IziBlog - Creer son blog, photoblog ou meme audioblog - Quand blog et communaute se rencontrent

sir_quirky_k (

sir_quirky_k) wrote,
@ 2008-04-27 10:47:00

Possibly the real reason I'm disliking Economics...
...lots of graphical content. I'm not great at visualising it, and I'm even worse at reproducing graphs, and that creates a mental block that's sometimes even worse than that surrounding calculus.

Words and data analysis, that's a completely different story, and I'm actually really quite good at that. But graphical and algebraic analysis has an annoying knack for defeating me.

I have an option form for my third year, I am compulsed to study two specific Economics modules, it is possible for me to study no more Economics other than that. (The full regulations: those two Economics modules (a micro unit in semester 1, macro in semester 2), one futher Economics module, three free choices in Politics and a dissertation, but up to two modules in years 2 and 3 combined can be from selected other courses, and there are Sociology modules available without prerequisites from that degree, and I intend to choose one.)

In other news; thunderstorm this morning while I was still in bed. Aagh!

(Post a new comment)

Graph-ics

daweaver
2008-04-28 06:09 pm UTC (link)

Possibly the real reason I'm disliking Economics: lots of graphical content. I'm not great at visualising it, and I'm even worse at reproducing graphs, and that creates a mental block that's sometimes even worse than that surrounding calculus.

The economics world seems to divide into two camps: those who need to visualise what's happening in order to conceptualise it, and those who are able to grasp the concept without such visual aids. I remember having a running battle (actually, far closer to a running joke) with one of my Econ teachers, who almost literally tore his hair out because I didn't put in any charts. I didn't need them to grasp the concepts, but the A-level examiners tended to give the benefit of any doubt to candidates who included such sketches.

In other news; thunderstorm this morning while I was still in bed. Aagh!

Ooh, nasty. The front reached here eventually, but didn't rumble into town until about 5pm. By then, the air was heavy, as though someone had weighted down each drop with its own ten tonne block. We needed the change.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

Re: Graph-ics

sir_quirky_k
2008-04-28 09:34 pm UTC (link)

I had a similar story. I'd probably be more able to learn the material if presented entirely as words and perhaps data tables. Political economy tends towards just that - what happened, why it might have happened, and then conjecture on what should be learned from what happened and why.

The noise of the thunderstorm was nothing like the one that struck at a similar hour when I was in Weymouth and triggered a real fear of thunderstorms (that was at most 150m away from me; this one I'm not sure of but probably an order of magnitude above that) but it was still very far from pleasant. Lost a couple of hours to restless shaking in bed after that.

(Reply to this)(Parent)