He had some problems like this:
53+74+N=234
He was supposed to find what number N should be. It's easy...
- Add 53 and 74
- Subtract that sum from the grand total
- the difference is the number that is N
Sounds easy. I explained it to him several times over and he just doesn't get it. It's all Greek to him. The problem is that when there are too many steps to solve a problem, he gets all befuddled and lost in the process. His brain goes into over-load. How do I explain this so he can understand?
You know, it's like this for people who read try to understand God too. Only with God, He is unfathomable. My mind goes into over-load when I try to fathom God and how He is eternal, without beginning or end, he is in my past, present and future all at once and He is sovereign over all of it. I suppose understanding math for my son is like me trying to understand God. It just stretches the brain in directions it doesn't want to go.
2 comments:
taking your example: 53+74+N=234
The light came on for me in math when a teacher likened the equal sign(=) to a balance scale, the beam thing with weights on both sides. Both sides are the same, so the balance is level. to keep them the same, if you do something to 1 side, you must do it to the other side. put 3 rocks on 1 side you have to put 3 identical rocks on the other side. Otherwise the 2 sides stop being the same. the goal is to get N all by itself. What else is on the side with N? a 53 is there so take it away(via subtraction), but then take it away from the other side too. you get 74+N=234 - 53
Now what's left with the N? a 74. take that away (from both sides) and you get
N = 234 - 53 - 74
which resolves to
N = 107
the principle, of doing the same thing to both sides, applies to ANYTHING: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponetiation, integration, sine, cosine, basket weaving, anything.
Hope that helps.
This is great! It makes a lot of sense to me. Now, I'll see if I can explain it to Nathaniel and see if he'll understand it.
I'll post how it goes.
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