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Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?

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Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?

#131

Post by MikkoFinell »

taylodl wrote: post #21

https://www.3blue1brown.com has you covered for linear algebra. Now as far as the math needed for physics, I highly suggest Roger Penrose's 'Road to Reality' ( https://www.amazon.com/Road-Reality-Complete-Guide-Universe/... ). As the reviews say it's not an easy read but what it does provide you with is all the mathematics you're going to need to learn to understand today's physics. The book provides a high-level ove…

Covered for linear algebra? Yes those videos have some nice visuals but the material is just scratching the surface.

Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?

#132

Post by Noumenon72 »

Promarged wrote: post #75
aj7 wrote: post #27

There 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 agree with this suggestion. It took me a year to slowly absorb the entire book of Statistics [0] including solving all exercises. It's just like walking to school but there is no external supervision. I made a rule to complete one chapter every evening including exercises and sticked to it. [0]: https://www.amazon.com/Statistics-4th-David-Freedman/dp/0393...

Your story implies there are 365 chapters.

Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?

#133

Post by trevyn »

nicoburns wrote: post #104
wodenokoto wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You sit down in a warm or hot room What is wrong with airconditioning?

In cold parts of the world, warm has connotations of comfort, not cold...

Is this part of the process? Visit a cold part of the world, set yourself up with a physics textbook in front of a fireplace...

Actually, that sounds quite nice.

Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?

#134

Post by lvncelot »

haskellandchill wrote: post #42
e0m wrote: post #17

Watch the 3Blue1Brown YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYO_jab_esuFRV4b17AJtAw These videos are frankly better explanation of college-level math concepts than most college classes. Also, now you probably care much more about the intuitions of mathematics over the raw mechanics of it. Once again, this channel perfectly exemplifies this concept.

These videos are posted any time linear algebra is mentioned. I find it almost comical at this point. What good is this intuition? I struggle to understand the value that these videos bring, but I'm not saying there is no value. I'm just lost, and kind of jealous because I need a deep understanding of linear algebra for work.

I think what stands out about those videos is that people who have no prior higher math education still get a shadow of intuition of what's actually going on, and people who already 'grokked' the concepts still got an alternative, simpler view on those concepts, resulting in at least a view 'a-ha!' moments for almost everyone.

Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?

#135

Post by usgroup »

aj7 wrote: post #27

There 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…

Defs agree with op. I learned the more advanced maths I use daily in my thirties. It took about 3 years of exactly ops method. In my case, I found it motivating to take exams because it gives you a bit of skin in the game; forces you to prioritise your study at some point.

A final thing: it's really worth doing. If you long for maths; it's likely it'll conceptually take you places you won't go without it. Do it!

Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?

#137

Post by krageon »

Noumenon72 wrote: post #132
Promarged wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with this suggestion. It took me a year to slowly absorb the entire book of Statistics [0] including solving all exercises. It's just like walking to school but there is no external supervision. I made a rule to complete one chapter every evening including exercises and sticked to it. [0]: https://www.amazon.com/Statistics-4th-David-Freedman/dp/0393...

Your story implies there are 365 chapters.

It implies he completed 365 chapters but says nothing about repetition of the chapters.

Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?

#138

Post by EliRivers »

I took a Masters of Mathematics with the Open University in my thirties.

The (my) short answer is grind. Get a good textbook on subject of interest, start reading, start scribbling, start answering the questions. That's how I did it. Three or four days a week, two to six hours a day, grind grind grind GRIND GRIND GRIND GRIND. It's geology; time and pressure.

Now and then, when really stuck, finding someone who can illuminate a point for you is worth it, but that helped me a lot, lot less than one might think.

Anticipate not understanding large chunks of it. Anticipate pressing on anyway. Anticipate not being able to answer many questions. Anticipate having to read three or four different treatments of the same thing in order to get a real understanding. Anticipate that some of it you will never understand. Anticipate that watching youtube is not a substitute. Anticipate that the sheer information density of well-written text means you might spend an hour on a single page. Anticipate questions taking you six hours to solve, leaving your table and floor strewn with the history of your consciousness. If you're prepared for all that, and it's a price you're willing to pay, there is no reason to not simply start now. Pick up the first good textbook, start grinding now. Time and pressure. It's so easy to waste time preparing to start learning; beyond making sure it's a decent textbook and getting some pencils and paper in a quiet room, the only preparation is accepting that this is going to be a long grind, and embracing it.

Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?

#139

Post by MistahKoala »

I'm a bit wary of some of the suggestions here. I'm a similar position to you (at least, when it comes to maths). The difference for me is that I'm fairly certain that I'm one of the least accomplished people responding to your post. Whereas most of the others responding appear to be of the same ilk as the people you idolise. I know I'm cut from a different piece of cloth as those people (and I don't mean that resentfully - I just want to be realistic about myself). So some of the suggestions may be perfect for them. For people like me (and I'm not suggesting that you are, but your circumstances sound similar to mine), something with more of a safety net may be more realistic. I know I don't have the fortitude to sit and persevere with a text book for hours on end. Sometimes, I need some of the groundwork to be laid down for me - at least, when it comes to things like maths and scientific ideas.

I can't say I've found a successful way of learning and retaining maths knowledge over the past few years. That retaining bit is important - I can pick up something, give it a go and get it right, but if I don't do it again, I forget what I've learnt. I had some early success with the OU book series 'Countdown to Mathematics' (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Countdown-Mathematics-1-v/dp/020113...), but the problem ultimately is that it covers materials in a block format; once you've covered a topic and solved problems, you move on to the next topic. Khan Academy has the same issue and is arguably worse because, so far as I've found, it requires learners to know what they don't know, rather than structures a learning programme where each topic follows sequentially (maybe there is a way to do this but I've found the KA UX to be complicated and confusing).

I've tried more 'sophisticated' maths learning solutions that claim to account for learners' knowledge and weaknesses, but there are various shortfalls with them and none is aimed at learners older than schoolchildren. It's not so much the provision of learning materials that I'm frustrated with but the process of testing and retaining what I learn. I would dearly, dearly love to find a tool that can assess what I know, tell me what to learn next, test me on the topic BUT continues to do so as I progress, making use of spaced repetition and interleaving. It seems like the perfect use of both techniques - like Anki - but so far as I've found, nobody has done this for maths learners. Anyway, I've digressed...

Re: Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?

#140

Post by hitechnomad »

EliRivers wrote: post #138

I took a Masters of Mathematics with the Open University in my thirties. The (my) short answer is grind. Get a good textbook on subject of interest, start reading, start scribbling, start answering the questions. That's how I did it. Three or four days a week, two to six hours a day, grind grind grind GRIND GRIND GRIND GRIND. It's geology; time and pressure. Now and then, when really stuck, finding someone who can il…

I'm doing my OU Masters in Maths now, in my 40s. It is definitely hard, but I'm enjoying it. Personally I struggle to learning things thoroughly unless I'm working in the subject, or I have exams to do. My own learning workflow is to flip through a chapter to get an overview, then read/re-read it thoroughly, then go through the exercises on the chapters quickly looking at the answers. Read the chapter again, then try doing the exercises without help. I've found YouTube pretty good for getting the intuition behind some ideas.
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