Favorite Subject:
Mathematics
Kishore
(June 2002)
During my education Mathematics
was always my favorite subject. Many times during my schooling and college this
subject came to my rescue and helped me score higher marks.
Why do I like Mathematics:
1. I like doing things in a
systematic manner. If a task is well defined and involves following a series of
steps to reach the solution/target, I excel in such tasks. That is the main crux of the
subject. Solving problems involves following a logical sequence of steps.
2. Compared to theoretical
subjects for every problem in this subject there is only one answer. Once you
manage to get the answer you will get full marks. When it comes to a theoretical
subject one needs to remember lot of facts and reproduce long passages. When I
have difficulty even in remembering names of people I meet, how can I manage to
remember long passages of theory subjects?
3. Giving marks in this subject
is easier for any teacher. Check the answer, check the steps used to arrive at
the answer and give marks. If steps followed are right but answer is wrong, you
still get good number of marks. Because of this it is always possible to score
100% in this subject.
4. Solving problems is fun and
practical. I find most of the formulae help in solving practical problems when
applied properly. (see examples below)
How this subject helped in
my career:
I have consistently scored more
than 90 percent in this subject and even now I consider this as my favorite
subject. This subject made my career.
1. For gaining Engineering
College Entrance we need to write EAMCET exam. When I wrote this exam my rank
was high because of my score in Mathematics. If lot of people get same score the
one with higher score in Mathematics will get higher rank. Thus a higher score
in this subject made me get a good rank.
2. For gaining admission to IIT
(for master's degree) also we need to appear for entrance exam GATE. During this
period I was concentrating on MBA entrance exams and did not prepare for GATE
exam, but went to the exam without any preparation. Here also I performed well
in Mathematics and I managed to clear the exam without any preparation and do my
master's degree.
This this subject became my
favorite and during my entire school and college education my high scores in
this subject always helped me secure better ranks. During one particular year
during college education we didn't have any mathematics subject and all were
theory subjects. I ended up with pretty bad percentage during that year.
Mastering the subject:
I have seen lot of people are
afraid of this subject and score bad. They enjoy and excel in theory subjects
and hate mathematics. I wondered why it is so. I realized that as I mentioned
above the subject is suited for people who like solving problems in a systematic
manner.
Mastering the basics is
important: Gaining mastery in mathematics will be easier if basic knowledge
is good. Additions, subtractions, multiplications start early in career and if
one ignores such basics it gets tougher later, because next level of mathematics
depends on mastering previous levels. Even in algebra if basic formulae are not
understood, solving higher level problems will be tough.
Practice makes one perfect:
The more problems you solve the better it is to gain mastery in the subject. As
you gain practice, it becomes easier. Unlike theory subjects where problem and
solution are always same, Mathematics can be fun because new problems can be
constructed much easily and all one needs to remember is the procedure.
e.g. in a science subject: How
heart functions will be a fixed question and answer will also be fixed. You need
to remember the answer and can't write your OWN answer.
Where as in mathematics a
problem can be altered in many ways but series of steps to reach solution will
be same. Consider two examples:
a. If a train travels at 50
mph, how long does it take to cover a distance of 350 miles.
In next level the problem can
be modified in advanced stage as:
b. If two cars start at the
same time from a distance of 350 miles apart and travel at 50 and 60 mph
respectively at what time and distance will they meet.
Both problems a and b follow
same formula but problem a is basic version and problem b is advanced version.
Such problems look practical. As I mentioned in above point it is important to
master basics. If you fail to solve problem a solving problem b will be much
tougher.
By consistently working on such
examples one can gain mastery on the subject.
Summary
Why I wrote this article?
I wanted to share my views and
opinions on my favorite subject. Since it helped me in my career, I
wanted to praise the subject. Though I have good amount of expertise on
the subject, I am still not an absolute expert. There are people who are
absolute experts and can solve very complex problems. I didn't write this to
boast that I am an expert, which I am not. But rather wanted to share my
feelings one of my favorite things.
Have you ever wondered what
your favorite subject and topic is? What makes the subject your favorite? Do
reflect on such questions when you get a chance.
