5 ways to get conceptual clarity in mathematics

Mathematics is a high scoring subject. Mastering it can actually fetch you a perfect score in the exams. We all know the subject is all about practice. Has it ever crossed your mind that the concept is also equally important? It may not be obvious, but a sound concept is essential for solving any problems. Understanding the mathematical concepts helps you to advance to a higher level of learning. Conceptual clarity often negates the need to memorize or rote-learn the answers.

Here are some tips on how to get conceptual clarity in mathematics.

1. Terms and definitions – No, we are not telling you to rote learn the terms and the definitions, but it is really important to understand them. If you do not understand the basic concept of the terminologies you will be confused while solving the questions. Let us see an example – You get a question that you have to give the sum of all the prime numbers from 1 to 10. The question seems to be very easy isn’t it? But, the same question will become difficult if you are not sure what prime numbers are. So, go through the text thoroughly and try to grab the concept.
2. Formulae – Maths is all about different formulae in each chapter. As a student, the endeavor should be to learn the formulae and practice as many questions related to it as possible. Remembering the formulae will help to solve the problems easily and in lesser time. Formulae improve the ease of calculations and carry a lot of information in a condensed form.
3. Theorems – Theorems are very important. You need to learn and remember the theorems to get good marks. Topics like geometry are completely based on theorems. You may consider making a separate notebook of all the important theorems so that you can revise them easily at any time. Sometimes you are asked to prove the theorems in the exams, thus if you do not know it you will end up losing marks.
4. Diagrammatic representation – You have learnt the theorem and are very confident about solving any problems based on it. But if you do not know how to represent it, the learning will be in vain. Practice the representation of important diagrams like how an equilateral or an isosceles triangle looks like or how the parallel lines or transversal is drawn. Theoretical knowledge with the correct representation will fetch you good marks.
5. Reference – Once you have read the theorems, formulae etc. all you need to do is practice as many questions based on them as possible. Use the NCERT books or a good reference book. This is how you put the things you learnt to use. Solving different types of questions on the same concept will help you remember it well in the exams. You can look up for the class 9 maths ncert solutions available online. Previous year papers can also help you to understand the pattern and types of questions asked in the exams. Moreover , ou will realize that there are some topics on which more emphasis is laid.