Math support
see:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iformulas-for-iphone-ipod/id492412908?mt=8
and try iFormulas
The “negative cows” with the “jumps 6” problem works much better, if you stop trying to sum cows on the same sheet for both persons.
If each of you tracks your present cows on his own sheet. Then you always go one cow step for what you currently own.
If, additionally, each of you tracks the cows “which you could have (back)” on a different sheet (for each debitor) , then you always go one hypothetical cow step there as well.
Only the second sheet can go both positive and negative. Depending on you will to "share cows ".
The first sheet cannot, because it tracks the cows which currently can give you milk.
Kalid, I love your work and I’m trying to soak it all in. May I suggest an improvement here? The farmer owning cows is positive and the farmer owing cows is negative (being owed cows by another person is positive). This way if he owns 3 and owes 3, intuitively he has zero even though you can see three in his field. (You also avoid the problem of jumping six when he’s paid three that someone else owes him and suddenly has three.) My credit is positive and my debit is the equivalent negative.
Keep it up!
Excellent and inspiring Article. Thank you. I have come to appreciate and love math recently so I can totally relate to everything you are saying here. I think its all about using unconventional methods to try to understand difficult concepts. For me, its rewriting things down in my own words, and building diagrams/models.
Thanks Mashhood, glad you enjoyed it.
Talk about maxima minima, concavity or other ideas and I may not get it but show me a graph and it starts to click.
I like the way you explain things Kalid. It’s like I’m sitting down over coffee with a math professor who will show me how math really works rather than just plug and chug, which is how I got through college. Thank you.
Thanks Mike, that’s exactly the vibe I hoped for so it means a lot (the cover for the Amazon ebook actually has a cup of coffee on it :)). I think math should be a conversation about ideas that can then adapt into more technical details if needed, just like we can enjoy music and get into the actual notes/scales afterwards.
Thanks for making math more understandable for many more people
I really love your explanations. hopefully mathematics is a loving subject that needed to be cared for. I love the subject too much .
HI i am haris , am math teacher, i glad find this site it’s make me more thinking about math again, change mind set for me and my student, thanks
I love that story about the professor and the zen master. It reminds me of something my grandmother once told me. ‘A man who knows it all will never know anything else.’ I took that lesson to heart all my life.
Hey! I am in class 12 and my exams are around the corner. I just gave my pre board examination of maths. Although i had practiced my ncert maths book thoroughly but still i wasnt able to solve questions. I had gone blank. The questions werent difficult but i dnt know what happened that day. Any tip that u can provide for final examination in march 2015
Dude, what are you on? Like seriously?
There comes a time when you do not question the concept, you just accept it, because there is no understandable explanation. Any attempt to explain these concepts will simply cause more headaches than the original problem.
Sincerely,
Calculus Students
Hi, I haven’t read every part of this article yet, but I have a comment on the example given about a person lending his neighbor 3 cows and creating a negative amount. At first I didn’t really believe that this would create a negative number example but I read on. I had a “Brain Tickle” when I read the that the number shifts 6 places from -3 to 3 when the neighbor returns the cows back.
But I do see a way for the negative to exist without this happening.
If I owe a person 5 dollars and then someone gives me 5 dollars I don’t think I go from -5 to 5. I believe I go from -5 to zero because the money doesn’t belong to me. Perhaps this is in a perfect world thinking but I have always assumed this to be true.
When I was young and I “lent” money to my older sister and then my mom would give her money I would tell her that it was mine. Therefore she didn’t really have money to spend but if she used it she would be using my money.
She always looked at me like I was crazy because she never wanted to repay me. I should try to factor in that the Bible says that we are to forgive debts after 7 years… 
I encourage you to like this page on facebook. Page name: Taste these quotes. Thanks to better explained, this helps me a lot. Let’s not forget we learn better through cooperation.
maths is are had subject we all need to no maths
Maths is better learnt when people comment their ideas. This is comment section is proven to be useful. With a little motivation we can get our ideas across the board easily. Thanks to all of you. I leave with you my little maths quote.
The ideas of reality has a better effect on the mind which makes mathematical concepts tranformational objects.
- Kenny Hall
Am from Nigeria and um… l am good in maths. but I find it difficult to understand why am solving a question, what’s it use and application and so on. I love your blog, it encouraged me to learn more but differently using some of the tips you provided. thanks a lot . your blog is awesome.
It’s with every student. Most just want to pass and the good ones want to get a 100 with the formulas they memorized. Some book though do provide some help learning things in depth.