When did you first encounter proof based mathematics?

[Patrick Kale]

I first encountered "proof-based mathematics" in high school in a Geometry class. The work could have been more engaging, although, and I think this would have been good for me and the other students too. I plan on learning more math with you all and on this forum. Best Pokemon, your second to last post doesn't seem appropriate but perhaps I have misunderstood your writing.

 

[cochemuacos]

I took my first proof based course as a freshman. At my university, if you study math, physics, computer science or actuarial science, with very few exceptions, all the math courses you'll take are going to be proof based.

Which uni do you attend?

 

[Best Pokemon]

I first encountered "proof-based mathematics" in high school in a Geometry class. The work could have been more engaging, although, and I think this would have been good for me and the other students too. I plan on learning more math with you all and on this forum. Best Pokemon, your second to last post doesn't seem appropriate but perhaps I have misunderstood your writing.

I'm sorry if I sounded that way. I was just saying that adding physics wouldn't make it more interesting.

 

[MathINTJ]

I've been reading a few forums and have seen many posters say "methods based" mathematics like calculus is easy. The posters would then state that "proof based" mathematics is so hard and calculus isn't high level.

So when did you first encounter "proof based" mathematics in a classroom setting? Was it in high school or university/college? What year in high school or university did you encounter it?

Edit: What grade did first encounter it (if it was in high school)?

What college/major was this person? This is an outright lie. I did many proofs in calculus.

 

[symbolipoint]

What college/major was this person? This is an outright lie. I did many proofs in calculus.

Experiences vary, depending on district, depending on era, depending on the educational fashion of the time and place. Schools (secondary level, or college level) may have courses designed for different student levels and for different major field emphases.

 

[Evo]

Physics schmysics! That would only make it worse, especially for girls.

For girls?

 

[atyy]

I've read that there is a way of doing the standard school geometry problems WITHOUT the standard proof method. To make it more intuitive for kids and stop them hating maths.

Anybody know anything about this?

So, what do you propose? Just giving out the statements and let the kids memorize that? Yeah, that way they're going to stop hating math.

I somehow never learned proofs in school in Sinagpore. We learned a bunch of silly rules which worked, like "opposite angles are equal". So I am completely unable to do rigourous American high school geometry, although I can do the physics just fine.

I have no real idea what a proof is. There are only two proofs I have studied. One was Shannon's noisy channel theorem, and the other was Goedel's incompleteness theorem in Hofstadter's book. I read them because they didn't seem intuitive to me, whereas I was able to naively "buy" all the other "maths" I've needed.

 

[PAllen]

For me, first exposure was high school geometry, as for others in US. They were actually experimenting with new curriculum, so the course was probably 90% proofs.

Then, in college, it was linear algebra, then Real Analysis using Dieudonne book.

Funnny, but at least at this level (rather than research math), I found proofs very easy.

 

[alissca123]

Which uni do you attend?

UNAM. In Mexico.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Autonomous_University_of_Mexico

 

[lingualatina]

I think in the US at least everyone's first encounter with proof-based math is high school geometry. I remember well the delight I felt at finding that math wasn't just about algebraic equations and arithmetic. I loved doing the proofs.

I'm a freshman taking a geometry class right now, and I couldn't agree with you more! I really enjoy seeing the general theory behind math rather than just crunching numbers all day. Exponents were my nemesis in Algebra I.

 

[cochemuacos]

UNAM. In Mexico.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Autonomous_University_of_Mexico

Lol i was suspecting that.

I took my first proof based course as a freshman. At my university, if you study math, physics, computer science or actuarial science, with very few exceptions, all the math courses you'll take are going to be proof based.

This just seemed too familiar. Facultad de Ciencias FTW!