Rather than just being able to solve a problem, people need to be able to create the questions that beg the answers.
Physics class helped me understand differential calculus because I was able to create problems that I could then solve with tools learned in math.
There are also some mathematical tools that or often quite simple but tremendously help with solving equations. Extending a formula with neutral or inverse elements for example. This is the same in almost all fields in math, but it is rarely though as a set of tools.
That said, if studies like PISA are to be believed, the problems are much more fundamental.
Physics class helped me understand differential calculus because I was able to create problems that I could then solve with tools learned in math.
There are also some mathematical tools that or often quite simple but tremendously help with solving equations. Extending a formula with neutral or inverse elements for example. This is the same in almost all fields in math, but it is rarely though as a set of tools.
That said, if studies like PISA are to be believed, the problems are much more fundamental.