Mathematician and author of "real world problems" describes shift in habits of mind. Real world problems require a deeper understanding of the concept. Real life problems are more abstract and require more thought and reasoning.
Mathematician and author of "real world problems" describes shift in habits of mind. Real world problems require a deeper understanding of the concept. Real life problems are more abstract and require more thought and reasoning.
Mathematician and author of "real world problems" describes shift in habits of mind. Real world problems require a deeper understanding of the concept. Real life problems are more abstract and require more thought and reasoning.
Describe your development in the habits of mind of a mathematician.
Throughout my coursework within the mathematics department at Loras
College, I have developed different habits of thinking and addressing mathematical proofs and problems. During my earlier courses in mathematics I was still able to approach classes and problems from an equation based perspective. As I have progressed into the higher level courses, my thought process has changed to a more logical based inquiry process due to the more abstract nature of the classes. In courses such as Calculus III, Linear Algebra, and Ordinary Differential Equations the material lent itself to an equation, process based, thinking. Problems tended to have a step by step way in which they could be solved. For example in Calc III, each 3-D shape has a basic equation in which we can identify it by, therefore as long as one knew the form of the equation you could identify the shape. Likewise in Linear Algebra and ODE, one was able to follow a process given in the book in order to find the answer. These classes emphasized the importance of doing and knowing the basics of mathematics so that we could apply them in upper level classes more easily. Often referred to as a bridge class Discrete Mathematics is where I first encountered the shift in my habits as a mathematician. As we learned how to write proofs there was no longer a formula to follow to find the answer. You were given the answer and perhaps the first line of the proof, and then the rest was a blank slate where one had to apply definitions and implications to arrive at Q.E.D. The questions required you to evaluate what type of proof was needed (straight forward, contradiction, if and only if, or induction), and then try to use these templates as a way to prove the question or statement. This was a big shift in the way I viewed math, no longer did I just plug and chug using given equations and problem solving methods but the questions required much more thought, logic, and a deeper understanding of the concept. Throughout the rest of my courses in the Mathematics department I feel that the trend continued, and each class demanded more thought and reasoning in order to understand the concepts. Real Analysis was by far the most challenging class that I have ever encountered because it stretched my mind to think about math in new and different ways. Math was no longer a solo endeavor, but I needed my classmates to discuss the concepts, to try one method fail but keep going. For many of us it was the first math class that truly frustrated us, we knew what it was like for people who hated math because nothing was straight-forward anymore; circles were diamonds, and basic math rules disappeared. Real Analysis taught me to look at problems for several perspectives before jumping in to solve it, to consider what definitions I have and how they could be applied, and that you often learn more from the process of a proof than you do the actual proof. The development of my habits of a mathematician now stretch far beyond the classroom. I apply problem solving skills, analyze processes and try to find number patterns or statistics where ever I am, and ask questions that others often look past. These skills will stay with me long beyond Loras into the future and impact how I look at the world.