5 Well-Known Scientists Who Are Terrible At Math

Many are scared of mathematics. While some are obsessed with math, others cannot stand it. However, there is no denying that it is more than just a compulsory subject at school; it plays a vital role in many professions nowadays.

If you want to pursue the various areas of machine learning, AI, or programming, you need to have a certain understanding of math. But if you have tried your best and it seems like it is over your head, relax, it does not mean you cannot have a stable career in STEM.

This list below contains the stories of five scientists that have contributed significantly to modern science, but unfortunately, they were terrible at mathematics. In fact, a new study found on the New Journal of Physics pointed out that even physicists are afraid of doing math sometimes.

Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell was the one who invented the telephone, which has revolutionized human communication. He also had contributions to the medical field as well as the development of some flying machines.

Bell loved to have intellectual exercise, but he was not fond of math at all. He showed interest in the ideas and methods to solve problems in math, but he did not care about working out the final answers.

Later in his successful career, his math skills were still stagnating.

Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison was an eccentric man, and he is famous worldwide for being the inventor behind the lightbulbs. However, he was not very good at math, and he was well aware of that fact.

Edison said that he could always hire a mathematician, but they could not hire him. Instead of spending time improving his own skills, he paid to have the best mathematicians working for him, like Charles Proteus Steinmetz.

E.O. Wilson

E.O. Wilson’s contribution is evident in philosophy, evolution, and biology.

All of his bestsellers mentions his struggle with this subject, and according to him, the schools he attended in the U.S had done a poor job preparing him for mathematics.

During his career, this remained one of his weaknesses. It was not until he was a freshman in university that he learned algebra. And when he gained the title of professor, he started with calculus. Wilson was even in the same math classes with his undergraduate students.

Michael Faraday

You may know about Michael Faraday as the inventor of the electric generator and the electric motor. His other inventions are the rubber balloons, and he also laid some groundwork for the technology of refrigeration.

What impressed most people about Faraday is that he received little formal education as a child. This later hindered his career as a scientist.

Faraday’s hypothesis of electromagnetic radiation was not recognized as he could not provide the mathematic proofs for it. However, eventually, James Clerk Maxwell, a mathematician, and physicist proved that he was right all along.

Charles Darwin

Darwin’s math skills were awful, and he did not even try to hide the fact. Darwin’s description of himself said that he learned mathematics very slowly. He had tried and asked a tutor to help him improve, but then he got frustrated with it and gave up.

However, later in his life, he said that he regretted not being patient enough to learn it.

The takeaway from this story is that be patient with yourself. You do not need math to be able to be successful in STEM, but it will help you greatly in many aspects of life.