>>13712511>>13713534I see mathematics as a set of tools I can use to better create and understand various things that I find beautiful and fascinating (computer graphics, electronics, etc). When maths helps me do that, I love it and greatly enjoy studying it.
When things start getting more abstract and theoretical, leaning away from applications and more towards appreciation of maths as an inherently worthwhile and beautiful thing in its own right, then I start struggling to relate to that idea, and find myself far less motivated and less likely to absorb the material.
To be more concrete: I was strongly motivated to learn trig, basic calculus, linear algebra, etc because I knew it was all essential for 3D graphics. I was less motivated by number theory topics, but I imagine I would have been more engaged with it if I were interested in cryptography. And while I understand the value of proofs, I found it very hard to properly grasp them because I couldn't envisage any use I would personally have for them.
