There's a cultural issue in affect over here. From where I come from all I am expected to do is rote stuff up, not understand it. My teachers explicitly say that I'm wasting my time, but I frankly disagree. The why is not important for this discussion.
So a lot of math is fairly non-intuitive for me. My problem wasn't understanding the proof, but visualizing it and deriving it on my own without any aid.
The last bit of your comment is spot on though. I do have tons problems in visualizing stuff, but there's more to it than that. It's a learned skill that depends upon the knowledge of the fundamentals I have and how I have to apply them. I lack that at some level and I am trying to understand how to correct it.
I am telling you. You will develop intuition, and the ability to derive proofs on your own, only after you spend lots and lots of time reviewing other proofs. Memorizing them and their techniques will accelerate your learning process. If you are ever in doubt about a technique used in a proof, study it further until you are confident you understand.
@zackattack I understand. It is of no use to argue over this stupid straw man, but I want you to know something. I firmly stand by Voltaire's school of thought and I will defend your right to say this, but I will not defend the ethical implications of it. It's a subtle distinction, but quite an important one at that.
Please try to understand that this wasn't about political correctness, but genuine understanding about the human being on the other side. I don't mind, but someone else can. One can argue that they're weak. That may be the case, but they're still human beings and they deserve respect.
P.S.- I thought that this was HN not 4chan where I have to use such stuff like; watcha doing ya mother-fucking dawg? (Ugh) :)
I can't and I couldn't even tell my parents. The thing is that I am intersexed and hence I am socially unacceptable. My parents don't want anything to do with me, and, well, it's a long sob story that isn't worth a damn.
In a way it was a good thing. It taught me a lot about human nature and the implications of our behavior, look don't judge the man. He did it as a joke and didn't mean any harm. So, it is better for me to forgive and forget and just move on. It's human nature to make mistakes and I am pretty sure that someday he will realize this and correct it. So, who am I to judge?
Good if you can see it that way. I hope that you won't let your environment bring you down! There are > 6 billion people on this planet, somewhere there are people who are more tolerant and would not consider you socially unacceptable. I hope you can give yourself the freedom to go out into the world and find the place where you fit in, rather than fighting the useless fight in the "small world" at home. While in high school, sometimes that small town (or wherever you live) seems like it matters so much, but believe me, it can feel very good to just leave it all behind and go away.
I didn't realize. I apologize. Nice to meet you. Feel free to email me if you need me to point you towards textbooks or other such resources in the future.
So a lot of math is fairly non-intuitive for me. My problem wasn't understanding the proof, but visualizing it and deriving it on my own without any aid.
The last bit of your comment is spot on though. I do have tons problems in visualizing stuff, but there's more to it than that. It's a learned skill that depends upon the knowledge of the fundamentals I have and how I have to apply them. I lack that at some level and I am trying to understand how to correct it.
Thanks for replying!