[Blindmath] Audio Calculus WAS Re: relearning calculus

[John G. Heim]

Yeah, I think this visualization thing is the key. It depends on what 
you do for visualization and how good you are at it. I have been blind 
for about 20 years and have gradually lost my ability to visualize 
things in the traditional sense. But that ability has been replaced with 
something I sometimes call feelization.  I have a sense of space rather 
than a picture. It's like how you know where your arms and legs are 
without looking at them. They test if you are drunk by making you touch 
your finger to your nose. You can do something like that with geometric 
shapes and even matrices.

I once poased a mathematical puzzle to the whole Math department here. 
What is the biggest circle you can make from a 4 by 8 piece of plywood 
by cutting off one end and gluing it to another edge so that your circle 
extends into that piece you glued on. This is a real world problem. I 
was making a poker table and thought 4 feet would be too small. Even 
after I explained to people what I wanted to do by taking a piece of 
paper, tearing off the bottom 2 inches, and sticking it to the side, so 
they could see the circle could extend into the piece I tore off, they 
had difficulty seeing the solution.

The anser, by the way, is 5 feet. There is a trick to figuring it out 
that seems obcvious to me. But some people who are way better at math 
than me didn't see it. And I attribute it to the fact that I'm picturing 
it in space, not on paper.

On 03/20/2013 04:10 PM, Amanda Lacy wrote:
> I need Braille along with things I can touch, and even then with too
> much visualization my brain simply shuts down. I tend to use algorithmic
> (step by step) techniques to solve problems whenever possible.
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tami Jarvis" <tami at poodlemutt.com>
> To: "Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics"
> <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 20, 2013 4:03 PM
> Subject: [Blindmath] Audio Calculus WAS Re: relearning calculus
>
>
>> Yikes! I'm still a ways away from my own relearning of calculus...
>> Gotta get my grip on the braille codes and conceptualizing it all
>> without seeing it. I can't imagine doing it in audio only, though! Hm...
>>
>> Now I want to ask how many can manage calculus with audio courses? I'm
>> suddenly curious. Also, I'm thinking that if I hear a bunch of other
>> people can do it, I'll get over my own struggles with conceptualizing
>> math and a couple of other things through audio. I prefer braille,
>> honestly, for many things, but have a feeling I limit my own resources
>> by whining when I'm trying to listen... /grin/
>>
>> Tami
>>
>> On 03/20/2013 11:20 AM, Ken Perry wrote:
>>> When I like to buff up I go back to the books I learned it from on
>>> rfbd. Of
>>> course now I have to go to learning Ally but hey who's keeping track
>>> of all
>>> those things.  I can tell you they have lots of text books though and if
>>> you're a book learner who can learn by audible it no class needed.
>>>
>>> With hat said a lot of the colleges like MIT and others now have their
>>> courses you can audit on line.  You don't get the credits but you can
>>> watch
>>> the class.
>>>
>>> Ken
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
>>> John G.
>>> Heim
>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 20, 2013 2:10 PM
>>> To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
>>> Subject: [Blindmath] relearning calculus
>>>
>>> I need to relearn calculus. I have a BS in math so 30years ago I went
>>> way
>>> beyond calculus. But I don't remember a darn thing from back then.
>>> Can anyone recommend a good on-line course or perhaps just a place
>>> with good
>>> accessibility that offers on-line math courses?
>>>
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>>
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