Where to pick up learning math again?

Question

In high school, I absolutely loved math classes. I took Calc in 11th grade, and then since have done just about nothing with math.

Is there somewhere I go to see what math knowledge I still have/remember so I know where I should start re-learning some things?

I get incredibly discouraged and bored when I'm going through simple things that I remember and end up quitting before I get around to learning anything new.

What is your current situation? A college student? A professional? There might be different answers that could apply to different situations. — TakeS, Feb 20 '13 at 02:54
Personal hobby, I guess. I'm less interested in WHERE to learn and more interested in where to find out what I remember, so I know where to start (algebra? Trig? Geometry? What do I remember, what have I forgotten?) — Rob, Feb 21 '13 at 15:34
Does this answer your question? Learning mathematics as if an absolute beginner? — user1147844, Apr 30 '23 at 22:48

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 19 '13 at 17:55

MIT has a website with some math courses online http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm. They have the video lectures and homework sets available online. There are other schools as well. It really depends on what you want to learn about mathematics, and what you want to do with it. If you want to see it applied, I would suggest learning Linear Algebra pretty well as it is the basis(not a pun) for compression, wireless communication, coding, and a bunch of other cool stuff. If you want a more natural feel for the mathematics I would suggest looking at the first year physics course that is online. If you don't want to get bored, you can always pick random chapters from the book to look at and go back to fill in the gaps you need. As a starting point though, watching the physics 1, and single variable calculus lectures on MIT's OCW would be a good place to relearn some old and new math.

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 20 '13 at 04:07

2

What about Project Euler? This is more of a computer programming website, but there are many questions that require some interesting mathematical application. As an added benefit, you can hone your skills on a programming language of your choice.

answered Feb 20 '13 at 04:07

TakeS

227

+1. In addition, this is more engaging trying to solve problems and less passive than reading a textbook. In an alternative world, instead of working on my math PhD I'd go home and work on Project Euler problems in my spare time. – abnry Feb 20 '13 at 04:10

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Feb 19 '13 at 19:50

1

Khan Academy has some neat stuff.

answered Feb 19 '13 at 19:50

bob.sacamento

4,028

Khan is IMHO overrated. Learners need learning material that's well edited, which is not the case of Khan Academy. Minor errors are annoying when learning math. – Quora Feans Dec 25 '13 at 10:59

Where to pick up learning math again?

3 Answers3