Did anyone else have a weird experience with math? I could always do it in my head, really fast, get the answer, it’s correct… But then I couldn’t show my work or prove it, meaning it was useless. I’m curious if this is an ADHD thing? If so, does anyone know why?
This was why I fell off with math in high school and never got my mojo back. My mental math skills were above average but once discipline and showing work and “proofs” (especially proofs) came into play I was out
Part of the problem is a lot of math is taught as pure theory. Unless you’re one of the few people who finds math theory interesting on its own, it’s soul-crushingly boring to someone with ADHD and feels like you’re being taught how to waterboard yourself. It didn’t help that my math classes were invariably taught in the oldest building on campus which probably had a single functioning AC unit. Physical and mental torture.
I managed to struggle through it, but only because I found physics interesting and it forced me to learn the underlying math well enough that I could progress to the next level.
Are you… me?
I can’t do math in my brain at all… It’s not like I’m stupid or something, but it just doesn’t work
Even stuff like really simple additions 😭
That’s how I am now! 😭
I am totally the opposite. I can work through complex algebra proofs, but ask me to work out 2 x 3 + 21? Good luck.
I am like this as well for the most part. I’m going to need a lot of paper in order to do complex math (and I was a math minor in college), none of it in my head except the derivative of ex.
That said, on rare occasions – twice in my half a century life – my brain has instantly popped out the answer to a math puzzle and I was correct. But do I know how I arrived at that answer? Nope. My brain told me and that’s all there is that I’m consciously aware of. One of those instances was the winning point for my team in a Math Olympics type competition.
I can barely count to a hundred without struggling, I keep forgetting what the next number is and repeat the number in my head to keep track of where I am until I remember what comes after 47.
Also just can’t do mental math, I’ve memorised basic calculations rather than understanding them so if it’s something I don’t use a lot I start doubting myself and spend ages breaking it down without being able to keep track of it all.
I’ve heard of dyscalculia being common with ADHD people but my schools never tested for it.
My older daughter does this. You tell her a math problem. She’ll blurt out the answer. Ask her how she got it, she doesn’t know and can’t explain it.
I can’t do mental maths, but learned a neat trick to do maths using near 10s or 5s in my head.
Got into calculus for a year during college, but when I got disappointed by something my math teacher did just gave up on calculus. Suddenly zero motivation. I don’t like how my brain is wired…
I can’t focus on math in my head. I always need to write it down otherwise i’ll forget it in seconds.
Sounds like my math experience.
Your skill is useful in real life, it is only useless on exam settings.
I can’t answer math in my head, if asked a numerical question I will forget the begging before you reach the end, I need to read it, and I need all in-front of me. Once I got that I can answer math questions, but only step by step, from school topics to higher education topics.
However, I cannot calculate the change in the supermarket.
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I do everything in my head. I write only the outcomes of parts of my calculations, to not forget them or do errors.
I find showing my work and proving things super fun! It’s a puzzle for me, to show how things work. I’m doing a master’s degree in physics and I excel at the most rigorous classes and suck at the more heuristic ones.
