Now by 'problem', I mean that this is the element of mathematics that puts most people off at the outset. It is why many complicated math equations look much scarier than they actually are. Hopefully by the end of this post you will agree that while these symbols are actually necessary (and very useful), they're not really as complex as they seem!
Let's take a look at symbols and how we think about them.
A lot of people who do not study maths at college level will look at the expression above and think, 'Wow, what a complicated piece of maths!'
Now look at the picture above. Let's be honest. Those of us who do not read Arabic have practically no hope of understanding this text. However, we normally wouldn't say, 'Wow, what a complicated sentence!' Instead we accept that we do not understand this text simply because we do not know what the symbols represent and because we do not speak the language.
This is exactly the case with maths!
In mathematics symbols are used as a shorthand. All they are is a quick and very precise way of explaining what is happening in your calculation. Even the numbers we use in our day to day lives are symbols (in fact they are Arabic symbols), because writing a squiggly line '2', followed by an oval shape '0', is a lot easier than drawing twenty lines on a page. The difference with these numerical symbols is that they are familiar to us, because we use them every day.
To see how effective the use of symbols in math is, and why it is absolutely necessary, let's take a small segment of the expression pictured above.
Using mathematical symbols this expression takes up only about half a line. Now let's have a look at it in English.
'Minus three, multiplied by an unknown term labelled P subscript zero which is taken to the power of minus one, which is then multiplied by the rate of change of P subscript zero with respect to an unknown term labelled y, also multiplied by an unknown term known as b hat subscript minus one, minus three times P subscript zero to the power of minus one, times the rate of change of P subscript zero with respect to an unknown term labelled x, multiplied by an unknown term known as a hat subscript minus one.'
Firstly you're forgiven for not reading all of that. Now can you imagine trying to work with that chunk of text as part of a much bigger equation? Using symbols mathematicians can clearly see what is happening in a calculation, and they can quickly jot down intricate concepts without having to write a book the size of War and Peace.
Another important point to note here is that there is nothing in that expression that most adults cannot understand. The letters just stand for numbers that have not been decided yet, or that need to remain as general as possible. After that it's just multiplication, with a little bit of basic calculus.
Hopefully by now you can see what I'm getting at. Once you know what a symbol stands for, reading maths is just like reading any other language. If you approach maths with this in mind, you will accept that a lot of your study of mathematics involves just learning what the symbols stand for, and what they mean in plain English. Once you know what the sums are saying to you, then you stand a much better chance of solving them!
Now look at the picture above. Let's be honest. Those of us who do not read Arabic have practically no hope of understanding this text. However, we normally wouldn't say, 'Wow, what a complicated sentence!' Instead we accept that we do not understand this text simply because we do not know what the symbols represent and because we do not speak the language.
This is exactly the case with maths!
In mathematics symbols are used as a shorthand. All they are is a quick and very precise way of explaining what is happening in your calculation. Even the numbers we use in our day to day lives are symbols (in fact they are Arabic symbols), because writing a squiggly line '2', followed by an oval shape '0', is a lot easier than drawing twenty lines on a page. The difference with these numerical symbols is that they are familiar to us, because we use them every day.
To see how effective the use of symbols in math is, and why it is absolutely necessary, let's take a small segment of the expression pictured above.
Using mathematical symbols this expression takes up only about half a line. Now let's have a look at it in English.
'Minus three, multiplied by an unknown term labelled P subscript zero which is taken to the power of minus one, which is then multiplied by the rate of change of P subscript zero with respect to an unknown term labelled y, also multiplied by an unknown term known as b hat subscript minus one, minus three times P subscript zero to the power of minus one, times the rate of change of P subscript zero with respect to an unknown term labelled x, multiplied by an unknown term known as a hat subscript minus one.'
Firstly you're forgiven for not reading all of that. Now can you imagine trying to work with that chunk of text as part of a much bigger equation? Using symbols mathematicians can clearly see what is happening in a calculation, and they can quickly jot down intricate concepts without having to write a book the size of War and Peace.
Another important point to note here is that there is nothing in that expression that most adults cannot understand. The letters just stand for numbers that have not been decided yet, or that need to remain as general as possible. After that it's just multiplication, with a little bit of basic calculus.
Hopefully by now you can see what I'm getting at. Once you know what a symbol stands for, reading maths is just like reading any other language. If you approach maths with this in mind, you will accept that a lot of your study of mathematics involves just learning what the symbols stand for, and what they mean in plain English. Once you know what the sums are saying to you, then you stand a much better chance of solving them!
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