Mathematical Profs

Fortieth Post: Mathematical Profs

If you took Geometry in Highschool, you, the reader, knows that with shapes and their constructions comes the dreaded Prof. When someone first learn to do profs they need a good starting point. They are given the answer. They just need to show where it came from.

Sounds easy on first inspection, but the student will find it is a difficult task and a confusing path to take. But the problem is not just a math problem, because there is an art form for proofs. It is the student who decides the steps they take to show why the theorem works. This is why students first struggle with profs, but once they are familiarized with profs, the profs will become fun. That is of course considering there not on your math test.

The true meaning of profs isn’t seen when a person is just learning them. But their necessity will come in the higher mathematics and into college. The formulas we use need to be explained, and it has to be shown how they were formed. To do a proof you, the mathematician, need to think of how the math theorem was discovered and then see how the proven theorems can be used to explain the problem. It is really a hard thing to explain. It is something the student must learn for themselves and develop their own techniques.

I am working on some math problems now and that is the reason I discussed profs. I am tinkering and reading with how e was derived and how it was chosen. I am also working on how a square describes a circle. Before I put it on the site, the first thing is making sure it works. Not all my math problems work. This is where the knowledge of profs comes into play: to make sure your solution is correct and show how it was solved.