I gave up on learning math as a young person because no one was ever interested in teaching it in a way that made sense to me.

But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started working on a pet projects that require understanding of (what I would consider) fairly advanced geometry, which as it turns out is called computational geometry. And it’s fun.

I just look back at the time I was afraid of this stuff with regret. All because my teachers weren’t terribly interested in teaching, but more interested in fulfilling useless metrics that only make it look like students are learning when they’re actually not.

Which topics in Computational Geometry?

📌

@notroot At the moment, I’m figuring out how to create convex hulls as a way to create lod meshes for dynamically created meshes.

I don’t know if it counts, but I’ve also figured out how to uv unwrap meshes using a plane defined by only 3 points.

When you understand the math, it’s not hard to do. But going from zero to understanding the math is not easy, so it’s taken a lot of time to get to this point.

Strange, a friend of mine just went through the exact same project and said the exact same things.

Am I your friend?

@lungdart Highly unlikely considering my near total lack of social circles.

But hey, it gives me time to learn computational geometry.

Sounds like youre working on graphics :D

Wish I had the hobby time to take the plunge

@MLPops It's a very interesting subject that allows me to be creative and analytical at the same time, which I really like.

For me it was both teachers who sucked at teaching AND dyscalculia, which was a completely unknown and unrecognized form of a learning disability when I was in school. You can explain and explain and explain to me in dozens of ways how to solve for this or that or whatever and it simply never sticks. No matter how much I practice. If I’m ever in a situation where math is required, I basically just have to make a computer do it for me. Or carry around massive amounts of algorithmic notes on how typical problems are solved and follow them each and every time so I won’t miss a step. It’s the most frustrating thing and sometimes I wish for actual death when confronted with something more than adding or subtracting simple numbers.

@stackodev Not being allowed to use notes during tests is one of the most egregious examples of a teacher being out of touch with reality.

A student with several other classes of different subjects cannot realistically be expected to remember a whole multiverse of rules and do all of it well. And if the student struggles in the subject for whatever reason, they don't stand much of a chance.

It also ignores reality. No job or hobby that involves an academic subject will disallow the use of notes. And when you come across someone that refuses to use notes, they are almost always known for their mistakes and arrogance.

@aaronswart Oh, thanks for that helpful response. I wish I had met you 40 years ago when I first started struggling with my imaginary math issues. If only SOMEONE had told me to just TRY harder from 2nd grade through college and beyond. 🤡🤡🤡

@cuddlyogre Exactly this. When I took a series of psychological profile tests to try to figure out why I kept failing Calculus classes after taking them multiple times, the recommendation was to allow me to use notes and have untimed tests. I was able to pass, finally. Not with an A as one might expect, because my brain still played tricks with the numbers, symbols, and +/- signs, but at least I was able to answer all the questions. Without the notes, my brain completely blanked and I couldn’t finish even one problem. That despite spending 90% of all my hours of homework in all subjects just on calculus problems practice.