Thursday, May 29, 2008

How To-3: How to Learn Math


How to Learn Math


from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Here are some important things to remember when learning mathematics (known as math or maths for short). Learning mathematics is like learning another language, so at first it will be hard but it will get progressively easier. A lot of concepts in mathematics are inter-related, so knowing one helps you understand many others. Being frustrated is not a problem, it is a natural part of the learning process, so don't give up.

Steps

  1. Create learning time. Make sure you have at least an hour a day to dedicate to learning mathematics.
  2. Become acquainted with the vocabulary. Keep a mathematical dictionary by your side as you study. Many areas of mathematics require knowing a certain amount of mathematical vocabulary and it is less frustrating to be able to quickly look up the meanings.
  3. Get at least two reference books on set theory. This way, you will have two different explanations and one of the explanations may make better sense to you than the other; or a combination of both will help you to "get it".
  4. Tackle subjects along with their prerequisites. Many concepts are related and knowing one helps you understand the other. If you didn't grasp one concept as well as you should have earlier, set aside a little time to revisit it and learn some more and then combine it with the new concept. Often, the new concept will help the older one to gel in your mind.
  5. Progress through the levels of mathematics. Work your way up to advanced mathematics through this progression: Basic algebra, basic geometry, basic calculus, intermediate algebra, regular calculus, number theory, linear algebra, advanced algebra, combinatorics, analysis, topology.
  6. Practice with many problems. Do as many mathematics problems as you can lay your hands on - even those beyond the class. This will assist you in getting a good feel for the topics and will likely help much of mathematics become "second nature" to you.
  7. Always ask for help if you don't know how to do something. Also never stop trying to learn something because you say it is to hard keep working at it.

Tips

  • Frustration is part of the process so don't give up just because you have a hard time understanding some concept.
  • Tackle all the basic stuff all at once and spend an hour every day learning one of the basics like algebra and geometry.
  • A good tutor once a week can really help to straighten out math problems; make sure your tutor is very understanding and can express the concepts well. Try university level students as a good source of tutors.
  • Regular practice will ease your challenges.
  • It cannot be stressed enough: Frustration is part of the process so don't give up.

Warnings

  • Like any other worthwhile endeavour, the study of mathematics is not easy; persistence and focus can help you excel in your efforts.

Things You'll Need

  • Books and lots of them, unless of course one of your relatives is a math professor; in which case you can just borrow their books. They'll be more than willing to help you!

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Learn Math. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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