Did anyone else have a weird experience with math? I could always do it in my head, really fast, get the answer, it's correct... But then I couldn't show my work or prove it, meaning it was useless. I'm curious if this is an ADHD thing? If so, does anyone know why?
I find showing my work and proving things super fun! It’s a puzzle for me, to show how things work. I’m doing a master’s degree in physics and I excel at the most rigorous classes and suck at the more heuristic ones.
Yes, while in college last year, I had the same problem of the professor wanting to know how I arrived at these conclusions, and I couldn't explain it, or if I did, I confused them as I would do it in a way that they didn't understand.
I can't do mental maths, but learned a neat trick to do maths using near 10s or 5s in my head.
Got into calculus for a year during college, but when I got disappointed by something my math teacher did just gave up on calculus. Suddenly zero motivation. I don't like how my brain is wired...
I can barely count to a hundred without struggling, I keep forgetting what the next number is and repeat the number in my head to keep track of where I am until I remember what comes after 47.
Also just can't do mental math, I've memorised basic calculations rather than understanding them so if it's something I don't use a lot I start doubting myself and spend ages breaking it down without being able to keep track of it all.
I've heard of dyscalculia being common with ADHD people but my schools never tested for it.
This was why I fell off with math in high school and never got my mojo back. My mental math skills were above average but once discipline and showing work and “proofs” (especially proofs) came into play I was out
Part of the problem is a lot of math is taught as pure theory. Unless you're one of the few people who finds math theory interesting on its own, it's soul-crushingly boring to someone with ADHD and feels like you're being taught how to waterboard yourself. It didn't help that my math classes were invariably taught in the oldest building on campus which probably had a single functioning AC unit. Physical and mental torture.
I managed to struggle through it, but only because I found physics interesting and it forced me to learn the underlying math well enough that I could progress to the next level.
Add comment