A Very Mathy Christmas

So, I found this awesome link which has lyrics to traditional Christmas carols changed to math terms. It's hilarious! Click here!

Thanks, friend.

So, a dear friend (who has a B.S. in Mathematics) made me this after I declared mathematics as my major. I am pretty sure she is supposed to be Buzz Lightyear and I am supposed to be Woody, as his face says it all. 

Is Pure Math Useless?

Being an applied math major, I have struggled with this concept countless times. Like, an induction proof couldn't even help me out here. But, I read this neat little article and actually agreed at the nonuslessness of it. Check it out by clicking HERE!

WeUseMath

So, I was surfing the internet and avoiding responsibilities, like a pro might I add. And, well,  stumbled upon none other than a link that involves math. But it's pretty neat because it's all about the different careers that involve math and answers the age old question, "When will I ever use this?"


Here ya go, friends WeUseMath.org.

Partial Derivative Calculator

EEEK!!! I found a calculator that pops out the right partial derivative! My semester has been saved!!!
 Click -> Partial Derivative Calculator

The Future is Weird

     As a part of my typical college routine, I am stressing about classes, which ones I need, which order I should take them, which professors are good, GPA, graduating, the dang GRE, and all that jazz.

     It almost makes me wish I had placed into Calculus during Freshman year and had just attended the college I am in instead of the one I started at (yes, I transferred).

     But, you know what? I'll tell ya what. If things hadn't have happened the way they did, I probably wouldn't be here. If I hadn't placed into College Algebra, perhaps I wouldn't have fell in love with math (thanks, college algebra professor). If I didn't go to the college I started at, maybe I wouldn't be at my current college. Maybe I wouldn't have the friends I have or had the experiences I've had or be who I am at all.

     Thinking about the future is difficult and scary, but the cool thing is that you never know where you're gonna be in the future. If someone would've told me 5 years ago that I was going to be a mathematics major, I would've laughed until I died. But here I am, a math major, enjoying every (painful and confusing) minute.

     So, remember my fellow college students, when you start stressing about the future and what are you gonna do with that $100,000 receipt called a "degree," remember that crazy exciting things are there, you just can't see it yet. Hence, don't stress friends, it'll all work out. :-)

The Purpose of Mathematics

Another great article by Larry Zimmerman on the Purpose of Mathematics can be found here.

*Special thanks to AiG for making me so happy with all of their great articles.

Sign and Cosign...

Grr...

So, I really hate it when I am struggling with a subject I am studying, like Linear Algebra, and then I stumble into something awesome that makes me like it and want to study even harder.

Why do these things happen to me. Darn it. 

Always Learning...

"I am always doing that which I cannot do in order that I may learn how to do it."

-Picasso

I am Lazy...

This is very unfortunate for me, being a math major. Trying to keep my GPA afloat as well as actually understanding everything (which has been an unusually difficult battle this semester) is not something that a lazy person is accustomed to.


In the past, I have tried as much as possible to not use one of those clicky-plastic-devices (aka a calculator). All the way through Calculus 2, I barely touched my scientific calculator, just for the rare integration that had 5 billion parts and I didn't want to mess up in step 2, making step 5 billion off.

Well, I transferred from a university branch to a main campus in order to continue my journey through SoulCrushingMathematics, and I decided to reward my decision with a brand new graphing calculator. I mean, it was justifiable, right? I was going into Calculus 3 and Linear Algebra, so why not?

Then my darn laziness kicked in...

I use that thing for everything. matrices, determinates, limits, derivatives, integration, adding 2 + 2, you name it. I love the thing! But the problem is I used to know the derivative of sin, cos, tan, sin^-1, cos^-1, sinh, cosh, etc. all from good ol' fashioned memorization. Same went for common integrals. Now, I know the basics, but not by much. Curse my laziness!!!! It is ruining me!!!!

<hugs calculator>

I keep trying to tell myself that in "the real world" I'll get to use calculators and computer algebra systems and computers, so why should I not use them in college? Riight???? RIGHT!?!?

The Universal Language

A great article about the philosohoy of mathemtaics and why it seems to wirk with everything can be found here.

SpongeBob Knows the Feels

A Quote

I am in this wonderful class titled "Intro to Higher Mathematics." Yup, they threw the word "intro" in there to make it sound like an easy class.....it's not. It is all about logic and learning how to write proofs and a crash course on how to think mathematically. But, my professor is awesome and very helpful. And even though the class is hard, I somehow enjoy it. The professor actually had a hand in writing the book she uses, and I am not sure if she wrote this or not, but I found a quote in the book that I absolutely love.

"Mathematics is highly respected in our culture. It inspires awe or fear in most people. To a few it is a source of joy and admiration, an artistic game of the highest quality, the language in which the book of nature is written. ..."mastering it requires hard work, discipline, concentration, self-respect, and self-confidence..."

Even though I have been struggling this semester to just keep up with the homework, I still feel excitement, butterflies, when I think of what I am doing and what I am studying. It is like some sort of magic that only a few get to experience, and I can't wait to see where I end up.

Humans Are Good Examples of Functions

If you want to know exactly what a function, f(x), does, here is a good example. Coffee goes in human, sarcasm comes out of human.

Weapons of "Math" Destruction

So, I was out with a friend at a coffeehouse and she was trying to help me study for Calculus 2. Things weren't going so well on my end, trying to shove all of this math (don't take a summer math class) in my head in 8 weeks. With her lack of help, I threatened to throw the math book at her (or my prof). All she said was, "That'd really be a weapon of math destruction!" I didn't think it was funny at the time, but I gotta laugh at it now. :-) Hehehe.

Fear

I agree full heartily. :-) Math is that way. And it's awesome the way she relates learning math just the way it is like learning anything else.

The Feelings Come and Go...

Math is Magical

The Best Major Ever

Find out why it is awesome being a math major by clicking here. Enjoy! :-)

Why Math?

      The whole reason I am starting this blog is because I love math. I know that makes me a big huge nerd, but it's true. But mathematics is wonderful, and beautiful, and basically magic. The world runs on math like how I run on coffee (it ain't going anywhere without it). And even though I am still learning and may not be very good at it, I have so much to say and Jim Fowler pretty much summed it up in the video below. :-)