r/learnmath

9h ago

u/DragoMel_Invictus

How do other people read and understand numbers?

I need to resit my maths A-level after I got a C instead of the B I needed for university. Apart from needing to unlearn the tearing up reaction I get from looking at a paper, I realised I don't really keep numbers in my head the same way I do for words and spellings. It feels like I need everything written out in front of me and connect them on the page, while most of my high-achieving friends can just think through the problems and use the calculator as a tool instead of a brain... if that makes any sense at all. It means that I tend to run out of time for questions quickly because I'm writing everything down, and sometimes it doesn't even help as I forget where I am in the steps and get confused.

So how do you all remember what you're doing? Is it really just a memory thing?…