Why Should Students Major in Math?

              According to the Minnesota Department of Education, one third of high school seniors failed the mathematics graduation test in 2012. The lack of mathematic knowledge results in the failure of students to graduate. Thus, math becomes one of the stumbling blocks in students’ lives. Since it is always a rigorous and demanding subject, many students, who struggle with math in high school, end to major in non-mathematical fields in college if they are not interested in solving numerical problems. While this is true in many cases, students do not realize how a math major could benefit them in their futures, such as an advantage to pursue another related career and an opportunity to obtain a well-paid job. One question should be considered, why should students major in math?

Occupations Related to Mathematics  Major

First of all, mathematics is a very broad field which allows students to continue studying other related fields. Math is a mandatory subject that all students with different majors are required to take in the first two years of college. Depending on their majors, students have to take different levels of math, such as college algebra, pre-calculus, calculus 1 and 2; especially in STEM fields, anything involved in solving numerical problems needs to be calculus based. For instance, an undergraduate mechanical engineer, in general, has to take linear algebra, differential equations, probability, and statistics. This points out the connection between math and other major that both of these two major’s students have to study the same math courses. The reason why students should major in math because math students have chances to cover those math courses more deeply in their study programs than others do. This advantage help them study another field more easily after graduating. However, most people have mistaken that majoring in math only helps students to pursue careers in scientific, engineering, or technology fields. There is evidence proving the importance of math major in non-scientific fields.  One of them is the involvement of mathematics in law enforcement. According to the Notices of the American Mathematical Society, Christopher Brislawn discusses the great contribution to the achievement in processing fingerprint records for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (pg. 1278 – pg. 1283). Not only is mathematics major connected to other fields, it also trains its students to think logically and creatively, which is a necessary skill for many careers. This explains why the mathematics major is known as a broad field in academia. 

Math students are train to think critically 

               Since developing logical and critical thinking skills in mathematics is not easy, students who graduate with a math major have more opportunities to obtain well-paid jobs. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers 2012 survey of average starting salaries for ungraduated majors, 37.7% of the survey participants think that math students have better chances to get paid better than other students. Due to the fact that not many students want to spend many years and money in schools to look for low- or average-paid jobs, this advantage of majoring in math strongly influences their decisions.  Moreover, many companies guarantee higher levels of job satisfaction for those who are interested in math. Based on income, work environment, and career demands, the top three positions, ranked by Jobsrated.com, are mathematician, actuary, and statistician, which are also known as math major’s jobs. That is to conclude, not only does majoring in mathematics provide its learners better financial opportunities, it also creates better chances to enjoy their careers.

               While many proponents think that majoring in math helps students in numerous ways, there are some counterarguments claiming that many students are afraid of studying math. In spite of a high salary and a great provision of job opportunities, many opponents argue that math is one of the most overloading and challenging majors to study. They state the fact that many college students who initially major in math end up transferring their dreams to another major or take more than four years to earn the Bachelor’s degree. This is a very valid point, but some math professors do not agree on it. For one thing, students can ask for tutoring from the Academic Enhancement Center, provided by most colleges and universities, or students can discuss directly with their instructors after class. Moreover, learning math might not be an obstacle if students know how to manage their schedule. A result of failing math possibly comes from a lack of effort, time, or knowledge. Once students know how to improve themselves, as well as utilize their advantages wisely, learning mathematics will not be overwhelming to anyone.

               All in all, despite the challenges that math students encounter in their learning process, majoring in math benefits them by providing more job opportunities and well-paid job positions. There might be some arguments about why we should major in math; students need to consider how beneficial and practical mathematics is in reality. If the following generation is afraid of the rigor and toughness of math, will there be any mathematician in fifty years? How will the world be without math students?

Why is Calculus Different from Algebra?

Running as one of the main subjects in academia, mathematics has been an irreplaceable tool in our daily life. Math has been known as the numerical language of humanity in which problems are demonstrated through complicated operations. It seems to be a developmental tree in which one branch has many smaller branches that continue to grow stronger on the root of knowledge. Two of the small section of Pure Math (one of two majors of Math) are Calculus and Algebra. Despite some similarities that they share under the same roof, both Calculus and Algebra strengthen the relationship by contrasting each other in their concentration, sections and application. 

Linear Algebra

               First of all, concentration is an obvious trait that either Calculus or Algebra have in common. To a mathematician, calculus is defined as a study of motions and changes which mainly focuses on the observation of abnormal objects. Calculus is a modern branch of Pure Mathematics while Algebra was first established in 1800 or 1600 B.C.; in other words, Algebra is known as a foundation of Mathematics where many solutions are found. Concentrating on operating algebraic functions, Algebra also gets involved in many other branches of Math, especially Calculus. For example, in order to find a work done of lifting books without constant forces, a scientist sets up an integral based on his calculus knowledge; once the patterns are found, algebra takes a hand in solving it. Even though both of two branches are distinct in their study, they still share some aspects in common. One of the main similarities is an essential ability to comprehend the complication of Mathematics.  Understanding mathematical concepts is very important to develop a necessary skill for obtaining a critical mind in both scientific and non- scientific fields. The failure to operate Math appropriately might create several stumbling blocks in their future study, such as some weaknesses in analytical ability and abstract mind. That is to say, despite the differences among these two categories, both Calculus and Algebra require a learner to wisely comprehend the materials.

Following the concentration, both Calculus and Algebra continue developing Mathematics to a higher level. For Algebra, it’s divided into several categories including Elementary, Universal, Abstract, Linear Algebra; Algebraic Number Theory, Systems, Combinatory, and Geometry. Each section has its own characteristics but still functions in the same logical methods based on algebraic concepts. For instance, the Linear Algebra concentrates on observing the transformation of vector systems and linear properties between spaces; on the other hand, the algebraic geometry focuses on the development of shapes and objects under two or more dimensions. In fact, these two branches still need a hand of Algebra in solving problems, strengthening, and developing their relationship. On the contrary, Calculus simply breaks down into two main categories: differential (derivative) and integral (anti-derivative). Contrast to Algebra, these two sections are opposite to each other in method and application. One studies the rate or change while the other concentrates on finding area and volume of a function. In differentiation, a process of finding derivative of a function, the exponent n will multiply with a new function whose exponent n adds a negative one. In integration, the method is simply inversed in which multiplication is replaced by division and a negative one is changed into a positive one. Even though Calculus and Algebra expand their program in different directions, they still intersect at another similarity which gives us an indication about their relationship. It is an abstract mind to use mathematical knowledge wisely. Once these sections go deeper into their study, it’s necessary to be able to operate rigorous and demanding mathematical functions.    

A failure to operating mathematically

Last but not least, mathematics has been an essential part of humanity in finding the key to natural science. Even though both Calculus and Algebra have the same purpose in practically applying the concepts into realistic problems, they tend to specify their area based on their own concentrated characteristics. For instance, Calculus is mainly applied in solving mechanical functions, or estimating changes of biochemical trials in the medical field. Not only does it help scientists to demonstrate thoroughly the abnormal quantities, shapes or values in STEM careers, but it also helps other non-mathematical fields such as business and politic to visualize changes of society. Unlike Calculus, Algebra expresses itself in everyday usage of numbers. Multiplying, dividing, subtracting, and adding must be seen as familiar to everybody. However, due to a series of different algebraic branches, some parts of Algebra may get involved in complex operations; some may combine with other sections of Math to support theorems. That is to say, the differences between Calculus and Algebra is that they each creates significant characteristics which still carry the main function of Mathematics: practical application.

               In conclusion, Calculus and Algebra have been functioning contrastively to emphasize their program study, branches, and practical exercise even though they still require some common essential skills to escalate Pure Mathematics to another level. Analytical ability, creative thinking, and comprehensive mind allow learners to approach Math in successful manners. In addition, studying Math determines a person’s ability to demonstrate real-world problem by numerical operations and find the solutions; without well-qualified learners, Mathematics seems rough, tough, and meaningless. Why does twenty-two percent of students who primarily major in STEM end up transferring their dream to a non-mathematical field? If Math is an obstacle for the majority of American students, will there be any engineer or doctor in this nation in fifty years?

 

 

 

 

 

                                            

 

Does Our Approach to Learning Mathematics Fail?

              According to the Clark County School District database in 2008, an approximation of 90 percent of high school students were not able to obtain a good foundation in Algebra I, 87 percent did not perform successfully in Algebra II, and 88 percent failed in Geometry. As a result, it led to many negative impacts on students’ learning processes, such as a low GPA and a low level of critical thinking. Behind these tremendous impacts, there are three significant factors that weaken students’ ability in developing Mathematical skills: bad teachers, failure to learn the materials, and difficult study environments associated with other personal issues

               

Learning math is beautiful

First of all, a student’s performance in mathematics depends on how his/her teachers perform in class. One of the most important factors that has a great influence on a student’s ability of comprehending a lecture is whether an instructor has a strong foreign accent. Even though Mathematics is more about applications and numerical facts, understanding teachers’ presentations of the material in class is also important. Therefore, a barrier of la

nguage may cause many difficulties toward students’ learning process. Moreover, Mathematics is an unlimited series of knowledge in which each element connects together to create a strong foundation in Mathematics. In other words, a teacher’s responsibility is to convey an interest and a beauty of Math to students in a clear manner. A failure of an instructor is an inability to explain mathematically the techniques as well as to point out the mistakes in the process. Nowadays, teachers tend to say, “You should have known the material from last year; other than that, I’m not going to review it again.” This obstacle between a student and teacher also leads to another important impact that negatively affects a student’s performance in the mathematics field. In addition to a student’s performance, it’ hard to collaborate if the relationship between teacher and student is not going well. Students tend to perform unsuccessfully if they feel animosity towards their instructor. Therefore, it’s important for teachers to keep their students interested in Mathematics.

Do we fail in teaching math?

               In general, Mathematics is a mandatory subject that every high school student has to take every year in order to graduate. Beside the fact that unqualified teaching skill may cause stumbling blocks in a student’s learning process, Mathematics itself is the toughest subject in a scientific field. As Albert Einstein once said, “Pure Mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.” Due to the variety of ways to solve a problem, Math seems to challenge students’ abilities to brainstorm and apply their knowledge. According to the research from the University of California, Los Angeles, an estimation of sixty percent of college students who initially major in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), end up transferring their dreams to a less numerical field due to a weak foundation. Mathematics is not simply a set of rules as we have learnt in K-12; it is more about a training of a mind to think logically and creatively. One study of Rusczyk, the owner of the Art of Problem Solving program, shows that students who have participated in Math Clubs and contests are more prepared and accustomed to face rigorous problems than those who only have attended regular classes. That is to say, the benefit that students earn in learning Mathematics is an ideal ability to think out of the box in many scientific and technical curricula. It also teaches us how to approach a problem in different angles by using various methods instead of using a solid set of rules to get to final destination. Therefore, having a strong foundation of Math is important in defining whether a student succeeds in this subject.

               Following the two main factors above, a student’s failure to meet the standard expectations in Math also depends on their study environment and personal issues. The first step towards an effective learning is to create ideal study environments that might utilize students’ productivity. As it is explained earlier, doing mathematics contains several complicated steps, surrounding factors such as background noise, lighting, other activities might distract students from concentrating on studying. Once students are not able to focus, the percentage of having correct answers will decrease in the process. Therefore, eliminating distractions will allow students to be productive as well as to ensure their academic success. On the other hand, personal issues such as family influences, lack of motivation and negative attitudes toward Math also limit the ability to excel this subject. For instance, students tend to perform badly in Math if their family members do not have a strong academic background, or those who do not major in STEM intend to put less efforts than the required study program classes. In other words, bad performance in Math is not only influenced by instructors and an ability to think creatively, it is also affected by the study environment and personal issue towards students’ paths of success.

               All in all, many students nowadays do not pay attention in Math class as much as they do in their favorite subjects due to three factors: the instructors’ faulty teaching skills, their inability to creatively brainstorm in Mathematics, and some personal issues. Teachers’ inability to present Math as a subject that requires creative brainstorming has resulted in students seeing it as simply a memorization of facts and formulas. However, if students see Math as requiring creative brainstorming, more students precisely think Math as being incompatible with their interest will be intrigued by the study of Math.  As more study Math, this will increase the society’s confidence in Math and provide more support for the study of Math with future generations.