When I built my symbolic algebra engine (RomiMath) in TypeScript, I didn't start from the symbols — I started from the mechanics and the abstraction.
I understood Buchberger's algorithm and Gröbner bases in four hours — not by memorizing notation, but by grasping why they exist, how they behave, and what they're for.
Only later came the symbolic language. That part is just a way to describe the mechanics — not to replace understanding with symbols.
The Realization:
Mathematics aren't hard — they're just misframed. The mechanical part (differentiation, polynomial reduction, algebraic manipulation) is finite, reachable, and learnable through repetition and decomposition.
- Each isolated operation is simple
- Repetition reveals patterns
- Constant decomposition brings mastery
The Crochet Metaphor:
- Needles and threads = mechanical rules (finite and concrete)
- Infinite patterns emerge from finite components
- The limit isn't far away — it's here, within reach
My Unexpected Advice:
Study philosophy — the hard kind. Learn to divide and subdivide a thought until it dissolves into clarity. That teaches you to think in structures, to see causes and consequences — the same mental motion behind algebra itself.
Mathematics aren't an abstract wall of symbols. They're a language. Read them as you'd read words in another tongue — patiently, curiously, without fear.
Once you do, every symbol speaks.
Proof: I went from basic fractions to a working Gröbner basis engine in 3 months, without formal education. The engine now solves 7-variable systems in seconds.
Has anyone else found that changing their mental framework made previously impenetrable topics suddenly accessible?
diegoofernandez•3mo ago
I understood Buchberger's algorithm and Gröbner bases in four hours — not by memorizing notation, but by grasping why they exist, how they behave, and what they're for.
Only later came the symbolic language. That part is just a way to describe the mechanics — not to replace understanding with symbols.
The Realization: Mathematics aren't hard — they're just misframed. The mechanical part (differentiation, polynomial reduction, algebraic manipulation) is finite, reachable, and learnable through repetition and decomposition.
- Each isolated operation is simple - Repetition reveals patterns - Constant decomposition brings mastery
The Crochet Metaphor: - Needles and threads = mechanical rules (finite and concrete) - Infinite patterns emerge from finite components - The limit isn't far away — it's here, within reach
My Unexpected Advice: Study philosophy — the hard kind. Learn to divide and subdivide a thought until it dissolves into clarity. That teaches you to think in structures, to see causes and consequences — the same mental motion behind algebra itself.
Mathematics aren't an abstract wall of symbols. They're a language. Read them as you'd read words in another tongue — patiently, curiously, without fear.
Once you do, every symbol speaks.
Proof: I went from basic fractions to a working Gröbner basis engine in 3 months, without formal education. The engine now solves 7-variable systems in seconds.
Has anyone else found that changing their mental framework made previously impenetrable topics suddenly accessible?