Mathematics for the Adventurous Self-Learner

Post by ben_w » Tue, Feb 25, 2020, 3:41 PM UTC

user00012-ab wrote: post #192

ben_w wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m using brilliant, but just the courses, not any of the community parts. What was the failure mode?

I think the final thing was on the daily challenges; I always tried to solve them before looking at the answers even If I don't know the "proper" math to do so. I had posted my (correct) solution that I got to by writing a program to work it out; and I got some replies saying I was an idiot for not doing in the proper (math) way.

Post by wendyshu » Tue, Feb 25, 2020, 5:12 PM UTC

pflats wrote: post #167

gavinray wrote: post #6

I 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…

> Also, curse the Greeks for not using more idiomatic variables. ∑ would never pass code review, what an entirely unreadable identifier One thing I tell my high-school students: mathematics always looks harder than it actually is. One of the essential skills in succeeding in math is looking at a page of arcane "stuff" and having your reaction be, "Whoa! Can't wait to learn what this means," rather than, "Whoa! This l…

Post by sitkack » Tue, Feb 25, 2020, 8:38 PM UTC

warvair wrote: post #156

dhimes wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope I'm not too late here, but if you are in the US I would highly, highly recommend signing up for developmental classes at your local community college. You are exactly whom those classes are for. If you've tried on your own before and struggled to stay motivated, doing it in a structured way, in 15 week "sprints", may be just the kickstart to your self-study program you need. Disclaimer: I was a full-time commu…

Might want to ask current students about those classes first. My experience with community college math developmental classes was: "Go to this AV room, watch these videos, do these workbooks. If you have questions, I have office hours on these days.". Which was terrible. I did have someone I could come to with things I didn't understand, but it was obviously not something they liked doing and you had little choice ab…

Post by golergka » Wed, Feb 26, 2020, 1:08 PM UTC

sn9 wrote: post #64

gavinray wrote: post #6

I 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 would use Khan Academy. Start at a level that feels too easy, even if it's elementary school math. The key to learning anything is to start at a level that feels too easy and gradually increase difficulty. As you finish a subject, see if there's a corresponding book in the Art of Problem Solving store [0]; you can revisit the subject at a deeper level that will strengthen your foundation. The AoPS books will also e…

Post by hackermailman » Wed, Feb 26, 2020, 6:51 PM UTC

gavinray wrote: post #6

I 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…