A phenomenal resource for physics is the text for the Feynman lectures. And the great part - they're all online, excellently organized, and free: http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/ The lectures alone will not provide mastery, but they will provide a very solid foundation for understanding the breadth of most of all of physics. The one thing those lectures are desperately missing is a similarly well organized and presented problem set.
Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?
111–120 of 160 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?
#112There is one sure way, and it’s a test of your fortitude. You find a a college textbook with the answers to the even-numbered problems in the back. You sit down in a warm or hot room, and solve them. If the textbook is in its 4th printing or so, the answers are correct. On a few, you’ll have to work for hours. Now here is a very, very, important point. All the learning occurs on the problems you struggle with. In the…
I'll second this idea having survived a Physics BS doing just this. I'd also strongly recommend a series of books called Schaum's Outlines, they vary in quality but cover many advanced topics and have hundreds of solved problems in them.
Schaum's Calculus was invaluable to refresh my memory of some of the details of "Calc 2" so I could be sure of passing a waiver exam (most schools would have waived it automatically on account of my AP credits but my school limited me to how many I could waive that way...) and get on with Calc 3. The book covered some Calc 3 too so continued being useful. I have a few others in the series, very handy.
"The reader who has read the book but cannot do the exercises has learned nothing." -- J.J. Sakurai
(Incidentally, I tried reading Sakurai's Modern Quantum Mechanics on my own once and was immediately curb stomped. Lots of prep work required for that one...)
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?
#113I've had the same thoughts about (re-)learning some math. I ran across this a while back, anyone know if these are good?
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?
#114Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you write bug free code?
Is publishing a book the same thing as writing code?
No, writing a math textbook involves (perhaps) thousands of things that might be wrong, none of which will have any impact on one another.
Publishing a perfect book is difficult on par with writing code. Hell, Knuth is incredibly popular and crowdsources his error-checking, and TAOCP is still in its third edition.
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?
#115Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is exactly right. I elaborate on the method in my response.
While I agree with you, and love aj7's post, I'm going to push back slightly on the pen and paper. I used to do all my work (solutions to problems, notes) using pen and (plain! not lined) paper. However I realized a couple of years ago that becoming fluent in LaTeX was a better option for me. The reason is that, with the proof neatly typeset, and the ability to re-work and edit repeatedly without making a mess, I fou…
There's a lot to be said for using computer tools. If you're writing proofs, why not do it formally? [0] If you're working with graphical concepts, why not code them up, or use a drawing program (or hey, a graphing calculator) rather than pulling out a ruler and such (and maybe learning to draw at all if you don't know how)? If you have sloppy handwriting (as I'm sure many of us here do), why not type in something you'll always be able to read later? (Along with whomever you show it to -- I did a lot of college homework using LaTeX. With macros I could do things way more efficiently, with comments I could go back and see what I was thinking at a misstep (if I wrote anything).)
The downside of course is that computers are very capable distraction vehicles, you need a bit of discipline to sit at one and study / do this sort of work at the same time for prolonged periods. Pulling out the ethernet cable can help but may not be sufficient depending on one's level of discipline and access to offline distractions.
A lot of the old methods of learning actually work and so the advice is sound to strictly adhere to them when you're having struggles. Certain modern enhancements are worth a qualified mention though.
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?
#116Earlier quoted context omitted.
While I agree with you, and love aj7's post, I'm going to push back slightly on the pen and paper. I used to do all my work (solutions to problems, notes) using pen and (plain! not lined) paper. However I realized a couple of years ago that becoming fluent in LaTeX was a better option for me. The reason is that, with the proof neatly typeset, and the ability to re-work and edit repeatedly without making a mess, I fou…
There's a lot to be said for using computer tools. If you're writing proofs, why not do it formally? [0] If you're working with graphical concepts, why not code them up, or use a drawing program (or hey, a graphing calculator) rather than pulling out a ruler and such (and maybe learning to draw at all if you don't know how)? If you have sloppy handwriting (as I'm sure many of us here do), why not type in something yo…
> If you're writing proofs, why not do it formally?
Because that requires learning a formal proof-verification language. I'm certainly interested in that, but it is a distraction from learning undergraduate mathematics.
> If you're working with graphical concepts, why not code them up, or use a drawing program (or hey, a graphing calculator) rather than pulling out a ruler and such (and maybe learning to draw at all if you don't know how)?
> If you have sloppy handwriting (as I'm sure many of us here do), why not type in something you'll always be able to read later? (Along with whomever you show it to -- I did a lot of college homework using LaTeX. With macros I could do things way more efficiently, with comments I could go back and see what I was thinking at a misstep (if I wrote anything).)
I'm confused; my post was advocating using software, so I'm unclear why you're suggesting I use software.
> A lot of the old methods of learning actually work and so the advice is sound to strictly adhere to them when you're having struggles.
What is that, a flat contradiction of my post?
Very strange, maybe you meant to reply to a different post?
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's a lot to be said for using computer tools. If you're writing proofs, why not do it formally? [0] If you're working with graphical concepts, why not code them up, or use a drawing program (or hey, a graphing calculator) rather than pulling out a ruler and such (and maybe learning to draw at all if you don't know how)? If you have sloppy handwriting (as I'm sure many of us here do), why not type in something yo…
> If you're writing proofs, why not do it formally? Because that requires learning a formal proof-verification language. I'm certainly interested in that, but it is a distraction from learning undergraduate mathematics. > If you're working with graphical concepts, why not code them up, or use a drawing program (or hey, a graphing calculator) rather than pulling out a ruler and such (and maybe learning to draw at all…
My post was mainly adding agreement to yours with more specifics, "you" used is the "generic you".
> it is a distraction from learning undergraduate mathematics
Arguably so is LaTeX. But it's desirable that students (or just people learning the same material, later) spend some of their undergraduate time learning new things, right? And not just because it's new, but hopefully because it's better. Learning new/different things is just a small step further beyond learning old things with new/different assistants. And maybe some things will have to be cut out, like 17th century prose-proofs (edit: and even just moving to structured proofs without full formal tools is an improvement...), or square roots by hand (http://www.theodoregray.com/BrainRot/)
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?
#118Earlier quoted context omitted.
While I agree with you, and love aj7's post, I'm going to push back slightly on the pen and paper. I used to do all my work (solutions to problems, notes) using pen and (plain! not lined) paper. However I realized a couple of years ago that becoming fluent in LaTeX was a better option for me. The reason is that, with the proof neatly typeset, and the ability to re-work and edit repeatedly without making a mess, I fou…
There's a lot to be said for using computer tools. If you're writing proofs, why not do it formally? [0] If you're working with graphical concepts, why not code them up, or use a drawing program (or hey, a graphing calculator) rather than pulling out a ruler and such (and maybe learning to draw at all if you don't know how)? If you have sloppy handwriting (as I'm sure many of us here do), why not type in something yo…
One thing that I can add, is that the process of neatly recording something really helps cement the process. My professor for dynamics and mechanics of materials required homework to include diagrams of the problem, neatly drawn, on unlined paper. Often I would find that each problem would take three sheets of paper (I'm a horrible draftsman), but I am horribly glad after the fact that I invested all that time.
It is painful, but I don't think there is any easy way of actually learning without just sitting down and doing problems. Have you considered auditing a course at a community college? Very few people (myself included) are motivated enough to work enough problems without the threat of assigned homework. You need to do enough problems on a topic that you are no longer struggling, then do 4-6 more. Those last problems are, IMO, the most important, they actually cement the concepts in long term memory.
As far as books, I can recommend Schaums Outlines for good examples of worked-through example problems.
Edit:fixed typos
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?
#119I'm writing a book called "A Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics". Would you like to see a draft? Shoot me an email at mathintersectprogramming@gmail.com It's an introduction to mathematics from a programmer's standpoint, with a big focus on taste and that second level of intuition beyond rote manipulation and memorization. Includes chapters on sets, graphs, calculus, linear algebra, and more! Each chapter has a…
Is this offer just for the OP, or for everyone? Disregard my email if it was meant only for the OP.
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?
#120I enjoyed reading the No Bullshit Guide to Math and Physics: https://gumroad.com/l/noBSmath It's a brief overview but covers a lot of topics. The author's writing style and the book's layout worked well for me. The same person wrote a book for linear algebra as well but I have not read it: https://gumroad.com/l/noBSLA
Hi atxhx, thx for the plug!
Here is a link to an extended PDF previews of the books: https://minireference.com/static/excerpts/noBSguide_v5_previ... and https://minireference.com/static/excerpts/noBSguide2LA_previ...