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Ask HN: How can I learn to read mathematical notation?

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Re: Ask HN: How can I learn to read mathematical notation?

#91

Post by geitir »

eldavido wrote: post #32

I love how there are these two parallel threads going in HNville: (1) COLLEGE SUCKS BURN IT DOWN and (2) "I'd like to learn complex things like machine learning and math that take more than reading 5 blog posts to master, how do I do it"? Sometimes this place just cracks me up. I honestly think the answer is pretty simple: go to college. It doesn't have to be expensive. Take a community college course in calculus or…

This is completely wrong. I am a recent graduate who is in stem and took up to calc 3. It is true you do learn notation but only what is necessary for the concepts and math of the calculus classes. I've run into the same problem as the op and most of the notation that acts as a barrier isn't matrix operators or integrals but rather symbols used in proof or niche cases that might be prevalent in a specific field but not in general University math courses.

Re: Ask HN: How can I learn to read mathematical notation?

#92

Post by cuspycode »

eldavido wrote: post #32

I love how there are these two parallel threads going in HNville: (1) COLLEGE SUCKS BURN IT DOWN and (2) "I'd like to learn complex things like machine learning and math that take more than reading 5 blog posts to master, how do I do it"? Sometimes this place just cracks me up. I honestly think the answer is pretty simple: go to college. It doesn't have to be expensive. Take a community college course in calculus or…

> What you shouldn't do is try to self-study by reading a book.

I say do try self-study first and see if it works. You have absolutely nothing to lose by trying. It doesn't work for everyone, but you will quickly figure out if it works for you. Some people can absorb knowledge from books much more easily than from oral instruction, and for others it's the other way around.

Re: Ask HN: How can I learn to read mathematical notation?

#93

Post by akhilcacharya »

eldavido wrote: post #32

I love how there are these two parallel threads going in HNville: (1) COLLEGE SUCKS BURN IT DOWN and (2) "I'd like to learn complex things like machine learning and math that take more than reading 5 blog posts to master, how do I do it"? Sometimes this place just cracks me up. I honestly think the answer is pretty simple: go to college. It doesn't have to be expensive. Take a community college course in calculus or…

>I don't know any way I'd have learned all the complex topics in math, stats, probability, etc., I did without attending a big 10 engineering school (UIUC in my case)

I feel so behind because I absolutely did not.

Re: Ask HN: How can I learn to read mathematical notation?

#94

Post by mindcrime »

eldavido wrote: post #52
crawfordcomeaux wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because you choose to believe you need to be fed your information doesn't mean others do. I've tutored people carrying the thoughts you're expressing ("I need someone to teach me this because I'm not smart enough to learn it on my own"). The quickest way to success with them was shattering that myth. I did it by talking to them about their feelings/beliefs and helping them figure out practices for changing their…

It's not about being "fed information". It's the reality that being around a motivated group of peers confers real advantage. I look at the history of art (e.g. Impressionists), YC, winning athletics programs, Silicon Valley, or just about any well-regarded academic department as evidence. These places don't do well just because they select the best, they also MAKE the best by creating an environment that fosters it.

Maybe your reality. Anecdotally, my peers never did anything of note to help me learn anything in any math classes.

These days I am working on relearning the math I've forgotten, and going beyond where I stopped in college. I have found that a combination of books, YouTube videos of lectures, Kahn Academy, Math Overflow / math.se, and subreddits like /r/learnmath, etc. have been sufficient.

Re: Ask HN: How can I learn to read mathematical notation?

#95

Post by dang »

eldavido wrote: post #32

I love how there are these two parallel threads going in HNville: (1) COLLEGE SUCKS BURN IT DOWN and (2) "I'd like to learn complex things like machine learning and math that take more than reading 5 blog posts to master, how do I do it"? Sometimes this place just cracks me up. I honestly think the answer is pretty simple: go to college. It doesn't have to be expensive. Take a community college course in calculus or…

The paradox disappears when you stop anthropomorphizing HN and remember that a community of millions of people has a lot of different subgroups.

Re: Ask HN: How can I learn to read mathematical notation?

#97

Post by lvncelot »

admax88q wrote: post #72
elhudy wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>What you shouldn't do is try to self-study by reading a book. My experience has been that this is exactly how college math works; you pay for self-study. The professor reads directly out of a book (in poor English), or off of pre-made slides provided with the book, for 2-4 hours per week, and then you are left to do the problems from the book on your own time. Class populations are so large that if everyone had aske…

There are other benefits beyond being able to ask questions. Tests and deadlines provide motivation to do the actual work. Having a curriculum means that the content is laid out in a logical order that the professor believes should be achievable. There is a stupid amount of information out there. Breaking it down into a progression that students can follow in order to learn and understand it is incredibly important.…

I'm from Germany and so the cost of being enrolled amounts to ~600 euros a year (and I get free public transport), so in cases like mine you'd be absolutely right - I'm mostly working freelance jobs and doing the odd course here when I feel like it, and it's pretty great. I get access to the curriculum, social contacts, a motivation kick and a general sense of immersion.

Though I don't think I'd be still doing that if I have to pay a substantial amount of money, so maybe other people just aren't as lucky? I don't know the exact situation in the US, apart from the ridiculous twenty-grand-a-semester colleges I know of, are there cheaper options?

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