# What does it take to succeed in math?



## Daimai (Feb 14, 2010)

As topic; I have no idea, that is why I am asking. 

I often forget details in math and that makes me screw up on tests a lot so I started this topic because my selfesteem is at the bottom right now and I am really angry that I am not as good at math as I would like to be.


----------



## scarygirl (Aug 12, 2010)

Probably you're as puzzled as i was when i discovered i was INTP, and I was supposed to be a super math nerd, and I found I was that failure that never passed high school maths xD. well, i don't know, but i felt like that xD

If you want my opinion, the education we're given in many aspects -at least here in Spain- it's much Si based, which really has nothing to do with maths. The more you get inside the real world of maths, many notions you are given at school lose importance. Well, I don't really mean that, but...in fact, the methods we're taught to learn Maths are not made to make us really get into it.
This is what I feel and what i see. many people say the same.

I forget too about details. That's because we don't have much Si. I think.


----------



## LeafStew (Oct 17, 2009)

I'm not sure what kind of math you are doing. I must admit that I'm not super good at it but I can do what I have to (haven't done anything 100% math beyond college math: calculus I and II and linear algebra/vectorial geometry; now I'm doing finance/accounting so it's basic [+,-,*,/] math). 

As a N as well, I like to follow logical steps that I understand to answer a problem or a question. So I remember for example that I have to find quantity I want to produce before finding unitary cost and I need unitary cost to spread it over my finished and unfinished units to see where my cost are in my inventory.

I also like to put in evidence in a corner of my sheet all the information I need to solve the problems so I dont forget them so I can circle them when I done with them. You can also highlight stuff in the text when you are done with the information. It helps remember some details. 

Another thing I tend to do is I try to solve the problem like I think I should. I think it's important to try even if you dont really have an idea on how to do it because it makes you realize which part of what you were thinking was wrong. Afterwards I pass quite a bit of time looking at the solution to really understand the logic behind it. I recalculate and transcribe the solution to be sure I remember how to redo it afterwards.

This isn't much but you might want to try these tips if you dont do them already.

*btw most of the time nothing beats doing plenty of exercises if you aren't naturally gifted in that field.. Just got to sit down and do them..


----------



## cynic (Sep 27, 2010)

In my experience, the key to being good at math is to understand how it breaks down to addition and subtraction. When I was in school, I hated math because of the same shit that frustrates you. I kept forgetting little details. When I started actually grasping, for example, _why_ the quadratic equation produced the correct answer, and how you would have done the same problem with addition and subtraction, it all started to make sense to me.

One of the difficult aspects to that is finding the motivation to keep on working on the problem. It is one of those skills that doesn't pay off immediately. You have to work at it and apply it in your life before you realize the benefit of your math skills. Trust me, though, it's very rewarding.


----------



## AirMarionette (Mar 13, 2010)

Honestly, when it comes to hard sciences, propensity helps. Think in terms of math on a daily basis. It instills repetition, practice, application, and may even inspire creativity or curiosity. This alone might not be enough and you might just need to study/exercise it consistently.


----------



## Molock (Mar 10, 2010)

How to be good at math if you don't have the "gift"? Do every single assignment (and extras) and ask for assistance when you encounter a problem you can't solve. Then go over it again and again and again. I'm sorta with scarygirl here, it's very much Si based (even Calculus I and II class was repetitious drudgery for me). 

The way math is taught is crap. Most profs never bother to explain how and why everything works. They just explain how to come to the answer and then you learn all the "templates". Anyway, I'm glad that I am done with math :crazy:


----------



## Monsteroids (Oct 6, 2010)

Maths are all about the extreme devotion to the daily grind, baby! No seriously. Most Maths are tedious gruntwork, not any sort of fantastic puzzles as was advertised by a math whiz I once knew. Speaking of which, I has test tomorrow that I must study for, but I'd much rather sit here and talk maths with you all. Maybe make a bit of an assclown out of myself and have a gay old time ...with Maths.


----------



## Mutatio NOmenis (Jun 22, 2009)

Mathematicians are born not made. It's as simple as that. You either have the ability or you don't.


----------



## PseudoSenator (Mar 7, 2010)

I think a basic proficiency in calculus should be the watermark finish for everyone's mathematical journey. It really does come down to hard work, although of course natural ability does factor in as you get higher courses. Seeing intelligence or academic success as predetermined or innate is very characteristic of the West, but in the East (where students lead the world in math scores) persistence and perseverance are valued.


----------



## EYENTJ (Aug 21, 2010)

PseudoSenator is 100% correct. Math is hard work and almost nothing else. I teach the SAT in Korea and I've seen too many students of mine go from 440 on the math section of the SAT to 770-800 to believe that math ability cannot be obtained. One student of mine calculated that he had done over 40,000 math problems in his lifetime (17 years old). I had another student message me recently about her October SATs and she said, "The math was too easy." 

Working in my academy, I was taken aback by the general attitude about how simple it was to get an 800. In the US, math ability is seen as immutable as IQ; you're either born with it or not. This, as the research about intelligence perception suggests, prevents perfectly able students from putting in the work needed to improve. Korean students, on the other hand, proceed from the premise that math not only can be learned, but should be learned. Many of my students, when projecting their SAT scores, predict math scores of 800. This is a fully justified belief.

Personally, I sucked terribly at math in high school and college (I started out teaching only the Reading and Essay portions of the SAT). I dropped out of math my senior year in high school because I was failing and was an Office Assistant during that period. In college I got a D in pre-calculus and in statistics. But, for my GREs, I got a perfect score (800) on the quantitative section. And now I can teach SAT math with absolute ease.

What changed? My attitude. I saw how simple and, more importantly, attainable it was to gain a basic understanding of math. I did over 1200 GRE math problems and meticulously went over the solutions for the questions I missed. I allowed myself 1 minute per question so a total time of about 20 hours took me from math retard to perfect score.

Bottom line? It's really fucking simple: If you want to get better at math, do more problems. Do problems until your head explodes. Then do more. And then do even more. Those silly little errors that you are making now go away with experience, just as silly errors in English grammar tend to evaporate as you graduate from Elementary to Middle to High school.


----------



## reyesaaronringo (Dec 27, 2009)

i'd say hard work. aside from that i imagine getting an intuative understanding of what is going on. math is funny in that it starts easy gets really hard then gets really easy again. have patience and work hard:happy:


----------



## myosotis (Jun 30, 2010)

Lots of practice and patience. After reading the text, do the problems. Check the answer. Make corrections. In upper level courses there is a lot of application so make sure you know the concepts. Good luck!


----------



## OrangeAppled (Jun 26, 2009)

I make some extra money here & there tutoring high school students in math, and I've found using some of the following techniques or reasoning with them to be successful. I realized these things came so naturally to me, that I never even had to think consciously about them (intuition?), but teaching others really allowed me to analyze my own process in learning & retaining math. 

1. Look for the underlying concepts in what you're learning. Perceive the patterns to see how to apply what you're learning, but connect those patterns to a logical truth. Often, when you learn something new, you'll be given a series of similar problems to practice. However, true understanding is demonstrated when you're given a problem and you have to decide how to solve it instead of applying whatever you just learned exactly as the examples showed it. So to retain what you've learned, focus on meaning over repetitive steps. I sometimes toss in a few "different" problems to throw the student off. Math books do this also. You're going along, solving each similar problem quickly, applying the pattern you've picked up on, when suddenly, a problem seems different. These are used to test how well you get the principle behind the teaching instead of just grasping the literal steps. It can help to do the reverse also - create your own problem that can be solved by the method you're currently studying.

2. Repetition in solving similar problems ingrains aspects that you need to memorize, such as equations and the specific steps involved in solving a problem. So - do your homework, and maybe do extra problems if you don't feel confident that you have it set in your memory. When it comes to memory, people can learn differently. I find writing everything out very helpful. I need to SEE something, and then I remember it. Some people like to hear things, so talking yourself through a problem can help. Think about how you most easily retain information and work that into your math learning.

3. Give problems a context. If the abstraction of some kinds of math make it hard for you to grasp them, then ask your teacher or even think to yourself on how this relates to something real. It does not mean that these exact problems will need to be solved by you in your life outside of school, but reason on how the principles behind these problems are reflected in the world and how it is ordered.

4. Recognize that math helps us to learn to think logically. It trains our brain, sort of in the way lifting weights strengthens the physical body. Outside of the gym, that physical strength will not be used in the exact same way - lifting weights is not a practical skill, but the strength acquired can prove practical. Similarly with math, the problems you solve are teaching you concepts of logic, and this way of thinking and problem solving can strengthen your mind to be better equipped with logical thinking & problem solving in day to day life. It helps us to see the world around us in a logical way also - things aren't quite as random & mysterious as they appear.

5. Review your work! I've tutored sooo many students who get the concept, rush through the problem, and then get it wrong due to some small error (often an arithmetic error). Often, they don't consider their answer in relation to the problem. Stop and _consider if your answer makes sense_ given the info you started with. Then review your individual steps and look for mistakes. On tests, this can really improve your scores.

Hope that helps! :happy:


----------



## mnemonicfx (Sep 5, 2010)

Depending on what is "success", everyone should have math ability at some level.

The real mathematicians are those who can formulate new things in a proper way out of daily observations or analysis.
I don't know if this could be achieved by everyone, but the pace of learning is different in each person.


----------



## Seeker99 (Jan 13, 2010)

A large part of it is of course natural ability, but I would argue that the effort you choose to put into it is equally or more important. It's all about focusing. If you don't feel you're naturally gifted at the subject it's easy to just accept failure, but all you have to do is focus on each individual thing as it comes up.

The most important thing is not to let yourself get overwhelmed. Don't accept a mediocre level of understanding, make sure you take the time to focus on something, figure out WHY it works that way and get it right before moving on. Of course it also helps very much to see the practical applications, and how it fits into the big picture. (The people above me have summed this up nicely)

Mind you, this is coming from a Si user so perhaps it is completely useless advice...


----------



## EvanR (Nov 28, 2009)

It seems that at lower levels of math it is mostly hard work (Pre-Calc, Calculus, Linear Algebra, etc.) , but for more difficult subjects like real analysis or Chaos theory it is mostly about your intelligence. For all areas of math the best way to learn is to do practice problems, doing tons of practice problems is a better way to appreciate the theory and intuition than just read the text.


----------



## jdmn (Feb 5, 2010)

1) Pay a lot of attention in classes. It's much much better if you have kept this habit since you were a small kid. Then you will have a good memory of all the formulas and theories so you can easily understand others in the future. Introverted Sensing is my best friend with the maths. 

2) Practice a lot. If you teacher sends you a decent amount of excersises and homework, the better. Math is theory, abstract, but it requires a lot of practice. 


3) Natural ability helps a lot, but you can still rock hard at math without it. Attention and practice are my two main ways. 

4) If you still fail to understand math, don't hesitate to hire a private teacher. They're a great help. I prefer this instead of asking help from friends. Your friends may be good at math, but it happens that they don't explain well, you'll still understand nothing or just a little.


----------



## musa (Jul 17, 2011)

1. Stop asking why (it is not important)
2. Remember the formulas
3. And sub in the numbers as needed


----------



## Toru Okada (May 10, 2011)

it really helps if you like it.

Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but Sal Khan has made lots of free lesson videos and practices for a wide-array of math subjects. It really helped me, since I strongly disliked math in HS and knew fuck all about it when I graduated. I definitely understand the frustration and way being left behind in math can make you feel significantly less about your overall ability to match your peers and feel academically confident. Now that I'm interested in it, I can use Khan Academy and work at my own pace and I'm not focused on learning it purely to take a test on it later. The videos are effective, and it's gotten a lot of positive feedback from people all over. I think I've learned more with KA in a month than I did in 2 years of school.


----------



## LeafStew (Oct 17, 2009)

EYENTJ said:


> PseudoSenator is 100% correct. Math is hard work and almost nothing else. I teach the SAT in Korea and I've seen too many students of mine go from 440 on the math section of the SAT to 770-800 to believe that math ability cannot be obtained. One student of mine calculated that he had done over 40,000 math problems in his lifetime (17 years old). I had another student message me recently about her October SATs and she said, "The math was too easy."
> 
> Working in my academy, I was taken aback by the general attitude about how simple it was to get an 800. In the US, math ability is seen as immutable as IQ; you're either born with it or not. This, as the research about intelligence perception suggests, prevents perfectly able students from putting in the work needed to improve. Korean students, on the other hand, proceed from the premise that math not only can be learned, but should be learned. Many of my students, when projecting their SAT scores, predict math scores of 800. This is a fully justified belief.
> 
> ...


hehe This sound so much like me doing tax system classes. Gosh there are so many damn steps to calculate income tax here (also various scenarios, rules, etc.), it's ridiculous. Like for math you do it over like a thousand times than it finally stick in your brain. At least for a while


----------



## dagnytaggart (Jun 6, 2010)

High IQ, probably >130.


----------



## Erbse (Oct 15, 2010)

Math is all about practice, repetition, and knowing when what laws / formulas apply. Deeper understanding is a moot point that's not necessary to solve problems if you know what tools to use, although it doesn't hurt if you can grasp the concept behind it all.

I've ever only been average in math and I didn't do a whole lot for school, it made me succeed, though.

Math course on a University? Never again. Although our Universities are quite different from those in the US (~200(+) students in the room).

Ultimately everything can be archived through hard work if you lack the natural talent/tendency, question is just whether or not the energy investment pays off at the end of it all. If it doesn't just accept your limit(s) and move on to something you're more proficient at.

EDIT: Thread necromancy being practiced. Damn me.


----------



## Man_With_No_Name (Nov 30, 2010)

From my own experience it seems to be how detail oriented you are and writing neatly to avoid math errors.


----------



## yaintj (Dec 17, 2010)

Experience and training. This means count, calculate, do all your basic exercises. Learn the basics onto your backbone.


----------



## vellocent (Dec 18, 2010)

Well, if you don't remember the details, perhaps you need a teacher who understands the theory behind it. The four things that have helped me are: internet research/tutoring, real life tutors, summarized sheets of formulas, and going to class with a tape recorder.


----------



## Bazinga187 (Aug 7, 2011)

I'm a firm believer that repetition can get you through. You just have to do it over and over and over again until it's second nature to you. I also think it's very important to identify when you need to use each method. It's all well and good knowing the Cosine rule off by heart, but if you don't know when to implement it, it's of no use to you.


----------



## Valdyr (May 25, 2010)

It depends what it is you're trying to do with math. If you're using math primarily as a tool, which thus involves solving problems/performing mechanical symbol manipulation, I have one word for you: _practice_! Do _lots_ of exercises/problems until you get it. This should be sufficient up through Calculus II, for the purposes of standardized tests, most everyday mathematical applications, etc.

However, if you're more interested in the meaning _behind_ the mechanical calculations and/or wish to learn subjects like real analysis, probability theory, topography, etc., you're going to also have to cultivate/have a penchant for very abstract thought, as mathematics is at its core not the mere study of calculation/numbers, but a study of such abstract notions as "space" and "growth." Practice is less useful here (not useless) because the goal is not mechanical calculation, but rather rigorous analysis, proof, etc.


----------



## Frenetic Tranquility (Aug 5, 2011)

Daimai said:


> As topic; I have no idea, that is why I am asking.
> 
> I often forget details in math and that makes me screw up on tests a lot so I started this topic because my selfesteem is at the bottom right now and I am really angry that I am not as good at math as I would like to be.


The best way to understand math is to understand the meaning of whatever you are doing. See how it fits into the big mathematical picture, and the applications. Once you understand the purpose, the details only make sense, and with enough patience (and innate intelligence) you should be able to derive the details yourself, without the memorization of formulae. I am an ENTP mathematician, so no internal sensory here. Of course, I am not the "normal" mathematician, either.


----------



## Vtile (Feb 27, 2011)

1) Forget the calculator
2) Get the basis info (plus, minus, subtraction, x^y, (a+b)²,sin,cos etc etc.) ie. good book before 1970? electric calculators 
3) Forget the calculator
4) Get the ass that will hold all the sitting behind the desk.
5) Do all the work in progress notes while calculating
6) Make a "fact/cheat sheet" to yourself way before exams ie. one A4 with handwriting both sides etc. (not to take with you if not allowed, but make it anyway)
7) Use the calculator only to check if you get the right answer if not provided elsewhere.
8) Get to know how your calculator works
9) No shortcuts

You can calculate pretty scary looking equations without calculator, you just need to know how those X,Y,A,B etc relates to answer. No Hocus Pocus here just brick by brick - A by X.


----------



## Voldemort (Aug 24, 2011)

Do lots of practice problems!!!! If you get stuck, check the back of your textbook for the answers. You might be able to work backwards to figure out how they got that particular answer.

Also, show your work and and write it out vertically. Don't have it scattered all over the page or you wont understand what order you did your calculations in when you look back on it.


----------



## Frenetic Tranquility (Aug 5, 2011)

Man_With_No_Name said:


> From my own experience it seems to be how detail oriented you are and writing neatly to avoid math errors.


I am horrible at details, and writing neatly. However, doing mathematics does improve my detail orientation despite it not being my natural propensity. I am a mathematician.


----------



## sprinkles (Feb 7, 2010)

There's a difference between succeeding in math and succeeding in _giving the correct answers_, IMO.

The former generally leads to the latter, but having the latter doesn't always mean you have done the former.

Don't have much else to add since everything else has already been said.


----------



## Plaxico (Dec 11, 2010)

Quite a lot of patience I'd say. while i can sit in places for a good period of time, i wouldn't be able to sit in a place doing math problems.


----------



## Modifier (Aug 17, 2011)

Practice practice and more practice . Hardwork can replace intelligence


----------



## dalsgaard (Aug 14, 2010)

Math ability is cumulative, you constantly build upon preexisting concepts in order to reach higher and higher understanding. People tend to run into problems when they begin dealing with high-level maths, because they have misunderstood certain fundamental aspects. You really need to _master_ the essentials, or the small holes you have in your abilities are going to accumulate.

It usually goes like this: Say you learned 95% of the material in your first year. In your second year, the last 5% are going to be expanded upon and further incorporated into the whole by the teacher, but you won't understand it, because you didn't understand the rudimentary principles that preclude it from the first year. That means: by this year you will only understand 85% of the total curriculum. The third year, they will expand even more on the premises you learned first and second year, but by this time it's complete gibberish, so unless you have corrected your mistake or finally come to gain an understanding of the principles, you may as yet understand only half of the curriculum.

Mistakes accumulates. Maths are like enormous buildings starting from the very first axioms, to the most complicated equations. Maths is different from any other discipline in this regard, because if there is a subject you don't understand, then it could easily be because you are missing a tiny little chunk that you learned 5 years ago: your foundation is incomplete, and that makes your whole structure wobble. This is why even the best mathematicians sits down from time to time, and just does simple algebra. A tiny little flaw of memory, and your whole house of cards goes down.


----------



## Jericho123 (Sep 17, 2010)

Study Geometry before Algebra.... But here are some of my ramblings about Mathematics... I wish you best of luck on your journey.

I am learning too, and I enjoy the challenges Math gives. I will mention a few things, though I have to agree with many prior posters. It certainly helps to practice, and find the right help to get through it. It is very encouraging to see how students can improve so greatly. My situation and my education are an unfortunate example of child neglect and poor upbringing and general destabilization of home. But I can share with you a few things that I've learned along the Dusty trail of life, some things with which I have found renewed beauty. Let me begin by diving into the surface of the page, so that I may swim - perhaps along the rivers of a line, that lay inside a larger ocean of possibility.

Mathematics is the structure of choice, and I say this as a person researching the fundamental structures that supports it. When you take a piece of paper, and write upon it, a single point, you will be able to see such part. But before you place the pen on the paper, you will sense a choice, a choice is the beginning, a point which does not have a part, as Euclid mentions. As you continue to go beyond your first choice, you will form lines. Typically these mechanical motions of your hands seem natural as you "know" them by practice. 

Historically mathematics grew from knowledge learned, patterns determined by practical usage. The Babylonians and Egyptians created many interesting mathematical mentions and figures. There are of course bone fragments too showing lines, etches that seem to follow some kind of order, counting to be specific it seemed.

But a man named Euclid of Alexandria, (Alexandria being a city founded after Alexander the Great) brought together many mathematical concepts of his time into what was called the "Elements" or Euclid's Elements. 

It is important to realize that the ideas which are formed from smaller choices, that construct larger choices, are themselves something of interest, how they work, how specifically they can be described. When you consider for example a point upon a line, and think of that point as a blot of ink, and the choices made by continuing a choice of the same kind, drawing a straight line, you may sense some kind of deeper order. But it may be such that you would like to describe these points in relationship to the other points, so as to locate one point among the other. This is the idea behind the locating factor, or discriminating factor. Essentially numbers are choices, within them also points like the line, but not the line, they are the higher level truths created to represent the point in it's line. But when we add numbers together, we are not drawing from a point to an extent on the page, but are performing logical order. It is this mechanical order, and analogy to drawing that we have developed. 

When we consider the idea that choices can be broken up into smaller choices, we can represent mathematical operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. However, when looking at a circle, how do we describe the behavior of the larger choice, the entire circle from the point? We must invent a motion which is what we call complex numbers. Further speaking, if we are to follow the path along any curve on paper, we must invent a discriminating factor, and a mechanics for tracing that curve. 

But, let us inspect the possibility that some symbols are not mechanical locator's in any kind of line, plane or shape, but instead are locator's among a network of possibility. We then may expand our mechanics to structures beyond these Euclidean elements.


----------



## bigtex1989 (Feb 7, 2011)

If you are having trouble with geometry or calculus, DRAW PICTURES!!!! Make sure you know what things physically mean, then you can just extrapolate from there. Once things have been defined as real world things, geometry and calculus become rather intuitive.

For algebra and stuff like that, just memorize two rules. Order of operations and principle that says that if you do something to one side of the equation you must do it to the other. Also adding zero and multiplying by one do not change the equation. Everything else can be derived from there. It might take longer, but you don't have to memorize specific rules. Just memorize the most general case and you'll be fine.


----------



## Tiervexx (Nov 7, 2010)

As a student I often just tried to memorize how to do every kind of problem in the class but after taking a proof based class and starting to study math as a hobby I realized that the way to learn math is to never memorize anything. Just remember that everything is the way it is for a reason. Just think about what would be logical, and that's what it is (only notation and nomenclature must be memorized).

You will never go very far in advanced mathematics without a certain amount of natural ability but ability is not enough, you have to be willing to work! Do many problems and spend many hours contemplating the logic behind it.

If you know nothing of mathematics it might seem useless and boring but please believe me when I say that it is so rewarding once you've reached the point where you can derive formulas in basic math from scratch and write simple proofs easily. There are two ways that mathematics can reward you even if you don't directly use what you are currently studying:

1) General problem solving skills. The same skills you can use to understand why the quadratic formula is what it is also helps with any problem that has an objective solution (writing proofs is more useful towards this than elementary algebra though).

2) Humility. Many a pseudo intellectual goes through life thinking they are soooo much smarter than other people without ever doing anything to prove it. If you go deep into mathematics you will periodically crash into your limits that you will have to work through. Every math geek, from me, to Gauss himself, has encountered problems that they can't solve. Staring at your limits from time to time will make you better and more humble.


----------



## clicheguevara (Jul 27, 2011)

I wish I knew.


----------



## Queen of Refuse (Aug 5, 2011)

I think one thing to remember is that it should make sense. It shouldn't be something that just comes to you(if people claim that, then yes it came to them fast but in a logical manner, but it's not something that's automatically just there). I don't understand why it intimidates people for that reason. In a way, I feel that should give it security and sturdiness. If you start to think through a problem, you can see what you know, what kind of information can be derived out of that, what you don't know, what you'd probably need to know to solve the problem, what you can find to work with that might not be there immediately, how you can simplify it, how you can see it differently, etc.

What's your issue? memorizing formulas or reaosning/applying? Memory..well then practice memorizing. Reasoning? Practice and just learn to start thinking more in that way.

When you go through practice problems of whatever math you're studying and see different solutions or examples involving certain scenarios, you will probably begin to see patterns that you can use to use on other new kinds of problems.


----------



## AJ2011 (Jun 2, 2011)

Whether you're studying mathematics or any other subject with any depth, I think the following strategies could help (from T. Tao, "Solving Mathematical Problems"):

1. Understand the problem (types of problems)

Every subject has a few types of questions that could be asked. Understand the core set of question types and your life will be made infinitely simpler for solving problems in that area. Solutions are then just an analogy away.

2. Understand the data (the givens)

It's important to understand the relationship between the data and the question. How do they interact? If you have a question regarding geometry, then given partial geometric information, what of the problem remains? In order to answer that, we may need to know theorems related to the problem in question, e.g., for triangles, side/angle theorems, area rules, etc.

3. Understand the objective

We do not bring all the theorems into the problem, so we need to focus on the specific problem formulation. If givens are related to sides of a triangle, first thing to seek are theorems associated with sides/angles. One could get creative if the problem is not solvable by straightforward theorems, by seeing how the problem is addressed using area rules, etc..

4. Select good notation

Need to represent the problem and variables compactly, so that you could work efficiently. For example, in the LSAT, we could represent some of the objects in logical puzzles with variables to quickly identify patterns and contradictions. Symbols are there to help you not obfuscate, so in mathematics it wouldn't be a bad idea to understand why certain symbols exist.

5. Modify the problem

In this strategy, if you vary the given parameters/constraints, how does the problem change? Knowing how the problem changes provides you understanding of the problem itself, e.g., where it breaks down. That gives you clues in what the questioner is really trying to probe.

There are other strategies, but, in any case, you get the gist. These are applicable to any subject, where you would like to apply logic to extract the solution. Practice applying these techniques to a variety of problems, and you'll see the benefit everywhere, especially in understanding and doing well in solving mathematical problems.


----------



## HappyHours (Sep 16, 2011)

if it hasn't been said already

repetition, do the problems assigned once
do them again and see if you can do them with the proper procedure
look at other problems on the internet and do them
if you have a workbook then do the problems assigned again 

repetition, helped me get by in college calculus


----------



## absent air (Dec 7, 2010)

Practice by repetition?, yes
Repetition by practice?, no

But I have no room to talk here, almost flunked math.


----------

