The Importance of "Don't Memorize, Understand"

[@boxinzhao6828]

Hi! Well said again. Congrats on 4K subs. I've introduced this channel to many of my friends and peers because of your eloquent and easy-to-follow solutions. AMC10 is within a month, and we're all super pumped up. Much love from Shanghai.

[@ericqiang5578]

Lol

[@TheBeautyofMath]

Good to see you Bo. Sorry I never got videos uploaded to the other China state control friendly websites. Some day maybe I will. But life got very difficult this year. I still appreciate you watching and sharing though. Even if you need a VPN to do it. :) Good to hear from you!

[@rywnlu6124]

Thank you so much for this excellent video! I’m diligently prepping for AMC 10 and this was very helpful! Keep of the great videos. :D

[@TheBeautyofMath]

Great to hear! Good luck, leave a comment if you qualify!

[@A1001-s8x]

congrats on 4k subs!!!! really great video as well :)

[@TheBeautyofMath]

Thanks so much!!

[@sigmapie9942]

Difference between memorization and true understanding Memorization: learning one fixed way or mindset to approach an idea Understanding: you truly understand the idea, so now you can apply it in several ways and problems Personally, I would choose the latter. It’s up to you though.

[@TheBeautyofMath]

too true

[@anvithkakkera7196]

4k subs, u did it! I remember seeing you go from 1k subs, and breaking more and more milestones!

[@TheBeautyofMath]

Thank you Anvith! I remember it too. I am really excited for this upcoming test. It's been a fun journey to this point.

[@zephyr3790]

Great video! Congrats on 4k subs(and jsuk your discord server is bombing with congratulations!)

[@TheBeautyofMath]

thanks...yeah haven't checked it since I started teaching earlier :)

[@zephyr3790]

@@TheBeautyofMath Oh sorry...I didn't mean to disturb you

[@TheBeautyofMath]

you are good, I just check this screen when my student is solving a problem.

[@piupiupiu-fz7mz]

Understanding something is much better than memorizing them, soo true(I understand the binomial expansion more now that Ive watched the video, was kinda confused when I tried memorizing it)

[@piupiupiu-fz7mz]

also do you have any tips on writing the AMC 10?

[@TheBeautyofMath]

writing the AMC 10? You mean contacting the MAA? I am not sure...but I think there is probably contact info on their website www.maa.org/ Does that help?

[@piupiupiu-fz7mz]

@@TheBeautyofMath ohh nonono i mean as in how we should use our time, where to start, etc.

[@TheBeautyofMath]

Hmm that's a very elaborate answer and different for each person based on their unique background, current knowledge level, etc. I think a great place to start would be this playlist. Let me know if that resolves your questions and if not anything I can clarify: kzbin.info/aero/PL-27w0UNlunw0THga8IJPD4CjSMP9lxnk

[@shangjiang3320]

Hey, For the first problem I did it on a different way compared to you, namely I didn’t use 3c1 at the begining I just figured there’s 3 ways to have 1 approval. So could you do this problem that’s very similar : A poll shows that 9/10 of all voters approve of a mayors work. A vote moderator randomly selects 5 ballots. What is the probability that 2 of the 5 ballots show approval for the mayors work?

[@TheBeautyofMath]

Yes. Use Binomial Probability discussed in the video 5C2 times 0.9^2 times 0.1^3

[@abdullahfasbir1457]

I understood

[@anvithkakkera7196]

I’m so nervous for the amc 10, I’m like scoring consistently in the 90s but I could get the qualification score if I had more time and/or sillied less.

[@TheBeautyofMath]

I think both of those issues can possibly be reduced by solving as many problems as possible before the test. People who avoid sillies on tests...is because they made that silly before in practice and recognize and avoid it on the test. Hello 2021 AMC 10B number 2. It's not that you need more time. It's that you need to be faster. Speed comes from experience and repetition. You gain those by solving many problems. Start doing Alcumus and other problem resources as much as possible. Make note of what mistakes were made. Be sure to ingrain those past mistakes into your memory so that if a similar situation arises on the test you avoid it. Even going to AMC 8 questions for a few minutes a day can help. I solve them mentally if I can. It helpa my brain to remind myself of certain solution paths even if it came from easier content. (I don't recommend a lot lf time spent looking at AMC 8 compared to Alcumus or past test. Just giving examples/ideas.)

[@anvithkakkera7196]

@@TheBeautyofMath thank you

[@zephyr3790]

I have a question. Do you think grinding is good? I have personally heard it a lot but I feel like "grinding" doesn't exactly work on me. I just make a ton of mistakes if I work too much. Thanks!

[@TheBeautyofMath]

It actually depends on the person. Each person can withstand a different balance of problems done per day. You need to find yours. What works for someone else will not necessarily work for you and vice versa. If you have identified that your brain turns to mush after 2 hours straight and you stop retaining info. Then I would work in 2 hour intervals and take breaks for however long you need. Maybe the whole day. Maybe for you only doing 2 hours a day is optimal. Or on weekends you might be able to do 2 hours after breakfast, and then go do stuff, and return in the evening for 1.5 hours more. Maybe even with a nap in between. (A nap will help convert the short term memories to long term memories or at least it will solidify what gets converted, and then after the nap you can go back to whatever you forgot and reinforce it.) So in summary: only grind as much as you can withstand. After you hit diminishing returns, take a break and do something else. Different people have different thresholds.

[@xinkeguo-xue]

I would say it is very situational. Overall, I would say, "Emphasize deeper understanding over doing large quantities of problems". There are some heuristics that can only be developed through large number of problems experienced. For instance, complicated casework counting problems. Other times, a deeper conceptual understanding of the basics is more important. For instance, one AIME #15 simply tested if you knew that the cutting a cylinder at an angle produced an ellipse. I personally did not like going through large amounts of practice tests for AMC 10 or AIME, so I never really practiced as much as some other people.

[@sophiayao7041]

I’m very nervous for amc.

[@TheBeautyofMath]

Am nervous/excited for all of you as well.

[@jumes8011]

yo wuttup

[@TheBeautyofMath]

Not a lot...you?