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reading math
Nov. 2nd, 2008 03:50 pmMathematical books can be roughly divided into two parts: the obvious, which you breeze through; and the insufficiently explained parts, in which you can get stuck for hours. For any given book, this partition will be different for every reader.
When reading fiction, you're given a single perspective: you're seeing the world moment-to-moment, and your incomplete understanding is an important component of the fun. Just keep reading, and the mysteries of the past may be uncovered later.
When reading math, the same does not happen (partly because writers have no idea what background an individual reader has)... which is why readers of math may choose to be stuck for hours, so that they can completely understand what they're reading before moving on.
When reading fiction, you're given a single perspective: you're seeing the world moment-to-moment, and your incomplete understanding is an important component of the fun. Just keep reading, and the mysteries of the past may be uncovered later.
When reading math, the same does not happen (partly because writers have no idea what background an individual reader has)... which is why readers of math may choose to be stuck for hours, so that they can completely understand what they're reading before moving on.