The first and most difficult task at hand is in deciding what words I’m going to use and what attitude I am seeking to portray in this paper. I realize that in order to write a paper of any validity, I must strive to be honest. Please bear with me here, and keep in mind that I have been diagnosed (by friends and family members alike) as a “numerically challenged” individual. (In fact, my parents, hearing of my struggles with this class, even brought me a book titled Everyday Math for the Numerically Challenged by Audrey Carlan!) I came up with a few essential questions on math, and so, it is from this angle, and with this perspective that I will write this paper.
1.) What in math seems most important to me?
This was a challenging one to answer. At first, nothing seemed important. I admit, I came to my classes with a negative angle from the get go. (“Who cares how many &*$#$ dandelions are in Zork’s backyard,” I’d fume to myself.) But as I slowly plodded through the classes, I did start finding things of importance. Some areas included home mortgages (a lesson that would have helped greatly a year ago when we purchased our house!) and car loans. I even used certain formulaic principles from the classes to aid in purchasing a car. By figuring out the percentage rate, cost of car, and down payment, I was able to narrow the price range down to exactly what I could afford, and was thus able to effectively hunt for a vehicle perfect for my particular budget.
Now comes the part of the paper you’re probably really going to like you see, the examples named above are like tangible islands in a seething ocean of complex equations and variables. They are examples I can reach out to and grab a hold of because they have to do with everyday reality. However, something much deeper did seem to occur as I learned and began (sort of) understanding abstract concepts. It was like channels of my mind I’d never accessed before unfroze and came to life.
It was the Cardinal Numbers that opened my eyes to this feeling. Of course, at first I was extremely adverse to even wanting to understand such a thing. (Cardinal Numbers? Huey, Dewey, and Louie? What is all of this madness?) But then something just “clicked” and I actually (gulp!) began enjoying it. I soon came to realize that the source of my anger and negativity was due to my own insecurities about numbers and mathematics. (Dare I call this condition number envy?)
2.) How might you use this information personally or on the job now and/or in the future?
Personally, I think that math, and more specifically logic, could be used to help my mind take new and unusual perspectives. It also acts as a sort of therapeutic outlet upon which I can focus my anger and frustration. As far as my current job is concerned, I must admit that very little math is needed to perform the tasks of my daily grind. (However, a little logic to help understand the alien and completely irrational perspectives of some of my coworkers won’t hurt!)
As for the future well, I am just trying to expand my own knowledge in general. It’s easy to see how important (if not painfully difficult) a role math could play in this pursuit. (I’m not trying to compare myself to anyone, but didn’t Einstein have to learn math a subject he abhorred in order to explain theories that to him just seemed logical?)
3.) What areas you would like to explore further and why?
I think that math in general is something I’d like to explore. I do feel that in taking this course, I bit off more than I could chew. Admittedly, I was just trying to “challenge myself” (a notion that was in direct conflict with what I was advised to do). Challenge myself I did. As for any specifics, I did quite enjoy Chapter 3: Mathematics of Collections. (You may have noticed that I accidentally went over and beyond the assigned exercises I just got “carried away”.) I don’t know what specific areas of my life this chapter would enhance or aid, but if something feels interesting or intriguing, I feel like it is worth pursuing.
It would be unfair to conclude this paper by trying to say that I understood everything that I was taught in my math classes. In fact, that would be a bald-faced lie. The gaping holes in several of my concepts stand as proof of my mathematical ineptness and act as apt metaphors for my own mathematically challenged mind. I have always believed that there is such a thing as a “mathematical mind” certain friends and loved ones I know seemed endowed with a certain logic and understanding that I sometimes feel I will never understand. However, I do now see more clearly the important role mathematics plays in both real and abstract spheres of our lives.
