Ms. Math Diva

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Unsure about the steps you�ll need to take to get through your current math course? Or are you an advanced student of math that would like to take your mathematical knowledge to the next level? Or are you somewhere in between? Well, whatever the case, you can now get advice from our very own Ms. Math Diva! Each month Ms. Math Diva will answer one question posed by one of our readers or discuss a best practice or resource that will address a math need.

How do you FEEEEL about math? Which one of the following best describes you?

MATH-HATER: You hate math. You think math is a waste of time and that you will never use it when you're done with school. When you think about math, you get a knot in your stomach—math sucks!

When you feel this way, you've had some bad teachers or gotten off the track somehow. Deep down you know that math opens many doors to the future and you don't want to be left behind, right? You'd like to be able to figure out when to buy a car vs. leasing, right?

It's never too late to get caught up, and there are lots of ways to do it (even without anyone knowing!). We offer some products that can help, plus there are great websites as well. Would a website with instant homework explanations help? Click here to visit Hotmath.com.

Or, you could buy Algebra DeMystified (and put a skateboard magazine cover on it!). One free website, quickmath.com will solve your equations for you so you can check your answers. We've seen over and over that it just takes a little help to get you to see the light—that great "Aha!" moment when you realize that math is a step-by-step process that isn't so hard after all. Relax: if you read this far, you're on your way!

Math-a-MAGICIAN—NOT. You're OK at math but can't seem do the hard problems, and that makes you frustrated and mad. You'd really like to get A's in math.

Well, you know, research has shown that when you are nervous, frustrated, anxious about something mental (like math), your brain is reduced in its potential to think and learn. Maybe you're putting too much pressure on yourself. Maybe you just need a few more worked-out-examples before you can apply the concepts fully. Hotmath.com shows how to do even the hard problems in your textbook (odds only) so you get the picture and can do the rest on your own. Sometime the problems involve infuriatingly detailed mechanical operations, and sometimes they take some clever twists. Everyone learns differently, and if you need a little more help to get where you want, it's out there.

Math-WHIZ. Sometimes you can figure out some problems the teacher can't! You're even bored in class sometimes.

That's great! What you need is a way to work ahead of the class, or explore areas where you can enjoy your talents. You might try working ahead in your textbook with the help of a website that explains the problems when you get stuck. Or, explore math history or math humor by doing a Google search in those areas. Also, there are some great sites on the web developed by math aficionados. Depending on your age, you might enjoy these free sites: coolmath.com or dansmath or sosmath They in turn link to other sites who in turn...

If you don't find yourself characterized above, please send an email to mathdiva@hotmath.com. Please just provide a "handle," no names please. We'll see if we can have something for you here next month. Or, send a question to Ms. Math Diva. Due to the volume of questions, she cannot provide individual responses, but she will choose one question and answer it in next month�s column. Just make sure to check back next month and learn how YOU can become a math whiz!