Why is that I'll know how to do math, but then after a day or so, I completely forget it?

Question

I am HORRIBLE at math! and I try SO HARD to remember, but it slips my mind after like a day.
I can't do multiplications, well I can but only the 5's, 1's, and 2's and 12x12 that's all.
I know 0 division, even thought I practiced on it, I don't remember how it goes.

I just...can't do math! it's so frustrating! I can't remember anything! I have to review a math problem I did like 2 days ago.

What happens is that, I can be taught how to do it, and I can do it, and I'll do fine, but then a day later boom, I forgot completely.

Wierd thing is that this is only in the subject MATH, I remember english, reading, writing, etc. but not math

Sometimes I forget science but it's mostly math.

Is it some kind of disability? I really need help, I don't think a tutor will help me because I forget COMPLETELY.

+ I am mega slow on simple math problems like 7+9, it'll take me a minute to solve that. DX

I need advice and help. I am a sophmore, this is humilating but no matter how hard I try, nothing sticks in my brain :(

Answer 1

I'm trying to figure this out. I have the same problem.



good luck

Answer 2

It could very well be due to HOW you're learning the math. If you're just trying to memorize and regurgitate facts, then you're not truly learning mathematics skills. Understand WHY what you're learning makes sense.



As far as multiplication goes, there are ways of memorizing the other tables. The 10s are easy to learn: just add 0 after the number you're multiplying. There are also many ways of easily memorizing the nines.



>>I am mega slow on simple math problems like 7+9,

>>it'll take me a minute to solve that. DX



You know that 6+10 is 16, right? That's easy because you're just replacing the 0 with the 6. Well 7+9 is just 7+10-1, so that's one less than 17, or 16.

Answer 3

I can think of two things that you probably need to help you:



First, lots of practice. Some of the really basic components of mathematics need to be practiced repeatedly to make them stick, which includes things like the basic addition and multiplication tables. Practicing them on a daily basis may help you remember them.



Secondly, trying to learn the same thing in different ways. This is something that having a good tutor can really work wonders with. Some people are better at thinking in terms of pictures, while others think in terms of pure numbers, or something else. By finding the way that works best for you, you can get a grasp on the concepts you're having trouble with.



Finally, there is a condition called "dyscalculia", which is like dyslexia except for numbers and maths instead of language. You'd have to get professional opinion to diagnose it, though.

Answer 4

That's because you are just memorizing the concepts, not understanding them. You can memorize anything, but if you do not understand the concept, the concept will not be passed on to your long-term memory, which is why it is easy to forget. Now, there are some things which should be memorized, like your multiplication tables, but if you want success in math you should work on understanding it. To do this find a tutor of a friend who can help you study, and make sure to ask them questions when you don't understand. Try to pay attention in class, ask your teacher for help.

Answer 5

You remember what you care about.



Much of math ability is genetic, like music and art and such, but you, I'm sure, have a mental block. Anyone who can remember which way to turn in the maze at level 7 in whatever meaningless video game you want to pick can remember ANYTHING. Look at the people who are walking encyclopedias of sports trivia.



Bible says "perfect love casts out fear," but at just your age I already knew fear makes perfect love impossible. That was a conundrum (or zen koan, if you prefer) that stayed with me for years.



I know a guy who was an Army chaplain, afraid of heights. He believed the chaplain should be able to do everything the troops had to do, so he jumped out of airplanes over 60 times.



You can overcome fear in small steps. I've been drilling my granddaughter on the times table this very week. I give her 15 min in front of the computer (flashcards Excel style), 30 min off for video games, over and over. Brain needs 15 min to transfer info from temp memory to permanent. Do it in small chunks, the 3's, the 4's, the 6's, and so on. Spend a day on each this way. Use the information in other contexts -- area of rectangles, area of triangles, solving simple equations. The more ways the information CONNECTS with other things you know, the better it will stick, but information that just hangs there in space quickly evaporates. You find yourself sitting somewhere, look at floor tiles, think about floor area = length (in tiles) x width, as if it were YOUR floor, as it might be in just a few years. Make math a part of your thinking about EVERYTHING and it will become easy.



Curious thing about our belief in free will. You can choose anything you want, but you can't choose what you want. If you could, you could choose to love math. The thing to watch out for is how much of what you want (without even thinking about it) OTHER PEOPLE choose for you. TV commercials are created by the best behavior psychologists on earth.



Good luck. I hope you know you're not the only one. 16 years ago I swore I'd teach my wife (#3) calculus. Then I scaled back to algebra. I've given up completely, but you wouldn't believe how much interior decorating I've learned.

Answer 6

you might have some kinda problem. if its that serious you might wanna see a doctor