Mathematics is a subject that often evokes a range of emotions, from excitement to frustration. Many students find themselves making similar mistakes repeatedly, which can hinder their progress and dampen their enthusiasm.
We at Miracle Learning Centre, offer expert maths tuition to help you overcome the mistakes. To help you on your journey, we have compiled a few mistakes that are commonly made by students.
In this blog, we’ll explore some commonly made mistakes in math and provide practical tricks to avoid them, helping you to approach math with greater confidence and accuracy.
Misinterpreting the Problem
Mistake: Misreading or misunderstanding the problem’s requirements.
Example: Confusing the terms “sum” and “product” in a word problem.
Trick to Avoid
Read Carefully: Take your time to read the problem thoroughly.
Highlight Keywords: Mark important terms and numbers.
Paraphrase the Problem: Restate the problem in your own words to ensure comprehension.
Incorrect Order of Operations
Mistake: Ignoring the correct sequence of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS)
Example: Evaluating
3+4×23+4×2 as (3+4)×2(3+4)×2 instead of following the correct order.
Trick to Avoid
Use Mnemonics: Remember PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, Addition and Subtraction) or BODMAS (Brackets, Orders, Division and Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction).
Practice Regularly: Regular practice with problems involving multiple operations reinforces the correct sequence.
Dropping Negative Signs
Mistake: Forgetting or incorrectly applying negative signs.
Example: Treating
−32−3 2as 99 instead of −9−9.
Trick to Avoid
Double-Check Signs: Make it a habit to review each step for correct sign usage.
Use Parentheses: Clearly denote operations involving negative numbers with parentheses, e.g., (−3)2(−3) 2 .
Errors in Fraction Operations
Mistake: Incorrectly adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing fractions.
Example: Adding fractions without finding a common denominator.
Trick to Avoid
Understand Rules: Familiarise yourself with the rules for each operation (e.g., find common denominators for addition/subtraction, multiply numerators and denominators for multiplication).
Simplify: Simplify fractions whenever possible to make operations easier.
Mistakes with Algebraic Expressions
Mistake: Incorrectly simplifying or expanding algebraic expressions.
Example: Misapplying the distributive property, such as
2(𝑥+3)= 2𝑥+3
2(x+3)=2x+3.
Trick to Avoid:
Write Each Step: Clearly write out each step in your calculations to avoid missing terms.
Check Work: Review each step for errors, especially when distributing or combining like terms.
Misaligning Place Values in Arithmetic
Mistake: Misaligning numbers in addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.
Example: Misaligning the decimal points in decimal addition.
Trick to Avoid
Line Up Correctly: Ensure numbers are correctly aligned, especially the decimal points.
Use Graph Paper: Using graph paper can help keep numbers in the correct columns.
Skipping Steps
Mistake: Jumping from the problem to the answer without showing intermediate steps.
Example: Solving an equation mentally and writing down only the final answer, leading to errors.
Trick to Avoid
Show Your Work: Write down each step in the solution process to keep track of your logic and catch mistakes early.
Review Steps: Regularly review your steps to ensure they lead logically to the solution.
Conclusion
Math mistakes are a natural part of the learning process, but with awareness and practice, you can significantly reduce them. By adopting these tricks and making them a part of your regular study routine, you’ll find yourself navigating math problems more efficiently and accurately. Remember, the key to mastering math is persistence, practice, and a willingness to learn from your mistakes.
