I have always been pathetic at Maths. I used to fantasize about the day when I would finally be able to bid goodbye to the subject. That day did come, about four years ago and I thought I was finally over with the menace. But no, it has come to haunt me back, yet again. As I prepare for my entrances and find myself face to face with my old nemesis, I have come up with a guideline that will turn your guess into a belief- about how Maths really is your mortal enemy!
1) You cannot differentiate among the brackets. Yes, yes, there are entire articles on the net about the various mathematical brackets, and each of the brackets has a distinct function. After years of solving mathematical questions, if you still cannot separate the parenthesis from the braces, then join the club. You are one step closer to pissing off Maths.
2) For the life of you, you cannot fathom how knowing the remainder when 333³³³ + 555¾ + 222¼ is divided by 9 accords you the title of being termed brainy and intelligent.
3) You finish your Maths examinations well before time, not because you’re so quick you’re done with all the questions before the allotted time; it is because you’re utterly spent solving just half the questions and your brain feels like an overshrunk minion trying to battle its way past giant sized mathematical bullets.
4) When in class, you think you get the concept. Okay, almost get it…like just need a bit of a practice and then you will surely get it! As soon as you are home and sit down to revise, you find yourself at sea as you try to figure out how you solved those questions you completed on your own in the class!
5)You balk incredulously at friends who tell you they got a kick out of solving all 110 questions in the exercise book correctly. Again, you cannot really think why anyone would want to spend their free time practising Maths when there are so many, well, cheerful things to do!
6)A very common refrain of people who do not like Maths is that it is a dry subject. I don’t know whether it applies to all, but yes, many people like us would rather involve ourselves in activities that require a bit more imagination.
And as a parting thought that echoes my feelings perfectly-
