[arkano]

As a mathematician, I have noticed that people that like to build something that, for example, can fly, start from a paper plane; they don't get discouraged because they can't yet build a 737 aircraft. However, in math, you need a lot of experience before you can even judge whether a problem is in fact a 737 and not a paper plane (and even then, you can be mistaken). I often see students discouraged because of this and that's why I suggest taking it slow from the beginning.

> Every now and then I try to delve into the frightening world of math.

To want to understand is to be human. :)

[khawkins]

Honestly, I think the near constant exaltation of problems like the Riemann Hypothesis, P=NP, Fermat's last theorem, etc. is more damaging to the field than good. Many of these theorems have dubious application to anything practical were the theorems unquestionably proven. Subsequently, it frequently gives the impression to a lay observer that mathematics is all about number theory and tackling pointless puzzles.

Going into undergrad I was briefly discouraged from going into mathematics because this was the impression I got. They're interesting to think about, but I didn't want my future to be firmly situated in inapplicable theory.

I say this knowing there is plenty of work to be done in the applied mathematics, especially in trying to simplifying the understanding of complex problems. I'd like to see more of the glorification of moderately hard problems which take more time to explain but are well within the grasp of people who start working on it, than easy to explain problems which will likely never be in the grasp of anyone.

[teh_infallible]

Thank you for your elegant reply. I really appreciated it because I am a non-engineer with a 3d printer, so your paper plane example was quite relevant.

“Tinkering” with mathematical concepts is fundamentally different from the kind of tinkering I can do, but looking from the outside in.. I’ll probably pick up a calculus textbook one day :)