101–110 of 332 posts
Funny he used the example of popping zits as something that most people don't enjoy. I rather enjoy popping a nice juicy zit on the occasion that I get one - it's quite cathartic. I wonder if I can make a career of it.
This excerpt - "what he really liked was solving problems. The text of each chapter was just some advice about solving them. He said that as soon as he got a new textbook he'd immediately work out all the problems—to the slight annoyance of his teacher, since the class was supposed to work through the book gradually." is literally me. I did that. Every year at my school I did exactly that. Once I actually turned in m…
Isn't it essentially a isomorphism of Schlep blindness?
Personally, I experienced this with programming. When I learned to program in high school, it never struck me as a chore; it was always just interesting and I enjoyed it. However, I think the only reason I was able to enjoy learning programming was because of how adept I already was with computers as a "power user", because it gave me the physical skills and conceptual underpinnings required to appreciate the field.…
I don't always agree with Mark Cuban, but I think he makes a good point on this when he talks about the folly in the adage, "follow your passions." His point is that you should follow your efforts as that leads you to be better at something, which in turn grows your passions in it. You can read his words for yourself: http://blogmaverick.com/2012/03/18/dont-follow-your-passion-... .
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i was a physics major, too. the student in our year who was best at math had trouble with the "hand wavy" stuff we'd do. "well, this term is basically zero, so we'll just remove it" and then she'd pull her hair in frustration, like "how can you just do that? how is it still valid?" it wasn't enough to tell her "well it still gives us the valid results" - she had to be able to interpret every portion of an expression…
"well, this term is basically zero, so we'll just remove it" and then she'd pull her hair in frustration, like "how can you just do that? how is it still valid?" I've tried to teach friends with that hangup and found it difficult. Those people weren't good at math, though. I feel like with mathematicians, you should just be able to explain with limits.
Assuming the limit exists without actually proving the sequence converges is going to produce total junk. Jaynes spent a good portion of Probability Theory illustrating this.
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Math is certainly required to understand the theory and to synthesize experimental observations into a working model, but I wouldn't put it at more than 50-60%. Most of the math is fairly basic relatively speaking, even at the highest levels of physics.
Relative to what lol. What other applied field has more advanced math?
I don't mind writing. I don't mind public speaking. I don't mind grappling with tough problems. I don't mind working alone. I don't mind being indoors.
I do mind physical labor. I do mind cold calling. I do mind having to worry a lot about people's feelings.
If you have different preferences from mine, then you probably should also be in a different line work.
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"well, this term is basically zero, so we'll just remove it" and then she'd pull her hair in frustration, like "how can you just do that? how is it still valid?" I've tried to teach friends with that hangup and found it difficult. Those people weren't good at math, though. I feel like with mathematicians, you should just be able to explain with limits.
> I feel like with mathematicians, you should just be able to explain with limits. Assuming the limit exists without actually proving the sequence converges is going to produce total junk. Jaynes spent a good portion of Probability Theory illustrating this.
The question is : Is that hardwired or is programmable? I discovered early in my life that by changing the perspective of a problem you could transform something dull and tedious into something exciting and highly interesting. For example , when I learned to visualize mathematical problems I become much better at solving them. Mindmaps, and memory tools can make someone who struggle(and suffers as for example when he…
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As (failed) physics major, it sounds so strange to hear someone claim to be good at math but not physics. To me physics is 98% math. It's a few empirical facts from experiments and then bucketloads of math.
Physics is applied math and I think that is an important distinction.
What if the idea of work itself is what you dislike? There are plenty of activities I can enjoy, and some, quite a few of them in fact, are profitable. Once you shoe-horn them into the power dynamic situation of a traditional job (with the bureaucracy that entails unless you're dealing with Actual People as opposed to corporations), suddenly a lot of the luster disappears. As a ridiculous example - I enjoy reading. I…
I haven't thought of anything yet.
Left to my own devices, I'd probably spend 100 hours one week programming, then not touch a computer for two or three weeks, reading or building something or doing stuff outdoors instead. Lock me down to 40 hours every week, even weeks when I'm not in to it and would rather curl up on the couch for hours on end with some math books and a notebook or marathon-watch some Criterion movies or go camping with my family or whatever, and any fun I was having in those 40 hours will disappear fast.
It doesn't matter if the thing I'm clocking in to do is play video games of my choice and in the way that I choose, even—I'll be ready to not look at a video game for the next year within a matter of weeks.
That's not to say that I consider all work equally bad, but I'm probably not going to love anything at 40+ mandatory hours every week. The only way I can imagine enjoying that many hours on the clock is by splitting it between at least two very different things, like programming 4 hours/day then carrying heavy stuff at a construction site the next 4 hours, and even that might not do it over the long haul.