I had a small epiphany today when trying to tackle some extremely dull logistical model calculations, for my latest piece of coursework (TMA02), for the Open University Course MST121.
Just for the benefit of those who haven't had the soul-destroying pleasure of encountering logistical models (my personal opinion, but others may not agree); it is, basically, the use of sequences to model things. I don't think the maths itself is dull, but in fact, it is the examples that always seem to be used in text books, that send me to sleep. The example questions will normally ask you to work out how many geese are on some island at year (n), or how many ladybirds there are in a bush based on a starting population and a non-linear growth rate! Yawn. It's not as exciting as working out the thrust of a rocket or how many slits a particle goes through, at the same time!
Anyway, my epiphany came at 10:30hrs this morning, in my home office, whilst working on another boring geese population problem. Now, because of my dislike for modelling with sequences, I have to admit, that I just scan read the OU material for this section. It seemed straight-forward enough: count geese, put numbers into equation, count some more geese, ad infinitum... However, when I started the TMA question this morning, I was stumped. I couldn't do it. I scanned the study material again, and again and again. I just couldn't work out, not only the answer, but which equations I should even be using.
I sat slumped in my chair, poured a pot of hot coffee, and subjected my ears to 90db of 1980's electronic pop music. As I was drifting off into thining about what I was going to cook for dinner this evening, the answer suddenly struck me.
I switched off the Eurythmics track, halfway through, and grabbed my pencil. 20mins later, I had solved the problem, by an amalgamation of all of the previous pages of examples, combined with some fairly hefty algebra. I checked my workings, and they seemed good.
However, I had a problem. I couldn't help but feel uneasy about the whole event. Firstly, the O.U have a habit of giving you very formulaic questions, in all of their TMA's. Some of them are so similar to the course material, that you could just semi-copy a previous worked answer, just substituting your own values, into the equations. I don't like doing that, so I try and work it out and then check back to ensure completeness.
So, why was I uneasy? Well, I had been properly stumped by an ostensibly simple population model. This was a challenge to my world view: 'was my journey to theoretical physicist ending here?' 'Were wild birds going to dash my hopes of scholarly excellence?' 'was I destined for a poultry existence' (sorry, couldn't resist the pun). It shouldn't have stumped me, as this is, after all, a year 1 University course. But it had. So I started to dissect what had gone wrong.
That is when I finally had my epiphany! Whilst finishing my cup of Brazil's finest hot beverage, I began flicking through the rest of the study text.
And there it was, on a page towards the back; a page that I hadn't read properly; a page that made me frown, then grin, and then burst out laughing.
The page contained, a formulaic version of my TMA question! It looked exactly the same as my own working's out, that I had completed, independently of the study text. I had worked this very complicated set of equations out, all by my self. Without any guiding, worked example; I had created the model, worked out the equations and done the maths, all in my head, independently from the course material!
This made me realise, two serious points and also one, not so serious point:
1. I have begun to integrate all of my studies to date, into a semi-usable, intuitive method of maths problem solving.
2. I nearly gave up trying and was intending to ring my tutor for advice. I didn't give up and I was successful by not doing so.
3. I should have read the ******* text book properly!
To clarify the epiphany in its entirety: Today, I have realised that I can potentially learn, struggle and overcome, on my own, without assisting intervention. I think this may be one of the best life lessons, that I have learn't so far. Time will tell.
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