Re: Tips on studying math

From: Timothy Little (tim-via-n.i.net_at_little-possums.net)
Date: 02/19/05 

Date: 19 Feb 2005 02:44:06 GMT

Justin Young wrote:
> I don't bother to mention small errors that don't matter.

I didn't most of the time. Once I was feeling picky and did, and
three different people thanked me for it afterward because they didn't
see at the time that it didn't matter and lost the thread of the proof
as a result.

Also, some people write down proofs verbatim during lectures and study
them later when they're not under time pressure. A small error, even
a single typo, can sometimes cause a lot of misunderstanding when the
lecturer isn't there to ask about it.

I think if you can bring attention in a way that doesn't get the
lecturer defensive or disrupt the flow much, it helps to point out
even small mistakes. It's a lot easier with some lecturers than
others though.

- Tim