Aren’t applications like Brilliant actually really good to do this?
Mathematics for the Adventurous Self-Learner
21–30 of 216 posts
Re: Mathematics for the Adventurous Self-Learner
#22This is so difficult. I've been doing it off and on for twenty years and not made much of a dent in things.
The hardest part I think is understanding and measuring your progress. In school you've got exams and classmates to compare against, profs to talk to. Alone it's much harder. "Do I understand this well enough?" "Did I do the problems right?" (Especially with proof problems, how do you know you're right?). "I can work through some problems one by one, but it feels like something fundamental I'm missing. Am I, or is this chapter really just about some tools?"
Then it's way too easy to say well I'm never actually going to use any of this so why am I doing it ... and take a few months off and come back forgetting what you'd learned.
Re: Mathematics for the Adventurous Self-Learner
#23I know this is going to be the case for likely nobody, but I have browsed most of the self-study math threads that pop up here as a forever-on-my-todo-list thing and I have a remark to make: I have yet to find a guide that does not start with the assumption that you graduated highschool. That is a very reasonable assumption to make. We are in a community of technology and engineering, it would be a bit ridiculous to…
It's nice to see that I'm not alone in this situation.
I completely ignored math during high school due to a number of reasons (bad influences, even worse teachers...). I then went to college and managed to pass through calculus classes, mostly thanks to pure mechanical memorization and professors turning a blind eye to my lack of understanding.
Since my graduation (~5 years ago) I've been trying to fill this gap, but like you perfectly described, all materials expect you to have a solid basis. I think the problem is that math is huge and people spend a good chunk of their lives learning it (4-17 for the fundamentals alone!), so we fail to see how much it involves and how hard is for somebody that didn't have a proper education to learn it.
I have been making solid (although slow) progress with https://www.khanacademy.org/. I tried to learn from the top a bunch of times, but always hit a wall and dropped it. I only started moving forward when I decided to go through the basics, algebra and trigonometry 101. It has been a hard and slow journey, but each step comes faster and becomes more rewarding.
Re: Mathematics for the Adventurous Self-Learner
#24I am going to suggest something that might go against this idea of self-studying math.
Do not do it alone. I mean, it is okay to self-learn mathematics as much as possible but don't let that be the only way to learn. Find a self-study group where you can discuss what you are learning with others.
I think the social-effect can be profound in learning. I realized this when I used to learn calculus on my own. My progress was slow. But when I found a few other people who were also studying calculus, my knowledge and retention grew remarkably. I think the constant discussion and feedback-loop helps.
With round the clock internet connectivity, it is easier to find a self-study group now than ever.
Re: Mathematics for the Adventurous Self-Learner
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
The No Bullshit Guide To Math And Physics https://minireference.com/ I bought the Math and Physics copy because it has an ebook option and the first chapter is the Math guide. I’m going through a few pages a day and it’s crisp and straightforward. There is a sample of the first chapter on the site, I suggest you check it out to see if this is what you are looking for. Found via an HN thread from last year on this top…
Ha, I came here to shamelessly self-promote, but I see my book has already been mentioned! Here is a direct link to the preview: https://minireference.com/static/excerpts/noBSguide_v5_previ... I won't claim that Chapter 1 is complete and detailed review of all of high school math, but I did my best to cover all the essential topics needed for mechanics and calculus so that the book will be self-contained.
The book looks lovely. Did you write it using latex? What is your tooling to author a book like this?
Re: Mathematics for the Adventurous Self-Learner
#26This is so difficult. I've been doing it off and on for twenty years and not made much of a dent in things. The hardest part I think is understanding and measuring your progress. In school you've got exams and classmates to compare against, profs to talk to. Alone it's much harder. "Do I understand this well enough?" "Did I do the problems right?" (Especially with proof problems, how do you know you're right?). "I ca…
Shared a similar thought here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22401420
Yes, it is really important to learn math with study-mates. Just like in code, we do reviews, in math too, we need someone else who can review our proofs. It is even easier to make an error in a proof and believe that something is proven when it isn't. A study-mate helps to prevent us from fooling ourselves.
Re: Mathematics for the Adventurous Self-Learner
#27I know this is going to be the case for likely nobody, but I have browsed most of the self-study math threads that pop up here as a forever-on-my-todo-list thing and I have a remark to make: I have yet to find a guide that does not start with the assumption that you graduated highschool. That is a very reasonable assumption to make. We are in a community of technology and engineering, it would be a bit ridiculous to…
artofproblemsolving.com is excellent. Many of their books, while intended for middle-schoolers, are replete with problems that many adults would find challenging.
Re: Mathematics for the Adventurous Self-Learner
#28I know this is going to be the case for likely nobody, but I have browsed most of the self-study math threads that pop up here as a forever-on-my-todo-list thing and I have a remark to make: I have yet to find a guide that does not start with the assumption that you graduated highschool. That is a very reasonable assumption to make. We are in a community of technology and engineering, it would be a bit ridiculous to…
khan academy. lessons and practice problems. go for it.
Re: Mathematics for the Adventurous Self-Learner
#29I know this is going to be the case for likely nobody, but I have browsed most of the self-study math threads that pop up here as a forever-on-my-todo-list thing and I have a remark to make: I have yet to find a guide that does not start with the assumption that you graduated highschool. That is a very reasonable assumption to make. We are in a community of technology and engineering, it would be a bit ridiculous to…
> At a reasonably quick pace
Consider discarding that requirement.
> that someone with a family + overtime startup hours could still benefit from?
I suggest drilling fundamentals with easy exercises in moments of low quality time. (I often do a few Khan Academy skills during bouts of insomnia. For others it might be the commute, or just before bed, or...) Periodic repetition over the long term is more powerful than cramming.
Save your best quality time for your family and your job. Accept that you will progress in math at a slow pace. Before too long you will nevertheless end up ahead of many successful (!) software engineers who do not have strong math foundations.
Re: Mathematics for the Adventurous Self-Learner
#30I know this is going to be the case for likely nobody, but I have browsed most of the self-study math threads that pop up here as a forever-on-my-todo-list thing and I have a remark to make: I have yet to find a guide that does not start with the assumption that you graduated highschool. That is a very reasonable assumption to make. We are in a community of technology and engineering, it would be a bit ridiculous to…
I won't repeat the good suggestions already made, but I'll add this: find a set of the Open University MST124 text books. The OU publishes their own maths books, which are specially written for self-study (since that's your only option with the OU) and their courses generally assume very little or no previous knowledge. There's an even more basic course (MST123 I think) if that one is too advanced. These are serious courses that form part of their Mathematics degree course so they are very thorough and, I hate this word, but rigorous.
Of course you get the books when you sign up for the course, but it's way cheaper to get the books and study on your own, and you'll get 90% of the information that way.
I don't know if you'll find the pace quick or not; personally I would say that learning maths is very hard, and the materials you use are unlikely to prove to be the botteneck (spoiler: it's you).