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Relearning math as an adult

gmays.com

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Re: Relearning math as an adult

#71

Post by ramblenode »

JustinSkycak wrote: post #51
maroonblazer wrote: post #25

>> The ‘Foundation Series‘ is what I’m starting with. It’s for adults to help streamline learning (it skips the stuff that kids need, but adults don’t) and work back up through college-level math relatively quickly (emphasis on relatively ). I'm curious to know what 'stuff' he's referring to. And what about it makes it such that kids need it but adults don't. And if that's true, are we SURE kids need it? I had horrib…

Hi there, my name is Justin Skycak, I'm the Director of Analytics & Algorithms at Math Academy. I can speak a bit as to the stuff that's skipped in the Foundation Series. After developing a curriculum that covers all the standards for 4th grade through AP Calculus BC, as well as plenty of advanced university courses (many of which are still under construction, but the structure is mapped out pretty comprehensively),…

Thanks for responding.

What are some examples of topics that you cut out from the high school math curricula? I have seen modern Algebra II courses remove conic sections in order to make more room for probability and statistics.

Re: Relearning math as an adult

#73

Post by jambutters »

jorgesborges wrote: post #28

I’m a thirty-something with an arts degree who decided to learn math. Basically I was tired of reading popular science and being fed metaphors to understand concepts. I wanted to “see” it for myself. I spent time online at Khan Academy and friends for a year or so on and off. It was fine but meandering? So I enrolled in community college! It’s great. I have a clearer path, immediate feedback, teachers, and an obligat…

I actually find the immediate feedback from khan academy exercises better than school actually. The feedback loop is much more tighter instead of waiting an entire week later for results and not really getting another go at it. I also tend to zone out or miss something in the lecture, and that missed thing is what builds the entire foundation for everything else and then the entire lecture is pointless. With video based lectures, I can pause, go back, play 2x speed, look at multiple well produced explanations, etc. Ultimately I don't find face to face all that valuable a various amount of subjects.

Re: Relearning math as an adult

#74

Post by gmays »

BOOSTERHIDROGEN wrote: post #26

Can OP now understand the decoder architecture? I would be interested in a follow-up post.

Not likely yet, I'm still working through the Mathematical Foundations courses before I earn my way up to the Mathematics for Machine Learning course.

I would love to do a follow-up post at some point.

Re: Relearning math as an adult

#75

Post by gmays »

jacquesm wrote: post #49
JustinSkycak wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi there, my name is Justin Skycak, I'm the Director of Analytics & Algorithms at Math Academy, I developed all of our quantitative software, and I'd be happy to answer your questions. 1. The AI is more like an expert system that emulates the decisions of an expert tutor with regard to what tasks a student should work on at any given point in time (what should the student learn next, what do they need to review). The…

Why am I not surprised that a marketeer shows up in an 'organic' posting about a company.

FYI this is the guy that wrote the comment you replied to: https://www.justinmath.com

He's true math nerd, and definitely not a marketer. In fact, I don't think a single marketer works at the company. It's a bootstrapped labor of love and I've been following their journey for almost a decade.

I get the skepticism, but some things are legit.

Re: Relearning math as an adult

#77

Post by jcpst »

ngneer wrote: post #63
juunpp wrote: post #31

This is basically an unsolicited ad post. It communicates nothing of substance and the entire thing amounts to "click the sign-up button". It doesn't even cover the course contents. How this makes it to the HN front page is mind-boggling. Goatse would at least be more entertaining.

On a very apt topic for HN readers, though, who likely enjoy math to some degree and have heard of LLMs. What if the post inspires someone to look into revisiting actively learning math as an adult? Is that so bad?

Yes, I agree, it reads like an ad. But I did in fact find it inspiring.

For all I know, maybe it is a targeted ad. I am a software engineer at a large company. I was selected and flown to HQ for training on integrating LLMs into applications. I am currently building systems that support our data scientists.

I’ve tried picking up more math skills a few times. But I’ve never taken trig or calc.

I’d like to understand ML and LLMs better, but I feel like I’m not even sure where to start with trying to learn math. For I have a family and a job as well.

So the adult track of that Math Academy site does seem like something I would try.

Re: Relearning math as an adult

#78

Post by nyssos »

fiforpg wrote: post #15

> but I needed a good reason that would justify the time investment It should be understood though that there are cases when math(-like) language is abused, leading to overcomplication and obscurantism [1]. In mathematics, there is always the temptation of formalizing for formalization's sake. Indeed, 99% of pure math is non-constructive ("there exists a group such that", "the algorithm converges in O(N) steps"), as…

> Indeed, 99% of pure math is non-constructive ("there exists a group such that", "the algorithm converges in O(N) steps")

Almost all mathematicians work with classical logic, but that doesn't mean that they always use all of its power. On the contrary, most of what you would see in an undergrad math program goes through constructively with at most a few minor modifications.

Re: Relearning math as an adult

#79

Post by ginbazinga »

If OP still wants to learn the mathematical foundation of transformers, I built a free alternative learning tool: https://afaik.io/nebula?mode=nebula&category=blueprint&id=ed...

It's also based on an underlying knowledge graph, connecting concepts across various subjects like maths, machine learning, physics, etc. You can check the graph for transformer here: https://afaik.io/nebula?category=brickset&id=VLlOnZLl&mode=d... (only available on desktop...

Basically, it frees you from learning maths from scratch and just learning the prerequisites required to grasp the concept, and there are free resources attached.

Don't get me wrong, I can totally relate to the desire to relearn maths. One of the reasons that I'm building this tool is for me to relearn physics and know how to get there with my maths and cs background. I just feel in this specific scenario there might be more effective ways to learn in depth and have fun at the same time.

Re: Relearning math as an adult

#80

Post by MrVitaliy »

dcw303 wrote: post #35
AlchemistCamp wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I totally agree with you on the value in using Chat GTP when stuck. What's the scope of The Art of Problem Solving? How far does the series go?

AOPS audience is gifted high school kids, so it doesn't get up to the college level. The core texts are: - Prealgebra - Intro to Algebra - Intro to Counting & Probability - Intro to Geometry - Intro to Number Theory - Intermediate Algebra - Intermediate Counting & Probability - Precalculus - Calculus

I think it's a weird way to learn math, and I learned it this way in school. Most of these courses just teach information memorization and recall. sin(x)^2 + cos(x)^2 = 1, etc.

I would start with something like Elementary Analysis: The Theory of Calculus, and work from there. You'll eventually arrive at the same place -- Calculus but from a much stronger mathematical foundation.

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