It seems as if most students dont really appreciate the beauty of math . Interestingly, programming examples/assignments seem to be a very efficient way to discourage beginner programmers. Some of my "favourite" motivation killers:
- Solving a quadratic equation (coeffinients entered by user) as an example for branches
- Multiplying two matrices as an example for nested loops
- Drawing a function graph as an example of how to work with a coordinate system on the screen
- Calculation of the greatest common devisor
- A fraction or complex number class as one of the first examples for OOP

Seems as if programming a simple game (see this post)leads to much higher motivation levels and thus much better long term results - even when the game leads to a much more complex program than the math problem. What is your experience ?