Can you solve this 6th grade math problem?

[LadyForCamus]

The only reason I feel that way is because I am TERRIBLE at it, lol.  I struggled all throughout high school, had tutors, summer practice, staying after school for extra help, and re-taking of Regents exams (doing worse the second time around).  I hate it because I could never "get" it, not because of any kind of 'social repulsion' or pop-culture reputation it has.  I can't stand not being able to understand something.  It hurts my ego!  Either my brain is not wired to understand math, or I never had the right teacher.  Probably the first one.

I literally, to this day, feel sick to my stomach remembering my struggles with math; the frustration and feeling of being totally lost taking exams, and the disappointment in myself when the poor grades rolled in.  It was the only subject in school that I couldn't excel in no matter how hard I applied myself.

Believe me, I understand how important math is, and I will do everything in my power to make sure my own children have a better experience than I did!  I admire those who excel at mathematics.

Sorry for rambling; I suppose you hit a nerve.  [emoji39]

It's alright....
I'd wager that the problem lies in not having the right teacher at that important time. Perhaps the time when you learn to go abstract, or maybe they just forced the numbers down your throat, without explaining them, first... I don't know.
I just know that I had great math teachers throughout my learning cycle... except for probabilities... could never get a good hang of those.

Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head with the "abstract" thing. I have a really hard time with that. As a dietitian, my curriculum was very science-heavy which I mostly loved because I excel in courses like cellular bio and anatomy/physiology. As long as I can use language and metaphor to understand something, I'm good.

*A kidney glomerulus "is like" a filter.

*A muscle fiber "looks like" pencils wrapped up in a rubber band.

But, mathematical concepts just...ARE. There is no frame of reference. It's like, my brain can't deal with it. I got an A in advanced medical nutrition therapy without much trouble at all, but took an introductory, abridged chemistry class TWICE and got a C both times. It's like...whyyyy?!

But anyway, thanks for politely tolerating my emotional catharsis. [emoji13]

[LadyForCamus]

I have never heard of that!

khanacademy.org

Give it a try, and see if it ends up helping.

I definitely will; thank you! The nice thing about being a stay at home mom is that I can take up hobbies. [emoji846]

[wiploc]

The solution in three easy steps:

1. Hinge the thing in your mind, right where the circles touch.  Then rotate, in your mind, one half over the other so that you wind up with a 10x10 square (red) with a single inscribed circle (white). 

2. 100 (the volume of the square) minus 25pi (the volume of the circle). 

3. A hypothetical step where one looks up pi and does number stuff.