4 Misconceptions about maths
Have you heard that there is only one way to solve a maths problem or that men are more talented at maths than women? These are two of a multitude of misconceptions about maths that persist in people’s minds … and they are completely wrong. Unfortunately, such incorrect statements are made every day, and many students believe them.
More myths
- You need a special maths gene to be good at maths.
- False. We're all hard-wired at birth to do maths. (It may be that dyscalculia – the numeric counterpart to dyslexia – affects up to 5 per cent of the population. But if you’ve gotten this far, you’re not one of them.)
- Using a calculator means that you don’t learn basics.
- False. People may actually learn better by getting the mechanics of arithmetic out of the way.
And yes, research has shown that women can be just as good at maths as men.
If you’d like to learn more, read this article [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .
The next section will let you check on your progress so far.