Poll of the Day > That dracula math disorder (give me math questions)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Lokarin posted...

ya, this is 3rd grade math in Canada

Pretty much the same in the US.

willythemailboy posted...

They're the same concept being called different names. The lowest common multiple will be the lowest common denominator when used as the denominator in fractions.

true, however the snippet of screenshot didn't give me that impression

Lokarin posted...

Maybe you'd like a word puzzle; I have two that are my favourites because they're both silly

1. An orchestra of 35 members can play Mozart in 57 minutes; How long would it take for an orchestra of only 12 members to play the same songs?

Okay, um... So if it took 57 minutes for 35 members... 57 divided by 35 is... Wait, that's not a whole number. 57 divided by 12... That's not a whole number either. Um... This doesn't even make sense because a piece of music isn't divisible. There's no reason a smaller group wouldn't be able to play the same song in less time. Less good, perhaps, but the song is only so long either way. Are you giving me a trick question?

2. If it takes 20 minutes to cut a piece of wood into 3 pieces, how long would it take to cut that same piece of wood into 4 pieces?

20 doesn't divide by 3 so... I don't know. Is division even the way to solve this???

You might as well have put a cuneiform tablet in front of my and asked me to read it.

Flappers posted...

but the song is only so long either way. Are you giving me a trick question?

yes, this is the right answer.

Flappers posted...

20 doesn't divide by 3 so... I don't know. Is division even the way to solve this???

that's the other trick. to cut a piece of wood into 3 pieces you only make 2 cuts. This is an off-by-one error that is common in math

Flappers posted...

20 doesn't divide by 3 so... I don't know. Is division even the way to solve this???

You might as well have put a cuneiform tablet in front of my and asked me to read it.

That one is sort of a trick question, as you only need to cut the piece of wood twice to get three pieces and three times to get four pieces. So 20 minutes for 2 cuts is 10 minutes per cut, meaning three cuts would take 30 minutes.

Lokarin posted...

yes, this is the right answer.

that's the other trick. to cut a piece of wood into 3 pieces you only make 2 cuts. This is an off-by-one error that is common in math

Deliberately trying to confuse someone who is already out of their depth is probably not the best way to help.

Lokarin posted...

ya, this is 3rd grade math in Canada

willythemailboy posted...

Pretty much the same in the US.

That's as high as I ever got before they stopped giving a shit about me. I don't know how to explain how bad it is.

Public school never taught me anything. No teacher ever set aside time to give me extra help because they aren't even able to do that. Teachers don't control how they teach. They have to conform to the curriculum that is only there to make sure students graduate rather than succeed. They don't hold students back because it would be expensive and make the school look bad -- that's why they didn't care when I lost an entire year because of a major surgery and just sent me to the next grade (after attempting to charge my mom with truancy even though I was literally still recovering). Every time I got into a new grade they assumed and treated me like I already knew things that I didn't. Anxiety and depression took me out. My mom had to get a lawyer because of how bad a teacher treated me. When they figured out I was autistic, they stuck me in the classroom with all the severely disabled children and it became my job to help take care of them. I never learned anything and now I feel like it's too late. I am the prime example of failure from the school system. I am a teacher's worst nightmare.

They're making me do this for graphic design btw. I have to pay thousands of dollars to take this class I'm not even going to need. I only even settled on graphic design because I was too stupid to take wildlife biology (which requires calculus for some Godforsaken reason) And now apparently I most likely have yet another disorder to add to my records. My chances to be accomplished in life slip further and further away with each passing week.

Do you guys think I'm just totally fucked?
(and does pulling hair count as self-harm? because I started doing that a little bit today)

willythemailboy posted...

Deliberately trying to confuse someone who is already out of their depth is probably not the best way to help.

lol I couldn't possibly be more confused than I already am so it had no effect on me.

Flappers posted...

Do you guys think I'm just totally fucked?

Not at all, but you might benefit more from using one of the online learning services like Brilliant where you can start at the basics and work at your own pace rather than jumping straight into a structured learning environment you're obviously not ready for. It might be best to drop that class now if you can and try it again after a few months of prep. No one likes to admit they need remedial help but it beats slamming your face into a wall and quitting.

willythemailboy posted...

Not at all, but you might benefit more from using one of the online learning services like Brilliant where you can start at the basics and work at your own pace rather than jumping straight into a structured learning environment you're obviously not ready for. It might be best to drop that class now if you can and try it again after a few months of prep. No one likes to admit they need remedial help but it beats slamming your face into a wall and quitting.

I'm doing that with the Kahn Academy app and it has been helpful. I learned how to divide. Thing is, I can learn (some) math and do it that moment, but I'll forget it all the very next day. Basically I just have to keep very specific notes that are written in a way I understand so if I ever need to do it I can just check there. But tbh I have never once needed to apply anything other than very basic math in my life. I think it's crazy how hard they try to push math on everyone (I'm just in graphic design? hello???) and all the math teachers I had from middle school onwards acted like if you couldn't do math you might as well just kill yourself. Like you just won't even be able to live without their level of math skills. It definitely didn't help my anxiety surrounding math. It's weird that I've noticed that in math teachers and so has my family. It's probably a personality thing in the brain connected to the fact they're good at math. Kinda like how doctors tend to be assholes and politicians tend to be psychopaths. I remember reading about this kinda thing in HS psychology class...which I fucking aced btw

Flappers posted...

I'm doing that with the Kahn Academy app and it has been helpful. I learned how to divide. Thing is, I can learn (some) math and do it that moment, but I'll forget it all the very next day. Basically I just have to keep very specific notes that are written in a way I understand so if I ever need to do it I can just check there. But tbh I have never once needed to apply anything other than very basic math in my life. I think it's crazy how hard they try to push math on everyone (I'm just in graphic design? hello???) and all the math teachers I had from middle school onwards acted like if you couldn't do math you might as well just kill yourself. Like you just won't even be able to live without their level of math skills. It definitely didn't help my anxiety surrounding math. It's weird that I've noticed that in math teachers and so has my family. It's probably a personality thing in the brain connected to the fact they're good at math. Kinda like how doctors tend to be assholes and politicians tend to be psychopaths. I remember reading about this kinda thing in HS psychology class...which I fucking aced btw

Yeah I'm terrible at math. I can do it my head a lot of the time but it's just easier to use a calculator since I would never need it normally.

I flunked college algebra three times before barely squeaking through, but blasted through grad-level Logic courses.
That happens sometimes.

I found geometry and trigonometry to be easier than algebra. I wish I'd taken calculus, because now I haven't been able to do any of the calculus I've encountered in my daily life.

This topic really brings me back to my school time and how much I hated math too.
Everything is rules, without a reason why. They never explain why you do something to solve a problem. So without that reason, you are just trying to memorise more and more obscure rules.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYDo-JSBlRw