Math education

by Rishi Sun Apr 07, 2013 11:38 am

Back home in India, We learned by rote that the sum of 1 + 2 +3 +4 ...+n =n(n+1)/2 .

May be we were shown how the formula came about by pairing numbers at the end points in a recursive manner and then find the grand total of the sum of each pair.

For example 1 + 10 =11, 2 + 9 = 11.... and so on. Then there are 5 such pairs and the sum of each pair = 11. So 5 * 11 =55

But the same concept can be explain geometrically with 55 dots in a triangle and finding the area,

I don't think they teach that way in India. Simply number crunching in your head.

That is why I think Indians do not have the ability to think in terms of pictures in solving a science or math problem which the westerners are good at.

by MaxEntropy_Man Sun Apr 07, 2013 11:43 am

Rishi wrote:Back home in India, We learned by rote that the sum of 1 + 2 +3 +4 ...+n =n(n+1)/2 .

May be we were shown how the formula came about by pairing numbers at the end points in a recursive manner and then find the grand total of the sum of each pair.

For example 1 + 10 =11, 2 + 9 = 11.... and so on. Then there are 5 such pairs and the sum of each pair = 11. So 5 * 11 =55

But the same concept can be explain geometrically with 55 dots in a triangle and finding the area,

I don't think they teach that way in India. Simply number crunching in your head.

That is why I think Indians do not have the ability to think in terms of pictures in solving a science or math problem which the westerners are good at.

you often make these blanket statements with no basis in reality. plenty of kids that i went to school with had these abilities. i had great math teachers through most of my k-12 education in india. these were people who were passionate about what they did, and toiled in dinky little schools in nameless towns. i love them for what they did to my educational trajectory.

incidentally the way you state it is how gauss discovered the formula. my kids call it the rainbow technique.

http://www.sigmaxi.org/amscionline/gauss-snippets.html

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun Apr 07, 2013 11:46 am

Rishi wrote:Back home in India, We learned by rote that the sum of 1 + 2 +3 +4 ...+n =n(n+1)/2 .

May be we were shown how the formula came about by pairing numbers at the end points in a recursive manner and then find the grand total of the sum of each pair.

For example 1 + 10 =11, 2 + 9 = 11.... and so on. Then there are 5 such pairs and the sum of each pair = 11. So 5 * 11 =55

But the same concept can be explain geometrically with 55 dots in a triangle and finding the area,

I don't think they teach that way in India. Simply number crunching in your head.

That is why I think Indians do not have the ability to think in terms of pictures in solving a science or math problem which the westerners are good at.

I actually don't remember how my early education came about. By 4 I could do all arithmatic except division - could do only upto 2 digits. I only remember the specific teachers at different grades who made each subject interesting. The terror subject was history & geography but Mr. Subramaniam made it a jijubi at the nick of time.

by truthbetold Sun Apr 07, 2013 12:38 pm

rishi,
repetition provides the foundation. you cannot build a great structure on a weak foundation.

by Kris Sun Apr 07, 2013 5:38 pm

Rishi wrote:Back home in India, We learned by rote that the sum of 1 + 2 +3 +4 ...+n =n(n+1)/2 .

May be we were shown how the formula came about by pairing numbers at the end points in a recursive manner and then find the grand total of the sum of each pair.

For example 1 + 10 =11, 2 + 9 = 11.... and so on. Then there are 5 such pairs and the sum of each pair = 11. So 5 * 11 =55

But the same concept can be explain geometrically with 55 dots in a triangle and finding the area,

I don't think they teach that way in India. Simply number crunching in your head.

That is why I think Indians do not have the ability to think in terms of pictures in solving a science or math problem which the westerners are good at.

>>>>If I were to make a generalization here, I don't find americans at least to be good at math. I would take the indian method of practice, practice, practice any day over clever techniques at least as far as the basics go.

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