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Any sceners who are/have been studying mathematics?

How do you handle maths? Are you good at solving various tricky or not so tricky exercises in a limited time? Or are you better at your scene profession (coding or anything) than your study profession?

I always had this problem with math. I was ok with them, I understood them but could never be sure that I will solve them without much effort or in a sort limited time. I was either slow or it was normal to be so. There were few people who immediatelly found the crazy solution (where you needed to do something tricky, where others (and me) said "how the fuck am I supposed to figure this trick?!") as if they had a 6th sense or something. But maybe my case is not bad, maybe it's logical to not be able to immediately snap the solution (in school or exams they ask you to find it in limited time, maybe others read the solution already somewhere and know it already).

It's like when I asked a friend "You know, when there is an algorithm to solve, I think about the solution and find something. I can find crazy unimaginable ideas for optimizing. Maybe not exactly immediately but in a short time the right ideas are coming. But why doesn't the same happen with math? I was never the student who immediately snaps out an idea, a tricky step to solve the rest.." and he told me "Because in programming it's your idea and you are into it and know the mechanism and improving it is your idea. But in mathematics they give you a wicked quiz, some steps are straight forward but some other steps are tricky and you can't know the answer in a short time except if you already read it somewhere. It's a wicked quiz that you have not designed but was designed to puzzle you.."

Or is there a way to be able to easilly solve even the most wicked mathematical puzzles as I can solve programming puzzles? Are most other coders good at this or do they struggle with mathematic puzzles while being great at coding?

..I am preparing for a greek competition from the government for job in public schools. That's why I am asking. The problems are not hard but I might screw up with limited time. I understand the solutions but I am slow to solve the tricky ones..

Hello Optimus ! how are you?

It's a matter of pattern recognition.
Like advanced chess players. They don't play pieces spread on a chessboard, they play a bunch of intricated chessboard configuration patterns.
Some have a 6th sense for it, but it also comes with practice.

Hello Doh ! how are you?

@24: Fine, thanks!

@doh: So, I guess it needs more exercise and the will to solve exercises? That's why I think I was never good enough. Unlike programming where I was really curious and motivated to discover or read about new optimizing tricks, I hated or was oppresed (see who killed the scene) reading for school/university instead of liking it. Hmm,. maybe I should look at it as fun and try to solve the exercises as a challenge in my own pace.

optimus : u gonna buy a wii ? to practice ur brainskill ?

@24: lol. I have some brainy game in DS. Anyone released one involving trigonometry, geometry, calculus or abstract algebra? :)

mmh... pattern recognition... although it IS good and esteemable to be able to see the similarities and links in different problems, i can only be extremely suspicious of what seems to be such an oversimplification. reducing reasoning to pattern recognition kind of defeats the point of problem solving. i remember i couldnt help but somewhat despise people who went out of an exam saying "what the fuck! we never did that before!" sorry but this attitude is the mark of a robot... reasoning and problem solving is about creativity.
have nice saturday morning :)

wii is better, you can play with ur family Optimus dad Opitmus mom etc
You can choose your name but also the color of your character...
Red optimus , yellow optimus even purple optimus

hope this will help you

Orange Optimus?

Real intelligence in mathematics is to develop an idea. When you set the base for a topic and develop until the final result that is a tool.

The problem with the exams is that it gives you not enough time to be creative and it's all about getting a higher grade. But how different could it be anyways? I remember screwing up even with few programming exams because of that (except from the fact that I had not studied enough or didn't know the programming language examed well at that time). My mother always tells me to memorize several things in my head so that I can be ready and solve things in time in the exams. But I always hate this (perhaps I am just too lazy to study enough and memorize things too :P). My mother is good at memorizing things and studying even in lessons not of her profession, while I am good one at being creative but bad enough with studying.

so you going to become a maths teacher now ?

..no ... he mostly love his mother and wanna say it

I don't know what I want to become. Maybe nothing. My parents just persuaded me to try the ASEP. If it's really too close to 20th December and they don't move it further I may concentrate to that and later search for a job and then think about study abroads. Well, I said I hate studies but I wanted to try how it would be to study computer science or something. Would it be different? Will I succeed this time at studying without getting bored? I am all of trying different stuff these days, trying to see what fits me. After loosing my job I felt like I had free time to try things but also felt into a dillema about what I'd like to do in my life. Job was fine but I got bored after a while debugging a bloated application that I didn't designed myself.

I'm used to say that military forces is composed of mathematicians that grow different than student. It's matter of their instructions.

barti i received your brain by the postmail, tell me when u want it back.

optimus: good luck with the ASEP. It is rather terrible that many young scientist are just trying to become civil servants because "it is a safe job". In my high school years I remember lots of kids wanting to join the army because it is "safe" too. wankers.

But being a teacher is not a bad profession at all. If you can do it then go for it. Another way to become one is, ofcourse, to have 4 kids. think about it ;-)

Why stop at 4?

I have studied some mathematics.

@Navis: I agree with that actually. My parents were always worried that I don't have a steady public job, they were even worried when I worked on the software company. Then why I am going for it? It's not what I'd ultimately like to do, it's just another temporary option. Maybe if I decide for something else I will quit (though it might be hard to leave that job with the few hours, free holidays and safety). These days I am in great dilemma which I actually like because it means that I am starting to wonder what I'd like to do in my life when in the past I didn't cared about. It's an interesting moment. I was thinking in the morning whether I could do research in some university and get paid for it or if there is an option more suitable for me.

I hope you do know that if and when you get the job it won't be in Thessaloniki. It probably won't even be in mainland. Nothing wrong with that (hey who wants to live in big cities anyway) but consider it if you want to change jobs after a year. It might not be that easy any more.

My advice: people will either settle for mediocrity (yes, public sector is mediocrity) or go for glory. All the people I know who went for the latter never looked back. Why do I think the public sector is mediocrity ? Because most people, just like you and me would do, go for it for the "benefits (holidays, steady job etc) not because they feel they should be teachers.

Ofcourse going for "glory" is hard. It means you have to travel, maybe abroad. IT is the much harder option - but you'll also have great stories to tell, even if it fails.