Einstein

Did he really fail mathematics?

We've all heard of Einstein and most of us know how he failed his mathematics test at such a young age but yet was still able to become one of the greatest scientists in the 1900s in the general area of physics.

Many teachers use his life story as an encouragement to their younger students, saying that they should not give up on mathematics just because they have failed a few tests in primary school because Einstein did likewise but was still able to become a great contributor to society.

Personally, I would have to disagree that their encouragement would be of much help if they had related their student's experiences to what happened to Einstein decades ago.

Many believe that Einstein was a mathematical genius, only after he became famous in the world of science. However, after much thinking and looking into his biography, I personally believe that he was one of those who discovered and self learned the world around him, and couldn't have possible failed mathematics at a young age for him to become a great person.

How then, could he have failed mathematics? Many biographies mention Einstein being a quiet person when he was young, often deep in thought. He rarely spoke and his parents thought he was speech deficient. He was interested in nature and how things work. He kept to himself and was shy. This is what could've lead to his early failure in his mathematics test. Not because he didn't know how to do the paper but probably because he spent his time thinking of other things that interested him. He could have defiantly left the paper blank to ponder about his interests or wrote his answers without any workings because of his adept mathematical skills. Whatever the case, we will never know.

At aged 12, Einstein studied the fundamentals of differentiation. By that, I do not mean differentiation techniques and applications. I mean how differentiation came about and why it is necessary. He knew the derivations of calculus and how it was used. How else, would a child who failed mathematics because he didn't know how to do the questions have accomplished such a feat?

Of course, I do not rule out the possibility of him, or any child for this matter, having a great and sudden boost in mathematics just by intense practice sessions. I'm saying that teachers who want to use an example to encourage their students should not use the example of Einsteins' but instead, of some child who worked hard and got what he achieved and became someone great.

And before I end, here's something cool for you to enjoy. No, it's not by me although I do wish to be able to play like that.



Enough said..