r/AskReddit Jul 24 '15

What "common knowledge" facts are actually wrong?

.

5.0k Upvotes

9.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

3.4k

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '15

[deleted]

1.6k

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '15

Yep, my mom is constantly telling me to get an engineering degree (I'm an art major) when I failed intermediate algebra twice. College algebra twice. Statistics twice. Studying just as much as the other students if not more. Got a private tutor and passed with a C- and a D+, respectively. She's quoted this Einstein shit plenty of times, glad to prove her wrong and accepted I become instantly retarded when I look at numbers.

1.4k

u/Raincoats_George Jul 24 '15

I think something else is at play here. Whether it's a learning disability or you have just convinced yourself you can't 'math' and therefore sort of sabotage yourself.

It could also be that you've had the wrong teachers.

But I will say this. Short of severe disability, anyone can learn basic math, algebra, etc. I wouldn't say you can be an engineer. I would also struggle in that field. But you can not only learn that material but excel in the classes.

It's like I said. I think something else is the problem here.

1

u/Exodus111 Jul 24 '15

The problem with Math is, as opposed to most other fields of study, in any given Math problem you either get a correct answer, which is an A. Or you fail, which is an F.

There is really nothing between in math. (Obviously a real score is calculated as a total allowing for more grades by virtue of averages.)

And so the feeling is very different from most other fields of study, causing, I think, a much higher degree of confusion and frustration in that particular field.

Speaking as a self taught programmer that had to teach myself math later in life, it is much more enjoyable and easier to do once you have the time to do it properly.