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Comment by mrtranscendence | Hacker News Reader

I don't think I agree. 3 + 5 = 8 isn't something you need to literally memorize, but if you don't memorize such facts of basic arithmetic you're at a disadvantage when it comes to doing homework and tests. It's easier and less error-prone to memorize 8*7 than it is to work it out manually every time you see it until it sticks.

For what it's worth, I struggled with math in elementary school and especially high school -- I failed algebra I, then passed it with a D; then I failed algebra II before passing it* with a D. It wasn't until I was forced to take a business calculus class in my 20s that it started clicking, and I assure you the quality of instruction wasn't any better at the college level than it was in high school. (I did eventually graduate with honors with a math degree.)

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Agreed. It does need memorization. Anyone who don't think so can try to add and multiply in hexadecimal, what is 0xA + 0xC and what is 0x8 * 0x6? It becomes quite obvious memorization is required when you try it in any other radix other than decimal(which is memorized already).

It might be quite obvious that memorization is convenient, but 'required' means "you can't do it any other way" and that's obviously incorrect.

IDK why we'd assume that there's a different cognitive process for learning mathematics with radix 10 than with radix 16?

Mathematics_education#Methods https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics_education#Methods :

> [...] Rote learning: the teaching of mathematical results, definitions and concepts by repetition and memorisation typically without meaning or supported by mathematical reasoning. A derisory term is drill and kill. In traditional education, rote learning is used to teach multiplication tables, definitions, formulas, and other aspects of mathematics.

I think they mean that it is very useful to “cache” these primitive results, but it is absolutely possible to regenerate them if one is missing or the like.

It should be understood first, and memorized later.

If you do not memorize small things that you frequently need, it will slow you down.

But if keep memorizing things without understanding, at some moment your memory will return an incorrect result, and you will be unable to notice it.

I don't plan to ever need to do math in hexadecimal without a calculator. Far as decimals go, I actually did get away with solving the multiplication problems on the fly...so no, memorization isn't necessary.

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