[hintymad]

Algebra is the simple part. I’d say it’s more about math maturity. At least 1/3rd of my classmates had a hard time grasping the epsilon-delta definition of limit, let alone the deeper definitions like Cauchy sequence or those used in the proof that R is dense(and we were in an elite university’s competitive program). Among the survivors of single-variable calculus, at least 1/3 could barely get by the multi-variable calculus. I saw too many of my friends struggle with different integrals, and got massacred by Green’s equation.

My guess is that most people hit a wall of abstraction at certain point.

[conwy]

> My guess is that most people hit a wall of abstraction at certain point.

I don't think it's a limit to their abstraction, I think it's that they didn't work properly on the fundamentals, so they had a superficial understanding of the abstractions.

To give a fitness analogy it's like trying to do heavy barbell presses before you can even do 10 pushups in a row.

My experience with programming is that once you get really really good with fundamentals you suddenly leap ahead and pick up new languages, paradigms, etc. incredibly fast.

Maybe this partly explains the 10x phenomenon - it's because they worked very hard on the fundamentals.

[globalnode]

my view is software by comparison is like a single surface of knowledge; once you know the basics, thats it, nothings too hard to learn. maths on the other hand is more like a volume of knowledge.