Timeline for How and when do I learn so much mathematics?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Mar 12, 2020 at 5:35 | comment | added | user57432 | Then you can later backfill from these tendrils, and extend your comfort zone; this is much easier to do than learning "forwards". (Caution: this backfilling is necessary. There can be a temptation to learn lots of fancy words and to use them in fancy sentences without being able to say precisely what you mean. You should feel free to do that, but you should always feel a pang of guilt when you do.)" | |
| Mar 12, 2020 at 5:35 | comment | added | user57432 | Then later on, you'll learn what the words mean more precisely, and your sense of how they fit together will make that learning much easier. The reason for this phenomenon is that mathematics is so rich and infinite that it is impossible to learn it systematically, and if you wait to master one topic before moving on to the next, you'll never get anywhere. Instead, you'll have tendrils of knowledge extending far from your comfort zone. ... | |
| Mar 12, 2020 at 5:35 | comment | added | user57432 | To supplement "you learn by osmosis" the follwoing passage from Vakil's webpage seems particularly relevant, "Here's a phenomenon I was surprised to find: you'll go to talks, and hear various words, whose definitions you're not so sure about. At some point you'll be able to make a sentence using those words; you won't know what the words mean, but you'll know the sentence is correct. You'll also be able to ask a question using those words. You still won't know what the words mean, but you'll know the question is interesting, and you'll want to know the answer. ... | |
| Mar 10, 2020 at 15:56 | comment | added | sudolearn | Thanks for providing me some perspective. | |
| Mar 9, 2020 at 17:21 | comment | added | Greg Martin | +1 for the second sentence. OP, think back to one year ago today, and consider how much math you have learned between then and now—probably a significant amount. And the pace of learning only accelerates as you gain expertise! | |
| S Mar 9, 2020 at 16:45 | history | answered | R. van Dobben de Bruyn | CC BY-SA 4.0 | |
| S Mar 9, 2020 at 16:45 | history | made wiki | Post Made Community Wiki by R. van Dobben de Bruyn |