Math is like a foreign language to me...am i a lost cause who will never understand math?

Question

I've always had a hard time with math, but now I don't understand it at all.

I mean I can add & subtract, but anything else but that makes no sense to me.

I'm in 8th grade this year & I don't wanna look like a complete idiot by not knowing how to do math.

For example, if the teacher asked me for the answer to "31.08 divided by 4.2" I wouldn't have ANY idea.

I just don't understand it.

I don't know what my problem is, I'm good in every subject except for math & science I can't do fractions,dividing [of any kind, like dividing decimals,fractions,& mixed numbers], I'm not well at multiplication & a few other things either.

I've tried talking to my teachers,math tutors, & basically everyone I know about how to do math.

They all have explained it to me many times.

& I still don't get it.

but my question is, why can't I understand math?

or does anyone know what my problem is..?

& please no rude comments like "oh your just stupid" cause I'm actually not.

Oh & btw, I don't have dyslexia or any other type of problem.

Or at least that I know of, haha.

p.s have you ever known anyone with this type of problem?

& if so what did they do to help them understand math?

:]

Answer 1

I think ur a 'special' person. You might have a basic problem with your math since or before 8th grade. I think that you also not a quick learner..You must know or learn the basic thing ( like 1-12 time table or wateva) to able working on fraction, algebra, problem solving, space, area.bla.bla bla. Go and review what you had learn from previous year of before, or go to usefull website that can teach you step by step with a toturial on it .example> www.mathletics.com< i used to studying from that web which is very good. Oh lol..btw no one could count what 31.08/4.2 is on thier head..We need a calculator! Good luck ;)

Answer 2

the best thing about you is that your honest and that is the first step now take that honesty to your teacher be honest tell them your knowledge of math is limited to addition and subtraction and you need some extra help most tecahers are willing to help and are caught offguard by students who actually wnat to learn. So no you arent a lost case all things are possible when you start getting the hang of it youll be surprised by how much fun math actually is

Answer 3

There's a difference between arithmetic and mathematics.  Arithmetic is when your teacher says '31.08 divided by 4.2'.  The answer is a number, a number is a symbol for a value.  People deal with symbols in very different ways.

Often a number is a matter of how you look at it. If you had two cats, and one full grown and one almost a kitten.  Is that really two cats?  It dosen't weigh as much as 2 full grown cats, or eat as much food, or occupy as much space.  Its more like 1 and a half cats, but we say its 2 cats, because 'cat' is not well defined.

Mathematics is about how you find an answer.  It's the stuff about how many trucks are we going to need to move this pile of earth in 2 hours.  Mathematics is more understandable.  In maths, how you find the answer is more important than what the answer is.

I am terrible at arithmetic and very good at maths.  I do 3D programming, bezier curves, physics, matrices all that stuff. But I have trouble counting to 40, I keep forgeting where I was.  The symbols don't want to stay in my head.  You don't have to use numbers to do math, if I look at the numbers they mean nothing to me.

If someone were to ask you to solve a problem in real life could you find an answer?

Answer 4

The sister of my friend once had a really bad case of ADHD, a professor in my university also has this problem. He said that he really couldn't grasp math concepts because he just didn't understand how 1+1 =2

Anyway, maybe you should try talking to a doctor who specializes in learning disabilities. Back to the sister of my friend, she took some kind of drug and eventually she excelled in school :)

Answer 5

You were almost correct when you said maths is like a foreign language and there's no shame in not being good at it. Maths has been recognized as a separate intelligence from other scholarly subjects and so requires different skills. I would be very surprised if you were asked to work out something like 31.08/4.2 without a calculator because it's not something you need to be able to do. I always work out stuff like that with a calculator and I'm very good at maths. And who knows? You may have a very good teacher this year who will explain it in a simple way to understand. I'm sorry I couldn't have been more help.

By the way, if you're not too old for them (I don't know how old 8th grade is because I'm from a different country), I recommend the Murderous Maths books written by Kjartan Poskitt. They were really helpful getting me ahead of the class when I was younger so maybe they'll help you catch up. These books are a series and they cover one branch of maths per book except a couple which are overviews of maths.