Jianlye

[Jianlye]

[Jianlye]

[Jianlye]

[computerbaby]

“Mathematics is a place where you can do things which you can’t do in the real world.” - Marcus du Sautoy

My name is Laura and I’m a 21 year old who studies astrophysics at university, and math is one of the things I think defines me most as a person. Given that it’s π day, I figured this might be an appropriate time to share why.

When I was 14 years old, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder NOS. When I was 15, I went though one of the largest depressive episodes I’ve ever had in my life. I found myself losing passion for the things I once used as an emotional release like art and music. I was extremely lonely, upset, and scared during this time, and had a lot of time to myself, and the thing about episodes is that there’s not much you can do to “fix” them except wait them out. It was incredibly easy to think of awful, negative things, and I no longer felt like I had a way to distract myself from it.

Until my trigonometry/pre-calculus class. 

During that class, I realized that math was becoming more and more interesting to me because of how much time I had to myself. I started devoting a lot of time to that class - studying, doing my homework meticulously, and learning all I could about theory. I didn’t want to know that they work, I wanted to know how and why. I began to love working symbolically, and would feel an overwhelming sense of pride when I finally understood concepts fully. 

I began to see my mental health improving drastically the deeper I got into math. I had begun to use mathematics as a coping mechanism for my depression. Math had patterns, rules, order, and structure, things that I felt I was missing in my life because of how chaotic it had become. Math didn’t require me to feel - when I spent time working out problems, I no longer had space in my brain to actively think negative thoughts. I stopped feeling lonely in the moments when I would focus on my homework. 

Understanding math made me feel like I was doing something with myself, and as cheesy as it might sound to some people, it made me feel like I had a reason to exist.

And I still feel these things. When life becomes hectic and I feel out of control, mathematics is something that makes me feel like I have order. Mathematics makes me feel like I can do anything. I’m so glad that I found this kind of comfort and love, because it’s become a fundamental part of who I am. It’s not an easy subject, and I don’t assume that people will all feel the same as me about it, but mathematics is something I love fully and something I think is one of the greatest things ever created.

I wish you all a very happy π day!!! <3

[jianlye]

Math is a cure for lot diseases. 😜👍good luck for all your life in the years to come.

[Jianlye]

[hyrodium]

Gaussian curvature of Torus. The cyan disc is tangent to the torus. The blue area is elliptic (K>0), and the green area is hyperbolic (K<0).

[jianlye]

Too hard for me. But I like it.

[Jianlye]

Quote of the day

Quote of the Day: Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/_/shPg.aspx?t=q16553uq3J2

[Jianlye]

[spiritualinspiration]

Today, I want to remind you of what God says about you. No matter what’s happening in your life today, remember: you are not limited by your resources, your family or your background. Almighty God has equipped and empowered you. He has given you creativity, ideas, inventions, skills and talents. Don’t you dare settle for a mediocre life! Today, I call forth the seeds of greatness inside of you.

Today, I declare that your best days are ahead. That you are going to go further than anyone in your family ever did; that you are going to dream bigger and live higher. I declare that you are a leader, an influencer, a minister of reconciliation. You are the fragrance of God to the nations.

Before anyone put a curse on you, God Almighty put a blessing on you. Walk and live in that blessing by following His commands and staying fully committed to Him in everything you do!

[Jianlye]

[doctordonna]

Notes are IN NO WAY an example of studying actively. Studying actively involves quizzing yourself, doing timed past papers etc. Writing down information isn’t going to help unless you use the information. 

So yes, write your pretty notes. But they’re not going to stay in your head in a manner that is actually useful in an exam (or, indeed, real life) unless you use your knowledge on a regular basis by answering questions and completing tasks. 

[studyingstudent]

Those are all good ways to study! Everyone has different learning preferences, and some, like myself, prefer to rewrite notes. 

The University of Minnesota defines active studying as, “an approach to instruction in which students engage the material they study through reading, writing, talking, listening, and reflecting. Active learning stands in contrast to “standard” modes of instruction in which teachers do most of the talking and students are passive.” (source)  The act of rewriting notes fits the definition! 

If you missed the first picture, it explains that writing stimulates the reticular activating system (RAS) at the base of the brain. The RAS filters everything the brain needs to process and gives importance to the stuff that you are actively focusing on at the moment, like what you’re writing. (source) 

Notes are indeed an example of studying actively along with all of the other great exercises you mentioned. I can say from personal experience that writing notes helps tremendously when preparing for an exam, although some may prefer other techniques. 

As always, the studying tips and advice I put on the internet are things I do in my studying that I found helpful and you are not obligated to put them to use. 

[Jianlye]

You will find time for anything that is important to you.

attackonstudying (via attackonstudying)

[Jianlye]

[Jianlye]

[spiritualinspiration]

God did not create us to reach one level and stop. When we think, “Oh God, thank You, I’ve accomplished my dreams,” God says, “I appreciate your thanks, but I’m not finished with you. It’s too small a thing for you to stay there. I’ve got something bigger.” In our minds, it could be huge. Just got the promotion. Just met the person of my dreams. God did more than I could ask or think. The whole time, God’s in the heavens saying, “You haven’t seen anything yet. I’m glad you’re happy, but that’s a small thing.”

God’s idea of big is much different than our idea of big. In scripture, David not only ended up serving the king, he became the king. He thought, “God, wow, You’ve amazed me with Your goodness.” God said, “Still, it’s too small a thing, David. I’m going to put one of your descendants on the throne for the next 1,000 generations.

Remember, as long as you have breath, God isn’t finished with you yet. He has so much more in store for your future. Be open to His leading because God’s idea of big is so much greater than anything you could imagine!