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How Do I Improve My Maths? - Education - Nairaland

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How Do I Improve My Maths? by shilling(f): 5:49pm On Oct 29, 2008
My major is Economics. I'm very good at all my other courses even Statistics. But, Math is usually 50-60% (I sometimes fail my tests). What's wrong with me? It's been like this since high school. I was thinking of going to see our Pastor for deliverance but I think he'll just laugh it off and tell me to study.

Math geniuses and others, how do I improve my Math grades?
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by presido1: 6:53pm On Oct 29, 2008
Thats the father of all subjects. Its not that difficult if you pay attention very well.
If you can let us know which area u find difficult we might be able to help.
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by tmoney11(m): 8:29pm On Oct 29, 2008
Am also having the same problem in Maths also
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by AKO1(m): 8:38pm On Oct 29, 2008
I'm not a math genius but practise, practise and practise is what they always used to say in high school.

Apparently, it works for almost any skill that you want to be proficient in.
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by thehomer: 8:48pm On Oct 29, 2008
A lot of practice is important. Also, try to apply the concepts to real life situations. It worked for me.
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by kokoye(m): 9:20pm On Oct 29, 2008
In my 3rd yr of high school, I came home with a report card of 17% in Math. My dad beat me all around the house and I was also very shamed of myself.

I started avoiding shortcuts to fix math problems and spent more time on my assignments and asked quesdtions when necessary. In other words, I forced myself to face my fear of Math. I deliberately started taking addional math (or further math) classes and this made the mornal one a lot easier.  I had in A1 in Math (WAEC) and a C4 in additional math. Even the additional math teacher couldnt believe it - he always called me out in class to let everyone know my dad was wasting his money on me where complex math was concerned. Thank God I can now boast of a bachelors degree in Nuclear Physics and a Masters degree in Telecommunications.

So, it's all about realising ur problem and facing it head-on. Force yourself to love it then practise like ur life depended on it.

Good luck.

1 Like

Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by whiteroses(f): 11:17pm On Oct 29, 2008
me as well, i suck at math back in the days but now i've found a way, the thing is to practice until you are fed up, you will still not get it, then practice again and again and just when you think you are hopeless thats when you'll get it, there's no two ways to math, its either you get it or not, and when you get it its like your second habbit
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by drossy(m): 11:18pm On Oct 29, 2008
kokoye, howz the work opportunities with your programme, i ask because i have applied for an msc biomedical engineering programme in the us. i see opportunities here in nigeria despite it being very virgin. im curious about job opportunities with respect to wierd programmes like nuclear physic and biomedical engineering, even if its abroad, drocyclef@yahoo.com
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by gamechange(m): 11:20pm On Oct 29, 2008
Three things to do;

1) Practice past questions

2) Practice past questions

3) Practice past questions

Practice makes perfect.
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by rubi(f): 11:24pm On Oct 29, 2008
Most people have said it all practice practice that is the key/only solution. I have found out that math is the easiest subject so far
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by Moyola(f): 11:27pm On Oct 29, 2008
kokoye:

I deliberately started taking addional math (or further math) classes

mehhn!! i dislike fuda maths angry

used to b so crap in maths. . . . buh i got beta hvin priv8 lessonz, smiley
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by Okijajuju1(m): 11:38pm On Oct 29, 2008
Practice is cool, but if you are like moi, then cheat.
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by MrCrackles(m): 11:40pm On Oct 29, 2008
Poster

You are simply not good enough to pass!!

Your best option is to cheat or continue failing, but i am sure you are tired of failing by now so do something new-CHEAT!!! grin
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by Nobody: 12:01am On Oct 30, 2008
Here is a true story cause it happened to me. I hated math right from primary school cause i had a very wicked teacher. i was smart enough to cheat/cram my way through high skool without been competent in the subject. Basically, i ended up getting a P in my WAEC. that was the turning point in my Life. My father hired a University graduate to tutor me, i confessed to the dude i did not even know how to do Long division by hand. I started from the scratch ironically with emphasis on Further Math, I became a GURU at Math/advance math and it became my best subject, this was in a period of 1 year. I made all A's in my calc 1,2,3 and 4 courses in. My point is be true to ur self by admitting your problem, identify solutions to your problem, work towards solving that problem by working hard and been passionate about math and practice a lot! Trust me, Math is EASY!
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by Nobody: 12:03am On Oct 30, 2008
Let me recommend a book to u, u can try Engineering Mathematics by K.A Stroud. You are studying Economics, but the math in the intro part of the book should be pretty applicable to ur field.
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by rubi(f): 12:07am On Oct 30, 2008
Okija_juju:

Practice is cool, but if you are like moi, then cheat.

How long can you stop cheating? What if security is tight nko?
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by ruffrider(f): 1:00am On Oct 30, 2008
The way to improve math your math is to get the step study down. practice each step in the math problem. IN ORDER TO PLAY THE GAME, YOU HAVE TO KNOW THE RULES
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by omoge(f): 1:40am On Oct 30, 2008
i used to hate math until now. practice all the time. go to tutorial lab and see your lecturer/instructor. seek for those doing well in math and ask for help. practice with others in your class and solve many problems as possible. you will be fine, just work harder. dont forget to know the rules behind a topic wink
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by Shaz(f): 2:28am On Oct 30, 2008

[li]Go through your high school books, textbooks are more reliable than jotted notes in this case. There is something I was made to understand by the Nursing Colleges - when a person grows older, there are certain things that get 'clearer' (more understandable to that individual. You'll be surprised at how fast you'd grasp most of those things you used to fail at.[/li]

[li]Practice at large. I personally do not believe in studying the first few questions in a maths book. The last questions are where the maths is at. You can start with the easy ones as a progression, but make sure you do more of the 'hard questions'. The more you practice, the more you get used to the questions. When you get used to the questions and question-types, you'll be shocked at the speed with which you'll handle maths (like a piece of cake . . lol). You can also try past-examination questions.[/li]

[li]Crack your brains. Not literally. I just mean that you should try doing maths in your head. You can start with sums and multiplications. Play random maths games, e.g. ask a child or anyone around to ask you questions with large sums, multiplications, subtractions, divisions, e.t.c. (it's more accurate than picking numbers yourself). Remember to be true to yourself, use your head not calculators.[/li]

[li]Keep your own textbook. This basically means you should have your own list of formula written in a clear and legible way, preferably in a A4 Jotter, so that you can look through it and memorise anywhere. You can try a spider diagram for illustration purposes. I personally have a spider diagram for all my notes in one massive jotter that I take in my backpack. It is easy to go through and revise, even on journeys to school or for a quick recap few minutes before exams. And legend has it that, it's harder to forget what you've written than it is to forget what you have read. (Hope you get my drift).[/li][/list]

I think these are the important steps to try. And yeah, if you can,

[list][li] Drink a lot of water - it prevents brains cells from dying.[/li]
[li] Have at least 8 hours of sleep - it helps the brain, really. If you're not having enough sleep, it affects your ability to remember things.[/li]
[li] Try downloading one or more 'brain training games'. It's easier if you get a Nintendo DS, you can just get the Dr Kawashima's Brain Training Series. it really does help tune the brain. smiley[/li][/list]

That's it basically. I personally think that if I could help my 65 year-old uncle grasp Further Mathematics, anyone can understand Maths too. It just takes determination and commitment. Goodluck.
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by bawomolo(m): 2:55am On Oct 30, 2008
there's really nothing like further mathematics. it's just advanced calculus forced down the throats of secondary school students. you don't need deliverance. focus more on the concepts rather than actually problems. people get bugged down by numbers rather than trying to figure out what they are expected to solve. get a tutor if possible. the internet is your friend. use it
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by tpia: 2:57am On Oct 30, 2008
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Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by Shaz(f): 3:04am On Oct 30, 2008
bawomolo:

there's really nothing like further mathematics. it's just advanced calculus forced down the throats of secondary school students. you don't need deliverance. focus more on the concepts rather than actually problems. people get bugged down by numbers rather than trying to figure out what they are expected to solve. get a tutor if possible. the internet is your friend. use it

True say that maths is maths. The term 'further maths' does not apply to secondary students alone, by the way. In my context, further maths was coined to mean maths that goes beyond the knowledge of an average student, i.e. a higher level than what most students (and ex-students) know.

My bad, maybe I should have used the " " on Further Maths, but by doing that, I'll alter the meaning for that sentence altogether. So I'll just leave it as it is but I hope you understand what I mean.
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by bawomolo(m): 4:33am On Oct 30, 2008
Shaz:

True say that maths is maths. The term 'further maths' does not apply to secondary students alone, by the way. In my context, further maths was coined to mean maths that goes beyond the knowledge of an average student, i.e. a higher level than what most students (and ex-students) know.

My bad, maybe I should have used the " " on Further Maths, but by doing that, I'll alter the meaning for that sentence altogether. So I'll just leave it as it is but I hope you understand what I mean.


the term is obsolete. advanced calc or algebra sounds better undecided
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by RichyBlacK(m): 5:02am On Oct 30, 2008
@poster,

Mathematics is one subject that some claim you have to be "naturally gifted" to appreciate and truly understand. The jury is still out on that.

As a math enthusiast, I'll tell you what I know. My twenty cents:

1. Someone, e.g. a tutor, a professor, a TA (teaching assistant), a friend/relative or a colleague who is above-average in math and willing to spend one-on-one sessions with you, answering your most incisive questions and explaining the underlying philosophies behind the problems. This, I think, is the most important point.


2. Good books are essential. I'll give a short list (for beginner and intermediate-level math; NOT advanced undergraduate or graduate-level math):
i. Pure Mathematics for Advanced Level (1986) [528 pages] by H. Mulholland and B. D. Bunday (Gives a gentle introduction to mathematical rigor; excellent book!)

ii. Additional Pure Mathematics (1980) [356 pages] by  L. Harwood Clarke (The late Harwood Clarke taught mathematics in the finest of English tradition; a gem!)

iii. Engineering Mathematics (2007) [1,200 pages] by  K. A. Stroud and Dexter J. Booth (as mentioned by engineerd) (Written for engineers but, hey, engineers are applied mathematicians, and so are economists! Approaches math with a step-by-step method.)

*NB: Avoid math texts with a lot of pictures and flowery designs, popular with books published for American audience. Those pictures and colors will interfere with the pictures and colors your mind must create to capture the abstraction behind some of the concepts. Please avoid them. British-authored books are by far the best, followed by American-authored books, particularly those published between 1950 and 1995. French-authored books are excellent but tend to be more terse. Same with German and Russian-authored books.


3. If your desire to learn and understand mathematics = L, and your desire to pass math exams = P, then L must be much greater than P. This is very important!
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by Pepeye(f): 8:05am On Oct 30, 2008
This so much reminds me of my mum’s case, she had the same aversion for maths, she actually feared the subject and fear is the quickest way to fail maths, until she overcame her fears in mathematics and it became a different ball game for her, she did so well that

it became her favorite subject then even up till date…courtesy of overcoming the fears and over reading a book titled “teach yourself mathematics” it totally transformed

her from being a D student to an A student in maths.

All you need do is having a right mindset that you can do it, it isn’t difficult, it’s easy and familiarizing all the formula’s,

in maths there re prescribed ways of doing things , inother words there sure is a rule for doing things, a method all you need know is get to know the methods, and practice makes perfect

She made sure she taught and instilled that orientation in us while growing up and it actually worked for us
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by hollandis(f): 8:12am On Oct 30, 2008
The only way out is employing the services of a competent tutor
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by Caliente(m): 8:17am On Oct 30, 2008
[size=25pt]PRACTISE and PRACTISE[/size]
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by spikedcylinder: 8:27am On Oct 30, 2008
There's was a book that saved me in micro. .  .written by Robert D. Long or something. Our lecturer used to hammer it in our heads all the time . . . .

I still hate maths though, the practical ones like stats are very ok but the abstract aspect is a killer. I hated my 3rd year in Uni cuz of micro econs and the thing dealt a great blow to my GP. undecided
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by sniperwolf(m): 8:33am On Oct 30, 2008
I've read math for 5 year and I can tell you that math is not as easy as some may see it and it's not as difficult as you see it. It is not as the other general studies that you just flip your book and read. The major key for successing in maths is to solve as many examples that come with a particular topic. Sometime the examples maybe easier than the exercise. The main key is to solve as many examples.
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by abes(m): 8:55am On Oct 30, 2008
Mathematics is an easy subject to deal with, don't hate your math teacher, love maths and think maths, don't get distracted when you are practicing, what more can i say, Maths needs a lot of concentration and determination.
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by Geezle(m): 9:08am On Oct 30, 2008
Re: How Do I Improve My Maths? by 9ijaprince(m): 9:19am On Oct 30, 2008
Not knowing maths is one of my greatest weakness in my life, i hope to get a private tutor who will raise me from the scratch.

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