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How to study math

Hey Judas! — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 19:44:51 -0800

What is the best way to manage time while studying for upper-division undergraduate math classes that are proof-based/STEM classes in general? I entered college as a social science major and I ended up a pure mathematics major with a minor in computer science. I'm taking my first proof-based upper-division courses this semester and I'm having trouble staying afloat.

I have the bad habit of cramming. I will often neglect other classes and just study for one class for every free hour of the days leading up to an exam, then repeat the process all over again next week for another class. This has worked so far, but I just recently realized what a waste it is. I have absolutely no free time to do anything other than cram and do homework.

I spent all weekend studying for my real analysis class and I really started to understand, and even enjoy, the material. Going through my notes, I can't believe how amazing some of the stuff we've learned so far is. I also can't believe it took me so long to realize that my cramming is seriously detrimental, not only to my grades and knowledge, but to my enjoyment of the material. Now that the classes are challenging and interesting, I really want to learn instead of just do well on tests. It is such a waste of time and money to cram for exams rather than actually learn.

My only hangup is I have absolutely no idea how to transition from cramming/memorizing for tests to studying the correct way. My mindset has always been study for Monday classes on Sunday, Tuesday classes on Monday, etc.. I want to spend a set amount of time each day studying for each class. I also want to set aside time for hobbies, reading or studying other material. My spring break starts next Friday and I plan on catching up completely so I can finish the semester using this studying method.

I do not necessarily need advice on HOW to study for these types of classes (cross referencing proofs with other textbooks, doing extra problems and asking for clarification from profs/TAs works for me). I just need advice on how to implement the "study a little every day" method I always see suggested. Has anyone actually used this studying method and has it actually worked? Does anyone have any tips on how to manage my time to fit an hour for each class every day?

I would also specifically like to hear from math/STEM majors about your study schedule and study methods (be as specific as you want). I would appreciate hearing how someone in the same types of classes goes about studying. Thanks for any advice!

Clearly, this proves that I'm stupid

lucia_engel — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:35:00 -0800

I can't seem to wrap my mind around the language of higher level math. Definitions, theorems, and proofs make me fall asleep, but I really do want to understand. Do you know of any good resources that can help me out? Back in high school (Canadian) I was a math whiz. I had no trouble with any of the concepts, including calculus in Gr 12. I can "do the math" and am good at problem solving. However when I got to university and started taking Number Theories, Abstract Algebra, etc., my logic suddenly disappeared on seemingly simple concepts. I've obtained my degree in CS already, somehow memorizing or handwaving my way through on my assignments and exams, but now I actually need to understand higher math for my current job.

For example, these are excerpts from one of my textbooks (A Concrete Introduction to Higher Algebra by Lindsay Childs):

[on real numbers] "The real numbers form a complete Archimedean ordered field...Archimedean means that for every positive real number r there is a natural number n with n > r."
[division theorem] "Given nonnegative integers a > 0 and b, there exist integers q> 0 and r with 0 <= r < a such that b = aq +r

I thought I understood real numbers and division until I read these definitions and was also asked to prove them. First of all, my brain have difficulty just parsing out what's written; it's like a foreign language to me. Secondly I never know how to begin when proving things. I can somewhat follow along if there's an example in the textbook, but on my own I would be completely lost.

I'm not looking to take any classes in math or hire a tutor. Books or online resources would be good. At minimum I'm hoping to at least be able to read through a math textbook and actually understand the explanation.

Help me figure out what in the world I should do with my life.

bookman117 — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 19:36:34 -0800

Should I change my major? Drop out of school to become a plumber or electrician? I need some advice. So, right now I'm a comp sci major in the middle of my fifth semester. Problem is, I'm feeling really burnt out right now with regards to programming and math/science "left brained" stuff in general. I'm much more of a language oriented person than a math one (I got a 750 on the critical reading section of the SAT and a 660 on the math section), but I figured I might like programming and computer science because a lot of it has more in common with the kind of stuff you might learn in a formal logic class than calculus, though I'm not terrible at calculus or anything (though I could never be an engineer). Besides, I'd known law school was probably a bad decision all the way back in the fall of 2009 when I was first applying to colleges given my penchant for scouring the web for stuff to read about w/r/t politics and economics (I believe the earliest thing I read was this post from 2004), and I had no idea what I might do with a BA in philosophy or something otherwise. Also, I applied to UT Dallas as a safety school, and they gave me a full ride, so even though I could see the flaws in going here my parents did not and refused to pay for anything else. I'm not sure what it would be like to graduate with an economics degree (what I've been thinking about switching to) from this school, but I have a feeling it wouldn't be that great. Their comp sci program, on the other hand, is pretty excellent. Problem is, I never code at all on my own and this leaves me feeling rusty and burned out whenever I come back.

I'm taking a class right now called competitive learning in cs in which the professor assigns us a couple programming challenges from contests and encourages us to go to a couple. I've done terribly at these. If you were to ask me right now to write some pseudocode for a quicksort algorithm or something, I would be at a complete loss. I mean, I could study all that stuff prior to an interview or something, but somehow I feel like that's sort of defeating the purpose.

I've thought about biology/medical school, and I almost did that instead of comp sci right out of high school, but I absolutely despise the notion of being obsessive about my GPA and making sure my transcript is squeaky clean and all that, and there's just something about the American medical establishment generally that I find off-putting (e.g. interviewers for med school asking questions like "would you do medicine if it only paid $50,000 a year?"). Again, if I didn't seek out post-graduate education, what would I do with a B.S. in biology? Kiss doctor's asses as a drug rep to try and convince them to give my company's medicine to their patients?

I've done no internships so far and I actually had to drop my technical writing class because for some reason, no matter how hard I tried, I would fail to format stuff satisfactorily enough for the professor to give me anything above like a 50 on the assignments, so I don't even have a resume written. As you should be able to surmise from the previous sentence, I have a hard time getting anything done unless some external authority has put a due date on it.

At any rate, as I mentioned above, I enjoy reading stuff about politics and economics and that sort of stuff on the internet, and I particularly enjoy Paul Krugman's explanations of stuff for lay readers (this slate article was really great in helping me finally understanding how monetary policy works and what money is and how it's created). If it hadn't been for Paul (well, and also some major real world events that coincided with a period of my life during which I was still impressionable), I would still be the libertarian Reason-reading geek I was back a freshman in high school. Now I'm a metafilter-reading geek instead.

Anyway, my main goal in life right now is to become financially independent of my parents and I'm open to any and all suggestions as to the best way to go about doing that. My family would have major issues with my going into a blue collar trade and my older brother (an investment banker at Deutsche Bank for what it's worth) would not be very happy at all were I to try and switch into an economics degree from UT Dallas. There's a lot more to say about all that but I've already typed on long enough that I think we can call this a post.

Me + Math Major = Success?

lobbyist — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 09:54:11 -0800

Do you have to be "inherently" good at math to successfully major in math as an undergrad? So, I've recently decided that I'd like to pursue an Economics major.

I've heard from various professors at my school, however, that it's absolutely "in my best interest" to supplement this with a math double major (basically a prof. told me that any Econ/Finance related job or grad program would require a stronger math set than anything else).

I'm really not opposed to this idea at all; in fact, reading some of the other math related threads on here has very much encouraged me, as I see that the major can lead to an endless number of interesting careers/opportunities…

I just don't know whether or not I can handle it. I would say my aptitude for math/numbers is definitely above average—I aced my AP Calculus class in high school and I’m currently doing great in an intro stats class—but I realize that this offers no indication to how well I will do in advanced, more logic/proof based classes.

My “worst fear” here would be to get half way through the major, take some 300-level Vector Analysis class or something, hit a wall and then spend the rest of the semester wondering what the fuck I’ve gotten myself into. For scheduling/time reasons, I have zero interest in a minor in math; my approach here is all—the major—or nothing.

So metafilter: help me out here! Is a math major doable for someone who isn’t naturally gifted in math? Can I fight through, or do upper-level, proof based classes require some sort of skill-set or conceptual understanding that I just don’t have/will never have?

Thank you so much.

Discrete mathematics for idiots?

Foci for Analysis — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:17:18 -0800

Now that I'm back at college, I'm having serious trouble with an elementary course in Discrete Mathematics (for computer scientists). How can I complete this course? Although I've always been very interested in math, this has unfortunately never been reflected in my ability to do math. Add the fact that it's been a couple of years since I've been to college or studied math, and you got the main reasons why I, halfway through the course, am failing hard. I've fail another discrete mathematics course that I took many years ago for pretty much the same reasons.

During lectures I have a hard time understanding what the teacher is saying because it's all gibberish to me and even note-taking is difficult because the pacing is too fast. So basically lectures are almost worthless to me (I've skipped the latest one because they've become so frustrating). Occasionally the teacher will refer to something as high school math but since it's unknown to be, I assume that I've never learned it or just forgotten it (it's been a decade since high school).

I find the textbooks non-pedagogical. Although I clearly have issues with math, most of them are incredibly abstract and non-engaging that mostly focus on theorems and their proofs. I know this is pretty standard for college math, but it makes things extra difficult for me. I lack the ability to see between the gap, i.e. between where the textbook explains a concept and presents a problem to be solved using reasoning based on the concept. To me the gap is an abyss and I can't see the connections between concept and problem-solving.

I'm honestly at a lost here. I get the feeling that none of this should be this difficult, but I have no idea on how to fix the situation. Ideally, I would like a Discrete Mathematics for Dummies type of resource that doesn't require strong math skills and that's very pedagogical.

Course Topics:
* set theory
* combinatorics
* Relations, functions
* Recursion, induction
* Graphs, trees, graph optimization, traversing/searching graphs
* boolean algebra

Should I pursue my interest and study college physics more?

reenka — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:19:10 -0800

Should I pursue my interest and study college physics more? Specifically, should I take a year-long calculus-based program, until I get comfortable that I'm on top of it-- and can really judge my level of interest and aptitude fairly? Considering I'm a Junior English major. Also considering that it's been 15 years since HS algebra and I've never been good at math. But I want to be. Some factors:
- I am a junior in college and I'm 33. I know, I know. I'm also an English major. I know, I know. I semi-but-mostly-plan to either graduate and try to go to English grad school next year, or stay and be crazy and go for a BS in ...some science that probably involves physics.
- I know it's crazy. But I've always been a dreamer and a very restless person who disliked feeling pigeonholed into doing just the stuff that comes easily. Too many things come easily (when it comes to English-type stuff). People telling to be a philosopher of science when I was in HS and expressed interest in serious study of mathematical science in college was just the icing on the cake-- not that I'm not into philosophy, but it felt patronizing.
- I no longer seriously want to be a scientist. I mean, I'd have been great at it in the 18-19th century (I think), but not now. But.
- I'm not really a practical person. And I don't care. So common sense/practical arguments are irrelevant (though I can make them myself).
- I love learning about physics and natural history (that is, observational biology or zoology/ecology and 'human studies' in the biological and psychological but not medical sense). It's a major interest.
- I suck at math. No, I mean, I've almost always had really bad experiences or teachers or whatever, I was a poor student anyway, and I skipped some courses most schools require but mine didn't (like trigonometry). I'm not even sure I took Algebra II. I think I took 2 years of HS algebra but I was only 'on top of it' in Algebra I. In year 2 I think I maybe got like, 75 tops. That was 15 years ago. I was pretty good in Algebra I, though, and I enjoyed it once I got it. I was fond of linear equations, and was even fond of quadratics. I liked algebra, once upon a time.
- I am not naturally linearly logical or spacially-intelligent. That is, basic visual puzzles confuse me, even though I'm a visual artist. I'm an artist in a different... side of my brain or something. I can draw from life, but I can't manipulate 3d objects in my head-- sometimes not even 2d objects-- very easily. But like I said, I'm an artist, and I could probably rewire some of this somehow. Also, while my logic isn't linear, I'm good at making my reasoning linear when I work on it purposefully.
- I'm pretty 'concept' smart-- or, intuitive. That is, I'm very good at understanding concepts. Once I get it, I really get it. I am also very curious and never feel satisfied not understanding or feeling stuck. If I get stuck, I get stubborn.
- I am pretty bad at study skills and consistent endurance (aka discipline). I endure extreme all-nighter study-fests but consistent daily study has never been natural for me, and this is partly why I'm better at humanities work (besides natural gifts or whatever). I can simply bullshit at anything that has wiggle room to bullshit in.
- I also have ADD I'm only semi-treating at the moment, and of course that's not helping.
- I want a general, liberal arts and sciences education. I've taken way too much English already, though most of it not 'canon' or breadth oriented.

I'm currently taking a math (algebra) & physics 'in the natural world' intro course that goes into stuff like chaos theory, spirals in nature and the Golden Ratio, as well as an overview of standard physics concepts using algebra, and I'm really lagging. It's a struggle to try to review middle-school and HS algebra and learn bits of trigonometry and advanced calculus and do coursework and try to start a project, etc. I'm definitely lagging. I took this course to get a feel for whether further study is warranted and how much did I 'really' like physics. However, what I learned was that I need more time before I can differentiate 'lagging brain' disease from genuine results from full engagement with the material.

So I was thinking, I just want more time. I don't want this rushed course to be 'it' for me and college physics.

Even though I'm so discouraged at my own mental abilities, I still feel fascinated by physics and I don't hate math. I can try to take more physics this summer (Basic College Physics 1, without the fancy 'nature' stuff). I can also just forget all my other plans for next year and plunge in with a year-long calculus-based physics/chemistry program, because in our school you can only take one multi-subject 'program' at a time.

I know it's kinda crazy, but my priority, ultimately, is to 'be all I can be' as a human being, not to graduate earlier or whatever. Maybe you could argue it's not like a significant portion of my inborn talents lie in chemistry & physics, so it's not like I'm missing much. Maybe I should accept I was lazy in HS and lazy earlier in my college career and didn't take those broad gen-ed science courses when I should have, and now I should face the music. But that's just depressing. Maybe it's partly an ego thing and I don't want to believe this is the best I can do, but I'm not a person with a big ego; I genuinely don't think this is the best I can do.

Thoughts?

Is it possible that an English speaker learning Chinese would develop problems with math?

bookman117 — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:12:31 -0800

Is it possible that an English speaker learning Chinese would develop problems with math? okay, so I'm a freshman in college and among other classes I'm taking differential calculus and Chinese I. Last year when I took AB Calculus as a senior in high school, I think I got a B in the class and I got a 3 on the AP exam, so I didn't do that badly. However, I feel that this semester I have struggled in my math class, which could be due to a million different things obviously, not least of which not having done any of this for a while and the fact that the professor has a somewhat difficult accent I haven't studied all that much and the TA isn't stellar either and yadda yadda yadda, but nonetheless I have felt it to be oddly difficult at times to recall/re-pick up on various concepts. I have read that while both Easterners and Westerners use the area of the brain that's more focused on the quantitative when doing math, Westerners also employ the more verbal area as well whereas Easterners use the visual area. I have surprised myself with my ability to pick up on Chinese and especially read the characters, though I do have 12 years of Spanish under my belt as well as some self-taught German. Anyway, I was wondering if perhaps learning to think more visually due to reading the non-phonetic characters may have caused my brain to become more geared to the visual area, causing some problems with my ability to do math since up to this point I had thought about math using both my verbal and quantitative area. I realize that this could definitely just be crackpot bullshit I'm telling myself as an excuse for not studying enough or to avoid coming to grips with the fact that the class which I told my family would be really easy and a retake of what I did last year and laughed on the phone to my sister about how the professor felt the need to explain what a function was on the first day may not be such a cakewalk after all, but then again I think it could potentially have some validity to it. What do y'all think?

Help me remember math!

alaijmw — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:55:51 -0800

I'm taking a calc-based physics class as well as a calculus class. The last time I took a math class was 5 years ago and I would love some refresher resources - or even better, an intensive algebra-trig-precalc course. Are there any online or in the DC area? I'm thinking about going back to school for engineering and to start that process I'm taking a Physics and Calc course at my local community college this term. Unfortunately, it has been a long, long time since I've done any serious math.

A friend of mine took a "Head Start Calculus" course at Portland State University and it sounds exactly like what I need - it was a two week intensive course that covered algebra, geometry, trig, and pre-calc as a refresher for students who have taken those courses in the past.

Is there anything like this that I could take as an online course or at another local school in the DC area? It doesn't appear that NOVA (where I'm going) offers something like this, but I may have missed it.

I'm planning on sitting through most of the Kahn Academy's videos on these subjects, but I'd really prefer a structured course.

Thanks!

Help me publish a calculus textbook.

Anonymous — Wed, 19 May 2010 06:47:23 -0800

I want to eventually publish a high school / college level math textbook, but I have no idea what I'm doing. Recently, I've been toying around with the idea of writing a textbook for a college first-year calculus class (or BC calculus for high school students).

I am confident that I can write a good book, appropriate for the target audience. I am even doing my own illustrations, which I think are at least as good as anything I could commission.

So, after a while, I could have a nice pdf ready to be printed and bound. However, I'm not sure about actually getting it published. For example, are publishers going to be picky about precisely how it's formatted and the exact content?

I know the material perfectly well, and I feel that I am capable of teaching it reasonably well. My only concern is that there's something obvious I should be keeping in mind that textbook publishers expect (i.e. lots of color illustrations, tons of "real world applications", how to use your graphing calculator, stuff like that).

I really would like it to be a simple black-and-white thing, with the option of paperback, simple non-distracting illustrations -- a very minimalist product. Is this just a pipe dream?

Also, how hard is it to get a textbook published in general? Do I need to "know people"? Should I be sending publishers drafts before I finish? I have no idea. I am in grad school now, but I expect to have a PhD by the time this thing is done.

Mines or DU?

Wordwoman — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:22:57 -0800

Help a student decide on a college: Mines or DU. For a high school senior who wants to be a math or economics major and wants to keep their options open for different professions or graduate programs, which is a better option: Colorado School of Mines or University of Denver? Which will open more doors? Which is more highly regarded? Who are the typical students, and what is the social atmosphere at each school?

Okay to use WolframAlpha for homework?

Wordwoman — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:39:18 -0800

Would it be considered academic dishonesty to use WolframAlpha when doing a homework assignment in math? My friend is taking a differential equations class, and is stumped on some of the problems, so she looks up the steps to solve them on wolframalpha. If she is attempting the problems before looking them up, and if she is learning from the process, is it considered cheating?

Are college math placement tests hard?

greatalleycat — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:40:15 -0800

How hard are math placement tests for community colleges? I am a college graduate who needs to take a basic statistics course as a prerequisite for a graduate program as I never took it in college.
I think I will be forced by the community college where I can take the class to take a math placement test. I haven't had math since 11th grade many years ago and I'm nervous they won't let me take this one class.
Will it be hard for me to test into statistics after this period of time? I know algebra and remember some geometry, but I forgot trig and the harder algebra. I answered some questions on Compass, the company that college uses for tests.
Note: Statistics at community college is level 1410 and is a little lower on the number scale than trig and pre-calculus.
I am trying to get an exemption as I already have college degree, but I didn't take any math classes.

Learn Math Via Programming?

fightoplankton — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:59:39 -0800

I have always been horrible at math, but somehow a great programmer. I have found that writing a computer program that demonstrates a certain mathematical concept enables me to better understand the concept. I'm a psych major and I brought this up once in the research lab I've been working in. My prof said he recalls that someone did research and/or created a system in which a student writes a computer program that is pertinent to a certain mathematical concept and upon completion is given the regular math problem (as it would appear in a math class). This enables the student to better understand the math problem, solve, and learn math. Has anyone heard of this or anything similar? A learning system such as this would be a blessing to my education. Thanks.

What did YOU do with a math education?

Thorzdad — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:42:44 -0800

So, what did YOU do with a math education? We are deep into the whole college visit/choice dance with our daughter. She's a senior in HS and is still struggling with determining what she might want to study in college, thus leading to the choice of school.

She's been a straight-A student and is currently taking college-credit calculus and physics classes. She's a scary whiz at math and related subjects, and seems to enjoy it.

So far, though, the idea of studying "math" in college hasn't exactly elicited much excitement. Underlying that is the question of, other than teaching, what the heck would one do with a math education? And, all the schools we've looked at separate "math education" from "math".

Her guidance counselor has been more worthless than can be imagined. Her only help in guiding my daughter has been to express dismay that our daughter hasn't chosen a school and subject yet, then point her to a stack of college pamphlets. We, of course, are very frustrated because we simply haven't the experience or ability to expose our daughter to what possibilities might be out there.

So...math majors...what fields, other than teaching, offer opportunities for you?
(As a caveat, I should add that she definitely isn't interested in computer sciences or anything that would lead her to software development.)

What can I expect as a premed?

pandemic — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:01:46 -0800

As a new premed student, what should I expect (namely in terms of math courses/difficulty) to encounter later down the road? I spent my freshman year knocking out some basic classes while I pondered my major. I'm now certain that I want to at least attempt a premed regimen and am majoring in biology this semester. I've talked to friends who are premed and have searched all over the internet but the answers I'm getting are disparate at best. So I'm asking anyone here who's had in depth experience as a premed student--what did you go through? How much of a hit did your social life take? And most specifically, how difficult would you rate the math end of it compared to, say, a computer sciences major?

Any advice would most definitely be appreciated.

Help me get my math on

baphomet — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:09:27 -0800

I need to brush up on my basic college math skills for a course readiness assessment in a week. What are some good resources online and what should I focus on? I'm going back to school in the fall and have my math course readiness assessment in a week. Unfortunately the last time I took a math class was in high school in 2001, and it was never my strong suit to begin with. I'm thinking that the degree I'm going to pursue (BA in Geography) is going to require basic math skills, and I have to complete at least one college-level math course to graduate anyway.

At this point my math skills are extremely rusty- things like FOIL, order of operations, etc, are all in the dusty nether-reaches of the stuff I forced out of my brain after high school. I know this is really basic stuff I learned in 7th or 8th grade, so it's kind of embarrassing to admit that I couldn't simplify to save my life, but there you have it.

I'm not looking for any advanced placement- I know that I'll need to take a basic college algebra class. That said, my fear is that I'll place below those courses and in the realm of courses that I'll need to pass- and pay for- but not receive college credit for before I can take algebra. I'm confident in my ability to catch up and re-learn this material, but what are some good resources to help me along with that?

Can I skip college math?

Dreamcast — Sat, 24 May 2008 16:04:25 -0800

Is it possible to bypass a math course requirement at a community college? I'm considering going to a community college (the only college that's in my area) because I'm interested in becoming a composer, however, I've been told math is a required course. I'm terrible at math, and I always have been. I just don't seem to comprehend anything more advanced than addition, subtraction, and multiplication. Teachers, tutors, parents, and acquaintances have all tried teaching me the more advanced math (fractions, long division, etc.), and I've never been able to comprehend it. I've even tried recently, on my own, to learn some of the math that will be on the basic arithmetic portion of the ACCUPLACER test so I could at least pass that, but I didn't understand any of what I read. In short: I just don't get math.

Is there any way I can bypass the required math course, and perhaps do something else in its stead? If I take the ACCUPLACER, and fail the math, I'd probably be put in some kind of remedial math course, and they'd eventually expect me to take and pass a real math course. This is definitely going to be a problem.

Does anyone have any ideas in regards to this? I'm not sure how appropriate this question is for this site, but I'm hoping someone here has some experience with these kinds of things and can help me out.

Budding New York City Math Teacher - what's the best course?

pammo — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:15:14 -0800

Life after high school? How to decide? My son who is a senior in high school is trying to decide what to do next year. Here's what he knows: he's gay, he wants to live in NYC, and he wants to be a math teacher when he grows up. For now though he doesn't have an idea of what grade level he's interested in teaching.

He has two choices, each of which presents an opportunity to dive right in:

The first is CityYear. This is a year of paid work with elementary school kids in NYC schools, after which he'd go on to college to pursue his career.

Another possibility is enrolling in The Teacher Academy at Hunter College. This looks to be a pretty rigorous but satisfying program, focused on preparing middle & high school math & science teachers.

Anyone out there have any experience with these programs? Help my son make a decision!

How can I get my college prof to admit he is wrong, and give me the marks I deserve?

Tachoh — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:52:15 -0800

College prof keeps marking my math tests incorrectly. What do I do? Heya Metafilter,

I am in community college now, planning on going to something a little more serious when I graduate this year.

I am getting a 99% in my math course, doing really well. Recently, however, my mark has taken a hit due to the fact that my math prof marked 2 questions that were correct as incorrect due to the fact that he does not fully understand the answer.

I tried explaining the answer to the question to him in class, but he does not like to be told he is wrong and went around the question. It was clear in his explaination to the class that he did not know how I arrived at the answer I did and said "well, what I do know is that you got it wrong"

Short of actually sitting this guy down and teaching him how to do these problems, how can I get the marks I deserve?

Has anyone else ever had this issue? Should I go to the dean? I really don't want to cause a scene or harm this prof in any way.

Please advise.

Tips for university teaching

onoclea — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:25:09 -0800

Teaching a university course for the first time: any tips or suggestions? A friend of mine is preparing to teach his first university course, calculus for non-math majors. He has given single lectures and many seminars before on other more advanced topics, but this is the first time he will be carrying a whole course, on calculus, and with an audience of this size. He's a quiet guy, works really hard, takes this commitment very seriously, wants to continue in academia, and obviously wants to do a good job! Any tips, suggestions, warnings, recommendations, revelations, wake-up calls, etc. would be very much appreciated! Thanks.

Long time listener, first time caller

malapropist — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:01:56 -0800

I'm failing Trig. What would be a good makeup assignment to suggest to my teacher? Do college teachers even do that kind of thing? Hi, I'm going to a community college in southern California with intentions to transfer to a CSU. Yesterday, I calculated my grade in Trigonometry, which was hurt greatly by my last test's results. If I scored every possible point left in the class, I'll still get a D. A friend told me that when she was in college, her friends managed to pull their grades up "all the time" by asking their instructors for some kind of special makeup assignment late in the semester.

However, I don't see my Trig instructor going for it. This guy has seen it all; he's 70 something, he's mentioned he's not impressed with the performance of our class overall, and after giving me my grade, noted that I haven't done homework in a month. In the end, I don't deserve sympathy. The best excuse I could give is that a full-time load of classes threw me, and the learning curve turned into a brick wall in all my classes at the same time. The truth is I focused on my other classes at the expense of this one.

Either way, I'd never heard of makeup work of that nature in a college course, and I'm skeptical. Clearly, if this strategy is going to work, I need to impress to him that I'm willing to work extra-hard to learn the material, and that I'm being proactive.

Have you ever been assigned some kind of makeup work like this in a college class? What would be a good way to approach my instructor on this subject? I feel like I should have an assignment in mind, perhaps a proof, or some other way of showing I am comfortable with mathematics in general (which I am). Googling revealed little, but I know we'll be using some trig in calculus, is there something I could learn about in that sense that shows I'm concerned with math for more than just getting a grade?

The worst that will happen is he says no, and I withdraw from the class next week. Still, I'd rather not do that, so I throw myself at the mercy of the hivemind. Thanks for reading (if you got this far :)

Fizzix

god particle — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:45:29 -0800

I want to start teaching myself physics, but how? I am a freshman in college and I am considering majoring in physics. Physics has always been something I've been intrigued by but I am admittedly not very good at it. I would like to be good at it, though.

I am not presently enrolled in a physics course but I am planning to enroll in one next semester. As for now, I'm looking for a good "self-teaching" physics book that focuses on introductory and classical physics (vectors, forces, tension, etc). I am aware that physics requires a lot of mathematics, and I don't have much confidence in my mathematical ability (I've only taken up to calculus AB so far). So, preferably, this book would also extensively cover the mathematical concepts in clear terms.

I have looked into some of Feynman's books but the one's I've found seem either too advanced for me (especially in terms of mathematics) or they aren't what I'm looking for. Some of the other books I've looked at introduce a slew of Greek letters and variables by the second or third page, which is far too steep for me.

I'd like to avoid the "Idiots" or "Dummies" guides.

Though I am looking for books, other suggestions are welcome (I'm watching the physics video lectures from MIT OCW).

I have looked through some of the past similar questions, but I am interested in going beyond just physics concepts - I want to master the mathematics behind those concepts. For example, in this post, the poster is more advanced than I am.

Dyscalculia Schools

SansPoint — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:54:26 -0800

What schools in the US will waive math requirements for people with dyscaculia? My housemate claims he's only attending Temple University, here in Philly, as its the only school that will give him a degree and waive a math requirement. Is this true? There's an awful lot of schools out there...

Where are the online math programs?

fellion — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 07:09:52 -0800

Online Degree Question: Has anyone actually completed a math degree online? If so, what school did you attend and how would you rate it? Regular college is out due to time restrictions. (I work in an unrelated field that pays me enough that I don't want to quit.) I'd like to get a math degree, but most online programs I've come across are business related. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Turns out I _don't_ know what I'm doing...

devilsbrigade — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 21:49:22 -0800

"Math 51H provides a rigorous, proof-based introduction to linear algebra and differential calculus in several variables." Recommend a book to catch me up to the starting point for this course! All through high school math classes were taught to me as "memorize equation Z, plug numbers/variables in, solve." I.E., taught to the lowest common denominator in terms of math theory ability. It was inane, and very limiting. Needless to say, school next year will not be that way.

I want to take a class that actually goes into the theory, but I'm a bit worried about just jumping in at this point, with absolutely no background in theory (although a very strong inclination towards math in terms of picking up material - I got a 4 on the AP Calc BC test, despite our school only offering AB as a class).

What I'm looking for, I guess, is a good introduction theory/proof-wise to the math up to this point, so I don't completely die in this class. I'm looking for something that's hopefully not a textbook (ie, is more accessable and readable) but still will give me a fair understanding of basic math (up through single variable calculus).