I considered myself bad at math.  I joined the English program to study with William Harrison, John Clellon Holmes, and Lewis Nordan.  Along the way, I took enough philosophy classes for a minor, including symbolic logic I and II.  After years of teaching, I took a summer job as control systems technician that became my profession.  I soon learned that logic and language had made me a programmer.

Five years later, I was a technician doing the job of engineer.  So, I went back to school.  Though I had a rough start with calculus, it came together because physics showed my how it was applied.  That pattern continued.  Linear Algebra was my favorite.  Learning Laplace Transform and Fourier Analysis was easy after that.  

Doing math for math's sake at 18 was too much.  Doing it for electrical engineering at 32 was still hard, but doable.

In my opinion, medieval studies is the most difficult academic subject due to the fact that one must learn six or so different languages, not only in their modern form but in their middle and early forms and be able to read primary sources and other manuscripts.

(October 17, 2022 at 9:57 am)Jehanne Wrote: In my opinion, medieval studies is the most difficult academic subject due to the fact that one must learn six or so different languages, not only in their modern form but in their middle and early forms and be able to read primary sources and other manuscripts.

Indeed. Math is simply one language. Furthermore, in spite of appearances, the notation is designed to make it easier. Not all that long ago, everything was written out in words.

Maybe this should be a new thread, but

What are you overall opinions on people who can't do art?

(October 18, 2022 at 9:54 am)polymath257 Wrote: Maybe this should be a new thread, but

What are you overall opinions on people who can't do art?

I learned a few weeks ago that the musicians in the Cedar Rapids ("Eastern Iowa") Orchestra make $100 per performance with a guaranteed 51 performance minimum per year. (If you are a Principal of a section, you get $120.) The choral singers get zero compensation. The conductor makes around 35K. Still, they seemed to be enjoying themselves at the concert that I attended!

(October 18, 2022 at 9:54 am)polymath257 Wrote: Maybe this should be a new thread, but

What are you overall opinions on people who can't do art?

People who can’t do art is just as good if they can appreciate art

Same with math.  People who can’t do math but appreciates the power and elegance of math is just as good.

If one does neither and appreciates neither, then one wouldn’t be human or even primate, one would be a Republican.

If you could be a Principal violinist, an academic mathematician or a professional artist, which would you choose? (I suppose that we could add professional athlete, Olympic athlete, ice skater, etc.) to the list.

I would choose the violin, even though I never played it.

(October 18, 2022 at 10:34 am)Jehanne Wrote: If you could be a Principal violinist, an academic mathematician or a professional artist, which would you choose?  (I suppose that we could add professional athlete, Olympic athlete, ice skater, etc.) to the list.

I would choose the violin, even though I never played it.

I would chose professional artist, mainly because my natural inclination in youth inclines that way, even-though my adult pursuits leans somewhat closer to academics.

Not to derail this thread, but, I sometimes wonder what the World would have been like if Adolf Hitler had fulfilled his ambitions of becoming an artist.

There is a talent for math and a talent for art.  But what many people miss in those generalities is that to be really good at either takes effort.  A friend of mine had played guitar since he was 17.  He eventually became frustrated and quit.  He fell under the notion that he just didn't have the talent.  

What he didn't have was the desire to practice.  He only wanted to play.  He had a romantic notion that musician's like Glen Campbell (my friend and I are from the same place as Glen) are gifted from birth and can play without lessons and practice.  There are myths about Glen that ignore the fact that, from age 5, all he did was play guitar and learn from his uncle.  So while no one can play like Glen without talented hands and ears, if they don't put in the time to develop it, talent doesn't matter.

Same with math.