Lemma: atrophy of the brain.
Just another half-baked, hair-brained idea.
Nearly the past two years, I’ve masochistically taken some math courses, the first of which was at Harvard. Leaving with my tail between my legs and a C in my hand, I left that ivory tower disappointed but some sense slapped into me. I realized that my brain for mathematics has atrophied. Just like a muscle, it became weak after the rigorous advanced calculus courses I took in high school. Undergrad didn’t do much – it was all business math.
So I took that first math class over again elsewhere, a little defeated but with a better knowledge of what to expect. And then a theory occurred to me: train my brain as I do my body. In swimming, I’ve been trained to gradually build up my yardage until I peaked for about a month before the big meet: championships. Two weeks before the meet, I would taper and concentrate on maximum sleep and good nutrition. Then bam, seconds dropped and successes had!
I took a page out of my own history book and did the same with math. Started small, a couple hours here and there. Always would start with “warming up” my brain, either by simple exercises from old chapters or rereading notes. I’d peak to about 3 or 4 hours each sitting of studying and taper off a few days before an exam. Good night sleep, good nutrition, and I was primed to go!
Again: BAM! An A- in that course. Boo-yah.
Lemma: It also occurred to me that this similar atrophying of the brain might be linked to diseases like alzheimer’s. If one physically eats junk most of the time, all white breads & rice, few veggies & fruits, etc, issues with the body begin to surface, like heart disease, diabetes, complications with obesity. So how different is it if one consumes junk in terms of reading tabloids, watching TMZ (…and fox news…), passively consuming information that will not progressively elevate their intellectuality?
The pursuance of knowledge should be similar to the goal of good physical health.
09. December 2010 by roguelynn
Categories: commentary, mathematics |
Tags: mathematics |
Leave a comment
Lemma: atrophy of the brain.
Just another half-baked, hair-brained idea.
Nearly the past two years, I’ve masochistically taken some math courses, the first of which was at Harvard. Leaving with my tail between my legs and a C in my hand, I left that ivory tower disappointed but some sense slapped into me. I realized that my brain for mathematics has atrophied. Just like a muscle, it became weak after the rigorous advanced calculus courses I took in high school. Undergrad didn’t do much – it was all business math.
So I took that first math class over again elsewhere, a little defeated but with a better knowledge of what to expect. And then a theory occurred to me: train my brain as I do my body. In swimming, I’ve been trained to gradually build up my yardage until I peaked for about a month before the big meet: championships. Two weeks before the meet, I would taper and concentrate on maximum sleep and good nutrition. Then bam, seconds dropped and successes had!
I took a page out of my own history book and did the same with math. Started small, a couple hours here and there. Always would start with “warming up” my brain, either by simple exercises from old chapters or rereading notes. I’d peak to about 3 or 4 hours each sitting of studying and taper off a few days before an exam. Good night sleep, good nutrition, and I was primed to go!
Again: BAM! An A- in that course. Boo-yah.
Lemma: It also occurred to me that this similar atrophying of the brain might be linked to diseases like alzheimer’s. If one physically eats junk most of the time, all white breads & rice, few veggies & fruits, etc, issues with the body begin to surface, like heart disease, diabetes, complications with obesity. So how different is it if one consumes junk in terms of reading tabloids, watching TMZ (…and fox news…), passively consuming information that will not progressively elevate their intellectuality?
The pursuance of knowledge should be similar to the goal of good physical health.
09. December 2010 by roguelynn
Categories: commentary, mathematics | Tags: mathematics | Leave a comment