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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.

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