Still Counting

Still Counting


I haven’t posted for about three weeks, but I am still studying and even learning some new things.

Since my last post I’ve thought a lot about wanting to quit this whole enterprise and re-focus on teaching, photography, and bicycling – with some music, writing, and hiking thrown in. But I’m hanging in there.

We had our second test last week. Steve provided the class with an abundance of study aids. As I began to look the material over I got discouraged because I couldn’t believe how much I had forgotten during the three or four weeks since the last exam. The stuff just wasn’t sticking.

As I approached the first test I told myself that I might quit the class if I got a “D”. This time I was pretty sure I would get an “F” but wasn’t convinced I should drop, no matter how tempting. Since my grade doesn’t matter at all, I thought if I stayed in the class for as long as I could understand the lectures and still do the homework, some information might seep in and if I took the class again (like many of my classmates were) then I might have a better shot at passing.

After Steve passed out the test (I got the blue version) I looked over the problems and pretty quickly figured out which I could do, which I could guess on, and which I didn’t have any chance of getting even any partial credit on for a good try that was at least in the right direction.

As I got into the test, some things started coming back to me and so did some numerical intuition that seems to be growing, if ever so slightly

When Steve handed the tests back, I was amazed to see that I had gotten a 71, just barely in “C” range. As it turned out, a whole lot of my educated guesses were right on target. I was also somewhat encouraged that many of the points I lost were for pretty silly things that I could have done, things like naming units instead of just writing down the numerical answer. OK, it looks like I’m still in.

But a whole lot of my classmates aren’t. Monday, the day after Steve handed back the test was the last day to drop a class with a “W” rather than stay in and risk an “F” or a “D”. By Wednesday, our class size had fallen to 22 from 35.

A new word

One of the best parts of this math adventure is learning new things I wouldn’t have otherwise, frequently not about math at all.

Last week, I learned the word: equitation.

I learned that word because the girl that sits next to me just won a national competition in “Hunter Class: Equitation.” She is a national class Arabian Horse rider. From what I could tell, it has a lot to do with how you and your horse look as you ride around the circuit.

I need to add her to the list of people who, when they feel comfortable enough, immediately ask (about this math quest), “Why ARE you doing this?”