One Person Can Make A Difference

I wasn’t always the geeky math type lol. I spent most of my high school days playing guitar and chasing girls. And even though that hasn’t changed much, it was my ninth grade science teacher, Jon Myers, who would ultimately change my life forever. He was able to see something in me that I didn’t even know was there and he knew how to bring it out.

Mr. Myers was teaching us how to balance chemical formulas and after a couple of days of having us work on a few exercises, he kept me after class to see if he could challenge me. I’m not sure exactly why he did this, or how he knew that I might be capable of performing the task he was about to set forth. But, he went to his desk and pulled out his college organic chemistry book and proceeded to write out a chemical formula that spanned across two black boards. He told me to take my time and work the problem out. He then contacted the teacher of my next class so that I would not be counted late or absent.

I never really considered myself a mathematician. I didn’t even know I had a knack for solving mathematical problems. I was just a long haired kid who played heavy metal on the guitar. I spent most of my time with my girlfriend and thought very little about mathematics. But in that moment while staring at this enormous problem, I realized that I could somehow see the answer. Without hesitation, I walked up to the black board and wrote out the correct solution.

I was a little bewildered by Jon’s amazement when seeing that I had solved the problem. But, I did not use any paper or a calculator to find the solution. I managed to balance the formula within my head which only took me about seven seconds to solve. He explained to me that my ability was a gift and from that moment on I spent more time solving mathematical problems than playing music on my guitar. I probably should’ve substituted the time I spent with my girlfriend instead of the time I used to play music, but that is another story altogether.

I don’t claim to be a genius, prodigy, or anything of the sort. I just have a talent for mathematics which grew into a love for the subject. If it wasn’t for Mr. Myers, I would’ve never known about that hidden gift which enabled me to enjoy a wonderful career as a software engineer and discover many mathematical equations, some which might actually be new. I am currently pursuing a degree in Physics and I owe it all to him.

5 thoughts on “One Person Can Make A Difference”

  1. I’m typically to running a blog and i really respect your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your site and preserve checking for brand new information.

  2. Sounds cool to me. Although my major was math, math without knowing of its application was less interesting for me. I also was good at it and taught the subject at elementary levels to college students.

    The mathematics of theoretical physics is difficult but attractive to me since possible “ultimate formulations” might be derived like I believe I have done at least once.
    You also seem to have the same ability 🙂

    1. pantheory :Although my major was math, math without knowing of its application was less interesting for me.

      I agree 100%. I never appreciated mathematics until my mom moved us out to Noble, OK and I met Mr. Myers. Most of the teachers I had before I went to Noble schools never explained how to apply the mathematics they were teaching. Jon really opened my eyes when he showed me that I could do math and he did it by having me apply my gift to real world applications.

      Most teachers only explain how to work the numbers / equations and fail to gain the interest of the students by showing how math applies to them. I personally believe that is the main problem behind teaching mathematics, or any other subject, in today’s educational system.

      After Jon showed me what I was capable of doing, I went home and began to invent problems to solve. I have been posting a lot of these problems at scienceforums.net in the brain-teasers forum as “Daedalus’ Challenges”. I also plan to post them here in the “Mathematics” category.

      pantheory :The mathematics of theoretical physics is difficult but attractive to me since possible “ultimate formulations” might be derived like I believe I have done at least once.You also seem to have the same ability

      Theoretical physics is actually new to me. I’ve always had an interest in the subject but I went into computer science instead. Now that I am divorced, I am back in school pursuing a degree in Physics.

      I always enjoy our conversations Pantheory. Even though we have different views of the universe when it comes down to our theories, I truly believe we are cut from the same cloth so to speak. The main difference is that I incorporate a Big Bang in my theory. But, that is also up to interpretation. It may very well be that the math is showing a Pan that is unwinding as explained by your theory.

      I am adding a category for Temporal Uniformity and Physics. I look forward to discussing both, your theory and mine : )

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