On simulating the firing rate of neurons and understanding neuronal function.

I don't know why I have problem with higher math.  I'm a systems analyst/computer programer by trade.  I believe I'm good at what I do.  Math is mostly symbol manipulation.  None the less my mind shuts down when exposed to higher symbolic math.  Most of the stuff covered so far in the Coursera "Computational Neuroscience" class is symbolic math.  I am being given the formula for the firing rate of neurons and what is being explained is how one can extract information from a trace of the firing rate of neurons.  I am left wanting.

This morning I realized what's going on.  It's a bit like explaining a radio by expressing formula for the firing rates of transistors.  Sure one can reconstruct the music by measuring the firing rate of the transistors but it doesn't really explain how a radio works.  Something else is being explained.

I need to re-frame how I'm listening to the lectures.  I'll need to manipulate symbols to do the math even though I don't quite understand what the symbols are representing.  Understanding can come later.  Conditional probability is quite a powerful tool.  I've seen it applied to genetics and now to neurology.  Maybe understanding what the neurons are doing is enough for now and how they are doing it can wait.