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|  Dhananjaya D R                   @/logs   @/software   @/resume   @/contact |
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Math: Lost in Translation
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I use math a lot. (it's always basic trigonometry or dimensioning on diagrams in
the back of a BMTC bus ticket while commuting). However, I have never had a 
situation where I have had to sit down and do long hand calculus work on a sheet
of paper without the aid of a computer. No company is going to waste engineering
hours by not giving you some form of tools to do your job faster/easier. In 
fact, over time you are going to develop or discover tools that are unique to 
your field that would speed up all that basic calculation work even faster. The
takeaway is that you need to know how to apply math as a tool. You need to 
understand how the math works, but you will likely never need to do it by hand 
once you graduate. 


                   rate (pkt/s)
                       ^        .---.
                       |       / DoS \
                       |      /       \
          Edge of DoS -|.....:.........\.......................
           = (limit *  |    /:          \
          limit-burst) |   / :           \         .-.
                       |  /  :            \       /   \
                       | /   :             \     /     \
          End of DoS  -|/....:..............:.../.......\..../.
           = limit     |     :              :`-'         `--'
          -------------+-----+--------------+------------------> time (s)
             LOGIC =>  Match | Didn't Match |    Match

  
I write automation tools for a living, which often requires a bit of hard math 
in the backend. I work in a team of professionals (almost everyone has at least
a bachelors degree) and I cannot figure out a way to break down results in a 
way that they can understand. how do you effectively communicate with an 
audience that doesn't understand basic concepts about statistics or math? Even 
discussing simple fractions makes them cringe. Unfortunately, a lot of my work 
gets sidelined because it's "too complicated to understand".

I know esoteric numbers aren’t popular. Everyone want results. I know one of 
the most important skills for working in team environments is learning how 
to convey complex information in a simplified form. I need to express things
in a manner that makes sense beyond the numbers. Even if I breaks things 
down nicely (like ELI5), they will still treat me as a black box whisperer.


                                              mathemagician
                                 
                                     1+1=11   /\
                                           \ c")
                                            ;-/\>
                                              ||


I taught students for a couple of months between 2019-2020, and honestly 
would rather have my students understand how to use MATLAB than be able to 
do most math by hand. In the real world, you will never have a closed book 
test. You will never have to do long form math on paper without a calculator,
and everywhere you go you have access to nearly the entire world's knowledge 
in your pocket.

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