Discrete Structures

[bannana2]

I feel like I'm incompetent in this area. I want to go on with my degree but I have literally had to drop out of this course or take it over and over and over again. I just got my test back and it was a 57 percent. This was the first test. Why do I feel like I get the concepts and then I just fail. It makes no sense. Anybody else feel like talking about logic in such a rigid way is just not natural? Or am I truly incompetent?

 

[FAST6191]

I very much doubt you are incompetent; some things just seem not to click with people, especially if they have a teacher that does not have a style that works for them. Alternatively when they say you should be spending ?? hundred hours on a module outside class they may well mean it.

I can not find out what you are studying, presumably some kind of maths involved subject but that could be anything from engineering to physics to maths to electrical engineering to computing. If I want to relate it back to something then it might help

"Anybody else feel like talking about logic in such a rigid way is just not natural?"
I find the American approach to teaching maths to be truly silly, the naming/application approach being a big part of that. Even when talking about maths problems if someone pipes up with we should look to discrete maths then it sounds a bit like https://xkcd.com/451/ to me. Fortunately nobody I deal with (so mainly those in Europe) speaks like that.
As for the matter of logic being discussed like this. Maths beyond basic arithmetic has always felt like abstract game rules to me anyway, even stuff I can clearly demonstrate in the real world.

"Why do I feel like I get the concepts and then I just fail."
Have you got a marked exam back to look at to see where you went wrong? Depending upon the module (and a lot of maths sees people get things all right where more waffly things are harder to do that in) then if they are doing that grading on a curve crap then it could well be only a few things that send you down adjusted grade percentage.

 

[Veho]

Don't be too hard on yourself, it's pretty complex stuff. You just have to keep at it.

Why do I feel like I get the concepts and then I just fail. It makes no sense.

Because between "getting the basic concepts" and actually being able to apply it as a problem solving tool lies hundreds and thousands of practice problems. You just need to do more work.

 

[bannana2]

Don't be too hard on yourself, it's pretty complex stuff. You just have to keep at it.


Because between "getting the basic concepts" and actually being able to apply it as a problem solving tool lies hundreds and thousands of practice problems. You just need to do more work.

Oh, well, hmm...than that is partly on the teacher to provide those good problems to practice and to tell the class that. So, its also probably on me to seek out those problems and practice them. Thank you.