[Perplexed Number]

Hi all,
Maths tends to be associated with 'Geek-e-ness' , however It can be pretty 'cool' .
I just wondered if any fellow G2G users had an interest in Maths, and to what level they have studied it.
I am currently studying Maths and Further Maths here in England (as well as some science subjects).

This summer I will be sitting two pure maths modules and one applied maths (mechanics) module.

Although I'm better at the pure stuff, I enjoy the applied because it shows a good practical application for the things we learn. I remember when I was younger I would wonder when these mathematical techniques would be used in 'real life', however now I can see so many applications for them.

Later this year I will be studying a module of maths that relates quite nicely to computing, algorithms etc. So that should also be quite interesting.

So my questions to you all are do you enjoy maths, and what maths are you currently studying or using in industry.

Perplexed Number

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Currently Studying: First year of the Mathematics degree at the University of Cambridge

Later this year I will be studying a module of maths that relates quite nicely to computing, algorithms etc. So that should also be quite interesting.

I'm assuming that you're referring to the Decision 1 module (may be called discrete 1). I found it mostly tedious and boring. I suppose it's kind of interesting to learn the algorithms, but only really if you actually program them as well. Doing them by hand, as you're required to do in the exam is no fun at all. It is however a very easy module, since you only need to remember a handful of algorithms.

Although I'm better at the pure stuff, I enjoy the applied because it shows a good practical application for the things we learn. I remember when I was younger I would wonder when these mathematical techniques would be used in 'real life', however now I can see so many applications for them.

Pretty much all of A-Level Maths and Further Maths has some application in 'real life', and even most of the more abstract maths has its uses. I'm not aware of any 'real life' uses for Analysis, though.

I usually enjoy maths, but it is easy to get frustrated by it.

[random/random]

Currently Studying: First year of the Mathematics degree at the University of Cambridge

Later this year I will be studying a module of maths that relates quite nicely to computing, algorithms etc. So that should also be quite interesting.

I'm assuming that you're referring to the Decision 1 module (may be called discrete 1). I found it mostly tedious and boring. I suppose it's kind of interesting to learn the algorithms, but only really if you actually program them as well. Doing them by hand, as you're required to do in the exam is no fun at all. It is however a very easy module, since you only need to remember a handful of algorithms.

Although I'm better at the pure stuff, I enjoy the applied because it shows a good practical application for the things we learn. I remember when I was younger I would wonder when these mathematical techniques would be used in 'real life', however now I can see so many applications for them.

Pretty much all of A-Level Maths and Further Maths has some application in 'real life', and even most of the more abstract maths has its uses. I'm not aware of any 'real life' uses for Analysis, though.

I usually enjoy maths, but it is easy to get frustrated by it.

[Perplexed Number]

Currently Studying: First year of the Mathematics degree at the University of Cambridge

How did you find the STEP exam?
Are you enjoying the course?

Thanks for your reply, I thought this thread would die.

[random/random]

The STEP papers are hard, and they require a lot of preparation. 4 people from my sixthform had offers for the course here, and I was the only one to meet the STEP part of my offer.

Some of the course is fun, most of it is hard (but it is very satisfying each time you finish an examples sheet question). There are parts of the course that I find mostly frustrating, like the Dynamics & Relativity (another lecturer claims that the university has no idea how to teach the dynamics course, and they've been at it for over twenty years). The lecturers do make a huge difference to your enjoyment of the course. One lecturer was able to turn what is generally considered a very dull course (Analysis 1) into something interesting.

The course isn't the only thing we do here though. Most students do manage to have some level of social activity.