How to Become a Math-Genius: How are the Chinese Good at Math

Many are wondering, is there a secret pill that I need to take to become an instant math-genius - even just for the day of our final exam?! I know… I wished one for myself when I was a student especially in my Trigonometry finals in high school. That was the only time in my life when I absolutely had no idea on an exam. I wished for some kind of math magic to be bestowed upon me even for just 20 minutes.

I’ve mentioned in my previous post that we should not fall into the trap of thinking that we must have a math-genius gene or divine-given talent to become good at Math. Some thinks a person needs to be Chinese! But let me tell you a secret that I’ve learned from several Chinese people on how to be a math-genius.

Lesson from the Chinese


We wonder… why is the Chinese good at Math? They invented one of the oldest calculation devices called the abacus so they really must be crazy about numbers. So many times have I heard that when someone is Chinese, people immediately think that he/she is good at Math. What is the Chinese secret to becoming Math pros?

Here is an answer that you will find on the web when you Google the question: It is because of the language.


Here is a helpful table to demonstrate the difference between English and Chinese counting systems

English	Chinese	English	Chinese
eleven	ten one	thirty	three ten
twelve	ten two	forty	four ten
thirteen	ten three	fifty	five ten
fourteen	ten four	sixty	six ten
fifteen	ten five	seventy	seven ten
sixteen	ten six	eighty	eight ten
seventeen	ten seven	ninety	nine ten
eighteen	ten eight	one hundred	one hundred
nineteen	ten nine
twenty	two ten

If you will notice, the Chinese counting system makes more sense such as -in my opinion - it sets the foundation of basic addition and multiplication. They learn how to add and multiply the moment they learn how to count.

ten one	10 + 1	eleven (11)
three ten	3 x 10	thirty (30)

Looks like genius, doesn’t it?

HOWEVER

This is not really the secret of the Chinese to becoming Math pros. Come on; let’s not blame a thousand-year old system!

I have talked to several Chinese people in my life. Not all of them were raised in China but certainly grew up in Chinese rearing by their parents. It took a long time before someone shed a bright light on “the secret”.

We learn Math by logic. Everything is about logic and common sense

And it all just came flooding to me like someone opened the roof to let sunshine in my dark, windowless room. My mom, who is an accountant, kept telling me since kindergarten, “Focus on understanding the logic behind the problem rather than just memorizing!”

That is why we all started learning Math with images and stories than pure numbers. One plus one is not just 1 + 1. It’s “You have one apple and a friend gave you another one.” That is why we always have problem solving questions in exams - and admit it, that part could be the most difficult part. It’s when you know how to answer the other questions because you memorized the formula but your mind gets all tangled when you see the problem in a paragraph. Understand, not just memorize. Logic.

Problem Understanding + Formula/ Solving Techniques = Right Answer

If you understand the problem, then finding the right solution is much easier. Understanding, I believe, is something that all of us possess.


note: for those who were waiting - no, there is no magic pill  ^_^


And isn’t that the same for all life’s problems? Everything has a solution. If you cannot solve the problem, it means that there is still something left to be understood. If you cannot solve the problem, maybe it means that there is another solution; maybe the formula is not right. Let’s think some more.

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Why Students Fail at Math: The Math-is-Difficult Traps

This post is for all the students out there who hate Math and for incoming students who haven’t really studied Math but already loathe it due to the influence of popular culture.

Math is a basic subject in school that teaches how to count and make basic computations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Of course mathematics has a deeper sense, meaning and use to the world than basic computation but to avoid math anxiety here, let’s stick to that =)

I was not anywhere a math genius. Like most kids, I fell into the Math-is-difficult trap. And that is not the only trap many students and I fell into. Here are a few:

1. Being good in Math is a gift. This is the belief that being good in Math is a gift or talent and that only few are chosen to have it. Students stop trying because they’re simply not one of the “chosen ones”.
2. If you’re not good in Math, you must be good in English (languages, communications, etc.) and vice-versa.
3. I don’t need Math in my future career esp. because I dream of becoming a rockstar. Variations I hear students say, “Why do we need Math?”; “I am not going to use this in my daily life!” and so on.

Sadly, many young people fail to understand the true significance of Math - and many teachers fail to make them understand the true reason why Math is significant. Looking back, I guess there is a little bit of truth in the idea that not all things in Math can be used by everyone in the future. But studying the basics of every aspect of Mathematics sets the foundation for the future engineers, architects, economists, etc.

To tell you the truth, Math is only more difficult because students already have this grand impression that it is “difficult” before they even try to understand. The moment they see a bunch of numbers, their brains go ahead say, “Oh my God, this is what they all have been talking about *hyperventilate* I can’t do this!” The student is immediately defeated even before moving a single brain cell. That is the reason why students fail at Math. They think so, they do so.

Math, just as with every problem,  is easier when you think it is.

I had a couple of excellent Math teachers in my life that made the subject so much easier. Their common denominator: their attitude in class sets the mood that “Math is Easy.” My high school teacher’s favorite line was, “Ah, that’s easy!” “How do we solve the problem? Ah, that’s easy!” He always did that. Every single time there was a problem to solve, he would exclaim, “Ah, that’s easy!” and every time we solve math problems ourselves, we could hear him in our heads.

My Finance teacher in college was not as enthusiastic but she also always said that it’s just easy. Her explanations were simple and direct to the point.

Many agreed with me when I tell them that Math becomes easier depending on the teacher. It is the teacher’s job to set the mood and to explain the principles at the student’s level. However, before you start blaming all your Math teachers for your subject failure, you must read more of my tips on How to Become a Math - Genius.

“A Better Way To Teach Math” by David Bornstein at The New York Times, Opinionator.

Imagine if someone at a dinner party casually announced, “I’m illiterate.” It would never happen, of course; the shame would be too great. But it’s not unusual to hear a successful adult say, “I can’t do math.” That’s because we think of math ability as something we’re born with, as if there’s a “math gene” that you either inherit or you don’t.

What are your reasons for hating Math?

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