Pastelland Forum

I know that feel bro.

The math classes at my school are very simple stuff - which is pretty easy for me - and I have been reading Wikipedia articles about some more advanced stuff, but I couldn't understand shit. I feel like I could grasp it, but Wikipedia just sucks at explaining things.

What is this easy stuff you're talking about? I'm curious.

Vurn wrote:I feel so dumb after reading this thread.

The math classes at my school are very simple stuff - which is pretty easy for me - and I have been reading Wikipedia articles about some more advanced stuff, but I couldn't understand shit. I feel like I could grasp it, but Wikipedia just sucks at explaining things.

Well, you can always try to understand until you are satisfied, I often opened Wikipedia and started clicking the link of the first word I didn't understood completely, repeating that until I got to an article that I could understand, then going backwards reading all the articles and finally reading the original one. It maybe takes a lot of time and concentration... but man, it's satisfying when you can finally say you are able to understand a hard topic

Also, I wouldn't feel dumb about it, you won't probably use that knowledge in many situations of your life, unless you want to work as that of course.

OnyxIonVortex wrote:

Vurn wrote:I feel so dumb after reading this thread.

The math classes at my school are very simple stuff - which is pretty easy for me - and I have been reading Wikipedia articles about some more advanced stuff, but I couldn't understand shit. I feel like I could grasp it, but Wikipedia just sucks at explaining things.

Well, you can always try to understand until you are satisfied, I often opened Wikipedia and started clicking the link of the first word I didn't understood completely, repeating that until I got to an article that I could understand, then going backwards reading all the articles and finally reading the original one. It maybe takes a lot of time and concentration... but man, it's satisfying when you can finally say you are able to understand a hard topic

Also, I wouldn't feel dumb about it, you won't probably use that knowledge in many situations of your life, unless you want to work as that of course.

True: counting with infinity was awesome because I could see numbers disappear left and right; however, it has minimal usage "in the real world".

Vurn wrote:I feel so dumb after reading this thread.

The math classes at my school are very simple stuff - which is pretty easy for me - and I have been reading Wikipedia articles about some more advanced stuff, but I couldn't understand shit. I feel like I could grasp it, but Wikipedia just sucks at explaining things.

Protip: use the "Simple English" language for complicated stuff. That removes all of the theories and such that you really don't need, and just explains the formula or whatever it is.

I.e.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riemann_zeta_function

vs.

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riemann_zeta_function

I didn't know anybody actually used the Simple English wikipedia for that >:D You can't possibly learn anything with just a formula...

OnyxIonVortex wrote:I didn't know anybody actually used the Simple English wikipedia for that >:D You can't possibly learn anything with just a formula...

However, it allows me to see the actual formula, which is IMO darn near impossible to find in the normal version

Well, you do have a good point there XD

azareus wrote:

Vurn wrote:I feel so dumb after reading this thread.

The math classes at my school are very simple stuff - which is pretty easy for me - and I have been reading Wikipedia articles about some more advanced stuff, but I couldn't understand shit. I feel like I could grasp it, but Wikipedia just sucks at explaining things.

Protip: use the "Simple English" language for complicated stuff. That removes all of the theories and such that you really don't need, and just explains the formula or whatever it is.

I.e.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riemann_zeta_function

vs.

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riemann_zeta_function

Ok, I know what that function is used for now (and I know what functions overall are about, we had that at school). But still, I have no idea what that big sigma sign represents, or what does that weird R mean, for that matter.

sundayfever wrote:

The math classes at my school are very simple stuff - which is pretty easy for me - and I have been reading Wikipedia articles about some more advanced stuff, but I couldn't understand shit. I feel like I could grasp it, but Wikipedia just sucks at explaining things.

What is this easy stuff you're talking about? I'm curious.

Lately we've been talking about really really basic probability and what I suppose is number theory.
Before that we had Euclidan geometry - the volumes and fields of cones, cylinders, balls and stuff.

Vurn wrote:

azareus wrote:

Vurn wrote:I feel so dumb after reading this thread.

The math classes at my school are very simple stuff - which is pretty easy for me - and I have been reading Wikipedia articles about some more advanced stuff, but I couldn't understand shit. I feel like I could grasp it, but Wikipedia just sucks at explaining things.

Protip: use the "Simple English" language for complicated stuff. That removes all of the theories and such that you really don't need, and just explains the formula or whatever it is.

I.e.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riemann_zeta_function

vs.

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riemann_zeta_function

Ok, I know what that function is used for now (and I know what functions overall are about, we had that at school). But still, I have no idea what that big sigma sign represents, or what does that weird R mean, for that matter.

I think the weird R is just the symbol for the function. Not sure on this one though. And also nobody would probably use it, because it looks shit hard to draw

The big sigma just means evaluate the following [the number above it] times, starting at [the number below it] and use the number of times you did it instead of n. (or whatever variable it says in the bottom) Then add it all together.

I think it is called summation or something in English?

sundayfever wrote:

The math classes at my school are very simple stuff - which is pretty easy for me - and I have been reading Wikipedia articles about some more advanced stuff, but I couldn't understand shit. I feel like I could grasp it, but Wikipedia just sucks at explaining things.

What is this easy stuff you're talking about? I'm curious.

Lately we've been talking about really really basic probability and what I suppose is number theory.
Before that we had Euclidan geometry - the volumes and fields of cones, cylinders, balls and stuff.

I feel you. We have just started basic trigonometry...