Why is it so difficult to learn exact sciences?

It’s perfectly reasonable to say that most people don’t really like math, physics or chemistry. These three subjects of Basic Training (perhaps as well as the computer subject) creates the scary area of ​​high schoolThis is where most people come into contact with these topics.

But are there any aspects of such subjects that are inherently difficult to learn? Or do we have a bias because of the way we are taught?

physics and chemistry As the name suggests, it is Natural Sciences that tries to examine and describe the nature around us.R.. These are areas of human knowledge that seek to understand the reasons why our universe works the way it does, and to do this with precision (which makes them “precise”), they use the most universal language we know, Mathematics.

Thinking of mathematics as the language needed to accurately describe the universe helps us understand why so many people have difficulty understanding what Physics and Chemistry show.

Every language has its nuances and quirks, so to speak, that only a fluent speaker would know. So often what drives people away from these fields is much the same thing that causes people who speak different languages ​​to not be able to understand each other quickly.

Does this mean that those who do not know Mathematics cannot understand Physics or Chemistry? No way. The counterpoint to these ideas is that almost all humans have an inherent curiosity about how the universe works. We need to analyze how interested people are in topics such as extraterrestrial life, black holes, quantum mechanics, space travel, among other various topics covered by such exact sciences. And if you are reading this text on this website, you are most likely in that group of interested people.

The ideas of Physics and Chemistry can (and should) be discussed at all levels, and mathematical knowledge is only one way to understand them. In our school life, such subjects are presented to us in close connection with the language of mathematics, and it is not uncommon to encounter students who think that these subjects can only be reduced to formulas and who are completely disconnected from the way of questioning and thinking about the universe.

In fact, this phenomenon occurs even among students who have an affinity for the language of mathematics and choose to pursue degrees in some field of exact sciences. In a study published in 2022 in the journal Educar Mais, when we analyzed various Higher Education courses, it was found that the dropout rate of students who passed the entrance exam but could not complete the course reached 59% when all courses were taken into account. courses exactly in the area. The field with the second highest dropout rate is Linguistics, Literature and Arts at 49%.

Authors Léo Manoel Lopes da Silva Garcia and Raquel Salcedo Lopes also explored why students drop out of science classes so often and, Among the main reasons was learning difficulties, common to all subjects.. Considering that students entering higher education come from Basic Education, universities need to take this into account when planning courses.

Asking “why” of something is a uniquely human activity. And that is the role of Science, be it in any field of knowledge. Perhaps instead of focusing on the differences between different fields in our education, we can direct our attention to their common points and understand that they are all important for education by showing that they are more similar than we think. the formation of every human being..