helped me a lot.

Outside of that, having a tutor always helps, or studying with a friend. Having someone explain the problem to you in a thorough way, and starting from the simple and moving on to the more complex. This is why in most math textbooks, problem 1 is easy af and problem 50 is harder than anything that will be on your exam. I strongly suggest Khan academy and YouTube if you don't have access to a tutoring center or office hours with a professor.

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do you regret majoring in math?

My friend majored in math, ended up having to switch to statistics because he thought math was too difficult and abstract for the real world. After a few jobs that were not related to his major, he got a job in IT and went back to school for a few courses and is getting his certifications now. Says that the math/stats degree looks good on paper but that he had a hard time finding work with it.

 

[idkwattodowithlife]

You don't need anything above algebra for everyday living, or becoming a NEETbux, most people working just end up crunching numbers on excel, or doing some kind of consultancy email type work.
This is coming from a maths major, such as myself.
Would help maths enhance with your cognitive ability? Sure, it will but you gotta learn how to utilize it as well, and this comes from developing your intuition.

do you regret majoring in math?

Actually yes because I'm a low IQ brainlet, I would've been better off studying accounting, or nursing, and I'd end up finishing university sooner, but my ego got the best of me that time when I was 20 years old. Now, I'm 23 years old, and behind a lot.

I also failed two years worth of course units and it wasn't good, but however I did improve upon and had gotten some good marks (early on, later on). I either get good marks or fail; there seems to be no such thing as passing for me, its majorly failing, or passing with flying colors for me lol.

The weighted exam score is 70% and 30% assignments/tests, I've always done well with the assignments and tests, but when it comes to the exams I fuck up. What helped me the most last semester was not concentrating on assignment/tests, starting on week six, but more, or so concentrating on doing practice exams everyday (at least two questions a day and weekends, I do all of em).

Depends on how your college/universities weigh up on their assessments, well for my university they focus a whole lot more on exams than assignments/tests. If yours the latter, concentrate on that one more.

Be sure to look at examples and solutions (since you'd mosr likely would be just doing elementary maths not abstract maths like real analysis), emulate that and keep doing it, till it sticks to your head, then you'll notice/recognize some patterns, and this in a way builds upon your intuition.

 

[cavsinone_lbjdagoat]

do you have any methods for getting better at it?

I look at math as a different language that is describing a problem. To solve the problem you need to speak the language. To speak the language you must practice, and use it in different scenarios. When you learn new words or phrases, you have to understand what context those phrases are used in, and in response to what questions. Solving math problems is similar to that. I think that accepting this and thinking of it this way helped me a lot.
Outside of that, having a tutor always helps, or studying with a friend. Having someone explain the problem to you in a thorough way, and starting from the simple and moving on to the more complex. This is why in most math textbooks, problem 1 is easy af and problem 50 is harder than anything that will be on your exam. I strongly suggest Khan academy and YouTube if you don't have access to a tutoring center or office hours with a professor.

Idk if something is wrong with me or something, but when i get to the harder subjects and start seeing letters and long equations my brain just scrambles. Its like i get dyslexic or something. I don't really know how to explain it well. I will try what you said because the fact that i see math as the bane of my life might have to do with why i'm so bad at it.

 

[cavsinone_lbjdagoat]

do you have any methods for getting better at it?

I look at math as a different language that is describing a problem. To solve the problem you need to speak the language. To speak the language you must practice, and use it in different scenarios. When you learn new words or phrases, you have to understand what context those phrases are used in, and in response to what questions. Solving math problems is similar to that. I think that accepting this and thinking of it this way helped me a lot.
Outside of that, having a tutor always helps, or studying with a friend. Having someone explain the problem to you in a thorough way, and starting from the simple and moving on to the more complex. This is why in most math textbooks, problem 1 is easy af and problem 50 is harder than anything that will be on your exam. I strongly suggest Khan academy and YouTube if you don't have access to a tutoring center or office hours with a professor.

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Idk if something is wrong with me or something, but when i get to the harder subjects and start seeing letters and long equations my brain just scrambles. Its like i get dyslexic or something. I don't really know how to explain it well. I will try what you said because the fact that i see math as the bane of my life might have to do with why i'm so bad at it.

 

[cavsinone_lbjdagoat]

do you have any methods for getting better at it?

I look at math as a different language that is describing a problem. To solve the problem you need to speak the language. To speak the language you must practice, and use it in different scenarios. When you learn new words or phrases, you have to understand what context those phrases are used in, and in response to what questions. Solving math problems is similar to that. I think that accepting this and thinking of it this way helped me a lot.
Outside of that, having a tutor always helps, or studying with a friend. Having someone explain the problem to you in a thorough way, and starting from the simple and moving on to the more complex. This is why in most math textbooks, problem 1 is easy af and problem 50 is harder than anything that will be on your exam. I strongly suggest Khan academy and YouTube if you don't have access to a tutoring center or office hours with a professor.

---

do you regret majoring in math?

My friend majored in math, ended up having to switch to statistics because he thought math was too difficult and abstract for the real world. After a few jobs that were not related to his major, he got a job in IT and went back to school for a few courses and is getting his certifications now. Says that the math/stats degree looks good on paper but that he had a hard time finding work with it.

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Idk if something is wrong with me or something, but when i get to the harder subjects and start seeing letters and long equations my brain just scrambles. Its like i get dyslexic or something. I don't really know how to explain it well. I will try what you said because the fact that i see math as the bane of my life might have to do with why i'm so bad at it.

 

[blickpall]

Idk if something is wrong with me or something, but when i get to the harder subjects and start seeing letters and long equations my brain just scrambles. Its like i get dyslexic or something. I don't really know how to explain it well. I will try what you said because the fact that i see math as the bane of my life might have to do with why i'm so bad at it.

Try breaking it down into smaller parts, into individual steps, like how a sentence is made out of individual words and parts of speech. To understand a sentence you need to understand and recognize each word in it, and to answer the question that the sentence is asking you must understand the concept as a whole (but the parts come first).

 

[cavsinone_lbjdagoat]

Try breaking it down into smaller parts, into individual steps, like how a sentence is made out of individual words and parts of speech. To understand a sentence you need to understand and recognize each word in it, and to answer the question that the sentence is asking you must understand the concept as a whole (but the parts come first).

I will try, i guess giving up isn't an option, as I have to pass this class. thanks for the tips. you kind of motivated me to get better lol

 

[blickpall]

I will try, i guess giving up isn't an option, as I have to pass this class. thanks for the tips. you kind of motivated me to get better lol

Glad to hear that ^^ Best of luck, bud. Never be afraid to reach out for help.

 

[WarmIncelation]

It helps you understand the world better and have a better grasp of scientific concepts. It also depends on what job you're planning on having.

I will say that I think discrete math, finite math, Boolean algebra and statistics should be taught and understood by everyone. I have used all of these in my day to day

I've never used calculus or differential equations outside of a school setting though