The biggest problem I always had with math is that most teachers try to teach it like you already know it.
Trust me, there is nothing worse than being left behind because you just didn’t get ONE STEP in the problem, and the teacher wouldn’t go back to explain that simple step to you, even when asked.
Took me until my late 20’s to get a good handle on higher maths, and that was only because I hired my own tutor to explain the steps and reasons to me.
I am (unfortunately) one of those people who requires an explanation of WHY something is done “that way, instead of some other way”.
Once my tutor explained WHY, I caught on quickly and understood perfectly.
That is a good point. Just look at the assumptions in these questions.
My experience was sort of the opposite of yours. I loved math but was often marked down for not showing my work even though the answer was correct. I worked too fast and jumped ahead in the solution.