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It’s not actually. I have short-term memory issues that make holding math in my head next to impossible. Next to the vast plains of mathematics, all of us have

It’s not actually. I have short-term memory issues that make holding math in my head next to impossible. Next to the vast plains of mathematics, all of us have inadequate short term memories. This is why we write everything down. The goal of studying any piece of mathematics is to commit it to long term memory. Not in the sense of memorizing dates and times for history class, but in the sense of muscle memory. As for “how little math matters in practice”, that view is all too common among programmers. It is not a view shared by engineers or scientists in any other field. Without math we wouldn’t have any of the tools and amenities of modern life. Even the Amish teach their children math.

kayodelycaon 4y ago
This isn't what I was referring to. It's not storage but retrieval that's broken. I can't work out how to convert miles per hour to minutes per mile, even on paper. My brain confuses and transposes the operations necessary to do formulas. I have difficulty working out where to put the variables. This can happen with the instructions in front of me. There's a certain kind of logical/calculative abstractness I can't process without a lot of effort. A lot of math (and LISP syntax) seem to require this. Matrix operations and accounting don't. (Discrete math was fun!)
mattgreenrocks 4y ago
> As for “how little math matters in practice”, that view is all too common among programmers. It is not a view shared by engineers or scientists in any other field. Phrases like this are a red flag. They're usually thinly veiled anti-intellectualism, promising to free you from the oppressive gate-keeping of centuries of built-up knowledge. In reality, it's a pop culture prison. The same ideas are prominent in guitar, where you "don't need to understand theory or how to read sheet music." Which is true, because you can find chords that sound good together with enough time and patience. But it's also not the full truth, as it is obvious that more classically trained musicians tend to bring a lot more to the table from both a technique and a composition standpoint.
- agumonkey 4y ago
  And very often, what appears to sugary pop music, was made by very musically educated people. You can't go very far with power chords only.
  - mwcampbell 4y ago
    One example of the kind of song I think you're talking about is "That's What Love is For" [1] by Amy Grant. I once read someone describe it as being like a quaint little Michael Bolton song (can no longer find the link). But the chord progressions and the way it moves between keys are fairly sophisticated for pop music. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLVV2TaI4Wo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLVV2TaI4Wo

kayodelycaon 4y ago

This isn't what I was referring to. It's not storage but retrieval that's broken. I can't work out how to convert miles per hour to minutes per mile, even on paper. My brain confuses and transposes the operations necessary to do formulas. I have difficulty working out where to put the variables. This can happen with the instructions in front of me. There's a certain kind of logical/calculative abstractness I can't process without a lot of effort. A lot of math (and LISP syntax) seem to require this. Matrix operations and accounting don't. (Discrete math was fun!)

mattgreenrocks 4y ago

> As for “how little math matters in practice”, that view is all too common among programmers. It is not a view shared by engineers or scientists in any other field. Phrases like this are a red flag. They're usually thinly veiled anti-intellectualism, promising to free you from the oppressive gate-keeping of centuries of built-up knowledge. In reality, it's a pop culture prison. The same ideas are prominent in guitar, where you "don't need to understand theory or how to read sheet music." Which is true, because you can find chords that sound good together with enough time and patience. But it's also not the full truth, as it is obvious that more classically trained musicians tend to bring a lot more to the table from both a technique and a composition standpoint.

agumonkey 4y ago
And very often, what appears to sugary pop music, was made by very musically educated people. You can't go very far with power chords only.
- mwcampbell 4y ago
  One example of the kind of song I think you're talking about is "That's What Love is For" [1] by Amy Grant. I once read someone describe it as being like a quaint little Michael Bolton song (can no longer find the link). But the chord progressions and the way it moves between keys are fairly sophisticated for pop music. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLVV2TaI4Wo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLVV2TaI4Wo