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How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by KillerBeauty(f): 12:56pm On Mar 21, 2015
I'm no longer a student so I'm not under any academic pressure right now to do well in mathematics. I'm a graduate and I studied an art course with no maths involved. From time to time, I've come across some everyday problem that involve calculations and maths principles and I find it very difficult to solve them. I'm so terrible at maths that simple calculations like percentages, statistics, mean, probability, ratio are a tough nut for me to crack. At first I didn't really care that I lack such skills but during my job hunt, whenever I get invited to write aptitude test, I fail woefully especially in the numerical aspect. I get so confused that I tell myself that no human can be able to solve those questions.
I really need the advice of maths gurus in the house on how to improve my mathematics solving skills because, right now I don't know where to start from. Though I've been thinking of getting primary school maths textbooks and begin from there.
I need inputs please
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by liveyourlife: 1:12pm On Mar 21, 2015
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Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Nobody: 1:29pm On Mar 21, 2015
Bro
Me too I nor nor math oo chooi even primary school math sef I nor nor actually I find math boring
There is nothing mind blowing about it
Boring subject
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Nobody: 2:29pm On Mar 21, 2015
Mathematics requires constant practise n all.OP what you need 2 do is 2 start building from the Foundation.By virtue of Ur status(graduate)it will be easier for you to comprehend Primary School Mathematics/Quantitative reasoning considering the fact that your mind has expanded owing to your undergraduate courses.I have noticed that most Aptitude test/GMAT maths basically test your knowledge and understanding of basic maths principles.Get to work OP and start with Primary 1 maths....Goodluck but not Jonathan

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Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by KillerBeauty(f): 2:57pm On Mar 21, 2015
doctorken:
Mathematics requires constant practise n all.OP what you need 2 do is 2 start building from the Foundation.By virtue of Ur status(graduate)it will be easier for you to comprehend Primary School Mathematics/Quantitative reasoning considering the fact that your mind has expanded owing to your undergraduate courses.I have noticed that most Aptitude test/GMAT maths basically test your knowledge and understanding of basic maths principles.Get to work OP and start with Primary 1 maths....Goodluck but not Jonathan
Thanks for contributing

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Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by PRIXPAL(f): 3:47pm On Mar 21, 2015
I advice that you get someone who will put you through and assist you in solving maths problem. Maths is very boring and frustrating when the correct answers are not forthcoming. So get a teacher, preferably a friend
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by KillerBeauty(f): 3:50pm On Mar 21, 2015
PRIXPAL:
I advice that you get someone who will put you through and assist you in solving maths problem. Maths is very boring and frustrating when the correct answers are not forthcoming. So get a teacher, preferably a friend
Thanks girl
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Ksslib(m): 3:54pm On Mar 21, 2015
First off, you have to understand what maths is all about. What I mean is----- You have to know the role maths plays as a subject. Once you figure that out and you're excited, every other thing will fall into place once you begin practice.

You can practice practice practice and practice maths and eventually become good in Maths without knowing what math really is all about but once you meet somebody who understand maths at a deeper level and does practice too, na there you go know say you never even start. Na there you go know the difference between BRT and Keke marwa.

Why am I saying all this? Its because I don't just want you to start practising Maths without knowing the role each topic plays. If you do that, trust me, it wouldn't take long for you to forget almost everything you once practised.

I want you to have fun solving maths and not because you have to force yourself to. Only then, will you realize how beautiful mathematics really is.

Like someone said, start with quantitative reasoning. Go to any bookshop close by and get one. I ll also suggest you also get a jss1 maths textbook too and start from the basics(BODMAS e..t..c). But start with quantitative reasoning first.

Take it from me--- Maths is not hard. It just requires logic.

I too had a problem with Math. My secondary school math record was an eye sore(as in na dieee).. But deep down I wanted to learn math. The problem was it didn't make sense to me atall, so it bored me to death whenever I tried studying it. I knew I could become good in maths with dedication and practice but I didn't just want to study it for studying sake. I wanted to understand what maths does as a whole and have fun while doing it because Iam a logical person, not a zombie that just digests information.

It was only when one day I figured I could solve some questions using just logic that I began to understand what math really does and I was so excited.. That was when I figured some mathematical formulas are just a way of making things easier..

My apologies for the epistle Mam. Guess I got carried away. Let me give you a very simple example in the next post so you can at least have an idea as to what math does and how beautiful it is..

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Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Ksslib(m): 4:09pm On Mar 21, 2015
Take these numbers...

2,4,6,8........ 30 .

If you notice, the numbers are increasing by 2 to the right hand side. But I deliberately stopped at 8 and omitted the other numbers that got me to 30..

Now killerbeauty, do this for me. Tell me how many numbers are missing? I..e the numbers I omitted between 8 and 30..

I ll tell you what Math does after you answer.
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by KillerBeauty(f): 4:50pm On Mar 21, 2015
Ksslib:
Take these numbers...

2,4,6,8........ 30 .

If you notice, the numbers are increasing by 2 to the right hand side. But I deliberately stopped at 8 and omitted the other numbers that got me to 30..

Now killerbeauty, do this for me. Tell me how many numbers are missing? I..e the numbers I omitted between 8 and 30..

I ll tell you what Math does after you answer.
You omitted 10 numbers.

Patiently waiting for your response
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Ksslib(m): 5:40pm On Mar 21, 2015
KillerBeauty:

You omitted 10 numbers.

Patiently waiting for your response
You are Correct. But let me guess, you started by adding 2 to 8 which gave you 10. Then 12, 14, 16, 18 and continued till you got to 28. Then finally made a count of numbers from 10 to 28 which gave you 10 right?

Well, like I said earlier, Mathematics and its formulas to a very large extent makes life much more easier and simpler.

Now this is how a mathematician will tackle this question and save his/herself a whole lot of time.

2,4,6,8,...30

Take the last number and divide by the first. 30/2=15

Now how many numbers did I reveal in the question? They are 2,4,6,8 and 30.. So I revealed 5 numbers..

Finally..... 15-5=10 .. So the missing numbers are 10 in number.

Another one..
5,10.......55 ..

How many numbers are missing?

55/5 = 11

I revealed 3 numbers in the question..

So.... 11- 3 = 8.

8 numbers are missing.

Can you now see how I have used a mathematical formula( just call it shortcut) to solve the problems?

In the next post, I ll explain all what I did in my short cut method and create a standard mathematical formula from it.

Iam just doing all this so you can understand what Math does, how it works , what those formulas you see are all about. Who knows!! Maybe it'll help you to start seeing Math in a whole new different light.

Are you following?

1 Like

Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by malonephill(m): 6:16pm On Mar 21, 2015
Following this thread bumber to bumber
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by KillerBeauty(f): 6:59am On Mar 22, 2015
Ksslib:

You are Correct. But let me guess, you started by adding 2 to 8 which gave you 10. Then 12, 14, 16, 18 and continued till you got to 28. Then finally made a count of numbers from 10 to 28 which gave you 10 right?

Well, like I said earlier, Mathematics and its formulas to a very large extent makes life much more easier and simpler.

Now this is how a mathematician will tackle this question and save his/herself a whole lot of time.

2,4,6,8,...30

Take the last number and divide by the first. 30/2=15

Now how many numbers did I reveal in the question? They are 2,4,6,8 and 30.. So I revealed 5 numbers..

Finally..... 15-5=10 .. So the missing numbers are 10 in number.

Another one..
5,10.......55 ..

How many numbers are missing?

55/5 = 11

I revealed 3 numbers in the question..

So.... 11- 3 = 8.

8 numbers are missing.

Can you now see how I have used a mathematical formula( just call it shortcut) to solve the problems?

In the next post, I ll explain all what I did in my short cut method and create a standard mathematical formula from it.

Iam just doing all this so you can understand what Math does, how it works , what those formulas you see are all about. Who knows!! Maybe it'll help you to start seeing Math in a whole new different light.

Are you following?

I'm following. Thanks bro
More insight please this is getting interesting
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Ksslib(m): 3:10pm On Mar 22, 2015
KillerBeauty:


I'm following. Thanks bro
More insight please this is getting interesting
Creating a mathematical formula is all about observation..

Now if you notice or rather, observe these examples;
2,4,6,8...... 30
5,10,.... 55
3,6,9,......33
10,20,30,40.... 200

They all have one thing in common which is constant(doesn't change) . Its this--- Once you divide the last number by the first, you ll get the total number of numbers, both revealed and missing..

Eg..
2,4,6,8....30 .... 30/2= 15(total numbers)... AND I only revealed 5..

So now we know they are 15 numbers in total but I know only 5 of them. Using logic, it isn't hard to figure that the missing numbers are 10 in number given the fact that 15-5 is 10..

OR you could look at it this way..
Missing + Revealed = Total numbers
X + 5 = 15
So, what plus 5 will give 15.. Its 10..

Same goes for 10,20,30,... 200.

200/10= 20..

There are 20 numbers in total but I only revealed 4 of them. If I know only 4 numbers out of 20, then the missing numbers should be 20-4= 16..

OR... X + 4 = 20 .. What plus 4 will give 20?

OK,that's pretty much that.

I know you might ask-What if I come across a problem that this method doesn't work on?

Well, that's the beauty of mathematics. It will work for every single one of them because of something called a constant. They symbol is K..

Let me explain what I mean; So far the rate at which the numbers keep increasing is kept at constant, it will work for all.

2,6,8,10... They all increase uniformly by a factor of 2..
5,10,15,20.... They all increase uniformly by a factor of 5 constantly..
10,20,30,40... All keep increasing by a factor of 10 constantly..
12,24,36,48,60... All keep increasing by 12 uniformly..

Like I said earlier, so far the constant rule is obeyed, the method will work for all such problems. Even if there's one billion of them. That's one of the many beauty of mathematics..

In the next post, you ll see how to create a pretty basic mathematical formula just from simple observation.

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Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Geofavor(m): 6:01pm On Mar 22, 2015
Ksslib:

Creating a mathematical formula is all about observation..

Now if you notice or rather, observe these examples;
2,4,6,8...... 30
5,10,.... 55
3,6,9,......33
10,20,30,40.... 200

They all have one thing in common which is constant(doesn't change) . Its this--- Once you divide the last number by the first, you ll get the total number of numbers, both revealed and missing..

Eg..
2,4,6,8....30 .... 30/2= 15(total numbers)... AND I only revealed 5..

So now we know they are 15 numbers in total but I know only 5 of them. Using logic, it isn't hard to figure that the missing numbers are 10 in number given the fact that 15-5 is 10..

OR you could look at it this way..
Missing + Revealed = Total numbers
X + 5 = 15
So, what plus 5 will give 15.. Its 10..

Same goes for 10,20,30,... 200.

200/10= 20..

There are 20 numbers in total but I only revealed 4 of them. If I know only 4 numbers out of 20, then the missing numbers should be 20-4= 16..

OR... X + 4 = 20 .. What plus 4 will give 20?

OK,that's pretty much that.

I know you might ask-What if I come across a problem that this method doesn't work on?

Well, that's the beauty of mathematics. It will work for every single one of them because of something called a constant. They symbol is K..

Let me explain what I mean; So far the rate at which the numbers keep increasing is kept at constant, it will work for all.

2,6,8,10... They all increase uniformly by a factor of 2..
5,10,15,20.... They all increase uniformly by a factor of 5 constantly..
10,20,30,40... All keep increasing by a factor of 10 constantly..
12,24,36,48,60... All keep increasing by 12 uniformly..

Like I said earlier, so far the constant rule is obeyed, the method will work for all such problems. Even if there's one billion of them. That's one of the many beauty of mathematics..

In the next post, you ll see how to create a pretty basic mathematical formula just from simple observation.
wow! I like your mindset!
Do you also have a proper understanding of physics nd chemistry?
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Ksslib(m): 8:14pm On Mar 22, 2015
Let's use the below example to derive(create) a formula that ll solve all 'How many Numbers are missing' problems.

2,4,6,8...30

From our earlier observation, we observed that;

1.. The last number divided by the first number gives the total number.

2.. The total number minus the revealed number gives the missing number..

Therefore; Let the Last number be called L.
Let the first number be called F..
Let the revealed number be called R.
Let the missing number be called M.

Now, You do remeber that The Last number (L) divided by the first number (F) always gives the total numbers which we now subtract the revealed numbers (R) from to get the missing numbers( M) right?

Since the above observation is correct, our formula will be mathematically represented as;

L/F - R = M

Let solve an example to shed more light.
Eg... 2,4,6,8...30

L= 30
F=2
R= 5
We don't know M.

So we say.... L/F - R = M ; ..... 30/2 - 5 = M .

30/ 2 is 15 ....and 15 - 5 = 10. So M is 10.

Another example.... 20,40,..180 ... How many numbers are missing..

L= 180
F= 20
R= 3

L/F - R = M .. 180/20 - 3 = M .

180/ 20 is 9.. And 9 - 3 = M ..

So M is 6..

Keep doing it for thousands of other examples and it will keep working.. That's how you observe and create what we call a mathematical formula.

Hope I've been able to in my own little way made you relate to what those scary formulas you see are all about. How they come about from obersvation. What maths as a subject does at the basic level.

If you have questions to ask, don't hesitate. I ll reply when chanced.

Good luck.
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Ksslib(m): 8:43pm On Mar 22, 2015
Geofavor:

wow! I like your mindset!
Do you also have a proper understanding of physics nd chemistry?
I don't like chemistry cos it has little to do with logic and more with having a retentive memory which I find kinda boring, but I know what its about though.

Physics is like maths. Only in this case, you ll need a lot more logical power and of course know how to play with numbers.

In summary... Chemistry is all about elements, how they react and why they react in certain ways. Chemistry is basically a story/ life history in which Elements are the main characters.

Physics is all about observing the laid down rules set by nature and interpreting them. You don't make your own rules in physics, all you do is interpret nature's rules.

That's all I can say at the surface level for now.Trying to give you a PROPER insight into physics at the deeper level will take a lot of epistles, time and strength. And that kind of time is unfortunately what I couldn't afford right now.

Get Ss1 physics notes,textbooks and study them again cos I've come to realize that in most cases, the problem stems from not having a proper grip of the basics. It works,trust me.

Godluck.
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Nastydroid(m): 8:48pm On Mar 22, 2015
I love the way you explain bro, you make things look simple cool
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Nobody: 9:19pm On Mar 22, 2015
doctorken:
Mathematics requires constant practise n all.OP what you need 2 do is 2 start building from the Foundation.By virtue of Ur status(graduate)it will be easier for you to comprehend Primary School Mathematics/Quantitative reasoning considering the fact that your mind has expanded owing to your undergraduate courses.I have noticed that most Aptitude test/GMAT maths basically test your knowledge and understanding of basic maths principles.Get to work OP and start with Primary 1 maths....Goodluck but not Jonathan
Ya I agree with you. Had a friend whose neighbour begged him to prepare his child for primary six exam. He wasn't good in maths but he was ashamed to say no because he was a graduate.

He had no choice but to collect the child primary six textbook that contains pass questions. Then he would learn what he would teach the child before he meets him. He even pays transport fare to my place so I would put him through, then he would solve the questions over and over again so he would not disgrace himself in front of a small boy.

During that time a bank invited him to write an aptitude test, he passed it. There he realize that he was helping himself more than he was helping the child.

Gmat uses mostly primary six maths: ratios, proportion, fractions, estimations, percentage, area, volume, series and so those SHL. The major difference is higher level critical reason.

1 Like

Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Nobody: 10:34pm On Mar 22, 2015
or you can simply just go to khanacademy.org you can learn all sorts there, maths physics chemistry. all from the scratch or from the level you are presently at.
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by KillerBeauty(f): 10:51pm On Mar 22, 2015
Ksslib:
Let's use the below example to derive(create) a formula that ll solve all 'How many Numbers are missing' problems.

2,4,6,8...30

From our earlier observation, we observed that;

1.. The last number divided by the first number gives the total number.

2.. The total number minus the revealed number gives the missing number..

Therefore; Let the Last number be called L.
Let the first number be called F..
Let the revealed number be called R.
Let the missing number be called M.

Now, You do remeber that The Last number (L) divided by the first number (F) always gives the total numbers which we now subtract the revealed numbers (R) from to get the missing numbers( M) right?

Since the above observation is correct, our formula will be mathematically represented as;

L/F - R = M

Let solve an example to shed more light.
Eg... 2,4,6,8...30

L= 30
F=2
R= 5
We don't know M.

So we say.... L/F - R = M ; ..... 30/2 - 5 = M .

30/ 2 is 15 ....and 15 - 5 = 10. So M is 10.

Another example.... 20,40,..180 ... How many numbers are missing..

L= 180
F= 20
R= 3

L/F - R = M .. 180/20 - 3 = M .

180/ 20 is 9.. And 9 - 3 = M ..

So M is 6..

Keep doing it for thousands of other examples and it will keep working.. That's how you observe and create what we call a mathematical formula.

Hope I've been able to in my own little way made you relate to what those scary formulas you see are all about. How they come about from obersvation. What maths as a subject does at the basic level.

If you have questions to ask, don't hesitate. I ll reply when chanced.

Good luck.
Thank a lot
I ve lot of questions to ask though but I've been very distracted this weekend. Hopefully during the week I'll be going to the library. I assimilate faster in a quiet environment.
I'll get back to you for more clarification. Once again thanks alot
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Drmlab(m): 7:31am On Mar 23, 2015
Someone should please help me with the question 5

Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Geofavor(m): 8:47am On Mar 23, 2015
Drmlab:
Someone should please help me with the question 5
it's no clear. I can't see a letter
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Elxandre(m): 11:55am On Mar 26, 2015
Ksslib:

You are Correct. But let me guess, you started by adding 2 to 8 which gave you 10. Then 12, 14, 16, 18 and continued till you got to 28. Then finally made a count of numbers from 10 to 28 which gave you 10 right?

Well, like I said earlier, Mathematics and its formulas to a very large extent makes life much more easier and simpler.

Now this is how a mathematician will tackle this question and save his/herself a whole lot of time.

2,4,6,8,...30

Take the last number and divide by the first. 30/2=15

Now how many numbers did I reveal in the question? They are 2,4,6,8 and 30.. So I revealed 5 numbers..

Finally..... 15-5=10 .. So the missing numbers are 10 in number.

Another one..
5,10.......55 ..

How many numbers are missing?

55/5 = 11

I revealed 3 numbers in the question..

So.... 11- 3 = 8.

8 numbers are missing.

Can you now see how I have used a mathematical formula( just call it shortcut) to solve the problems?

In the next post, I ll explain all what I did in my short cut method and create a standard mathematical formula from it.

Iam just doing all this so you can understand what Math does, how it works , what those formulas you see are all about. Who knows!! Maybe it'll help you to start seeing Math in a whole new different light.

Are you following?
Man you can't believe that despite my knowledge of math, This exact question format confounded me in an exam recently cheesy

It was only when I got home and thought about it that I realized the solution. lol
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Elxandre(m): 12:00pm On Mar 26, 2015
Drmlab:
Someone should please help me with the question 5
Is that number at the edge 30 or what?
I mean the number studying math.
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Cpolicy(m): 1:55pm On Mar 26, 2015
@op start from scratch and u won't regret it, I was once a victim. You can use text book like BASIC ENGINEERING MATHS it's highly comprehensive
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Tushkid74(m): 3:34pm On Mar 26, 2015
Its dyscalculia.
Mental math have helped me.
I recommend it.
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by KillerBeauty(f): 5:45pm On Mar 26, 2015
Cpolicy:
@op start from scratch and u won't regret it, I was once a victim. You can use text book like BASIC ENGINEERING MATHS it's highly comprehensive
I went to the public library today and I picked up some basic maths books. Started with one with a lot of fractions, percentage and decimal questions and solutions. It was kind of fun. Maths is fun
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Geofavor(m): 5:56pm On Mar 26, 2015
KillerBeauty:

I went to the public library today and I picked up some basic maths books. Started with one with a lot of fractions, percentage and decimal questions and solutions. It was kind of fun. Maths is fun
tell this to yourself few days back cheesy
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Cpolicy(m): 6:39pm On Mar 27, 2015
KillerBeauty:

I went to the public library today and I picked up some basic maths books. Started with one with a lot of fractions, percentage and decimal questions and solutions. It was kind of fun. Maths is fun
Kudos for taking that step,
did u see the book BASIC ENGINEERING MATH by John Bird, if u can find it the pdf format is all the web if can search for it.
and yeah maths is fun if u don't lose interest remember
INTEREST IS THE WEAPON OF A MATHEMATICIAN!!!
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by mickey45: 3:05am On Aug 12, 2015
Tushkid74:
Its dyscalculia. Mental math have helped me. I recommend it.
You have any link for Mental Maths? Pls post
Re: How Do I Improve On My Maths Skill by Tushkid74(m): 6:08am On Aug 12, 2015
mickey45:
You have any link for Mental Maths? Pls post
A google search will yield better results. Meanwhile,you can checkout www.mathisfun.com .

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