Reddit reviews Calculus for Cats

He really should get this for Christmas

I have to profoundly disagree. You're not "bam, you're writing code". That's like saying if I throw you into the deep end of a pool "bam, you're swimming". No, you're flailing for dear life.

There's a reason that Python is a better first language than Java. In Java everything must be in a class. You can't teach "Hello, world" without invoking the concepts of classes, objects, methods and variables. Generally this means the instructor will say something along the lines of "Type this in and just ignore all of this other stuff for now." This leaves the student feeling like I did when I attempted to learn Calculus with a bunch of math geeks in college when my mind is not wired for math: you lose confidence. Even if your program compiles/you get the right math answer, you say: "I just wrote down a bunch of gibberish and I have no idea what it means or how it worked. I wonder if I ever will." I passed Calc I (with a D) yet at the end of the course I still didn't know what calculus was or why one moved their x's here or their y's there. I had no understanding, and you can imagine how that set me up for Calc II (two tries, two F's). Contrast this approach with Ken Ahmdahl's Calculus For Cats which is mostly words and not a single exercise.

The beginner to programming needs a 45-page intro trying to introduce them to the concepts of computer programming. Otherwise they're just memorizing keywords and actions they don't understand. I remember what I went through with Calculus so I can relate (even though I'm too old to really remember how easy/hard it was to learn programming). Maybe other people don't remember what it was like to learn their first computer language. No concept of variables, local/global scope, flow control, types, etc. I can't believe that throwing a complete newbie into the deep end ever produces good results.

This poster doesn't need to learn Python; they need to learn programming, and that's something else entirely. Python can be a good tool to do that, but one does not approach doing that like one does one's fifth computer language.

I am doing this very thing. I found some fantastic books that might help get you (re)started. They certainly helped me get back into math in my 30s. Be warned, a couple of these books are "cute-ish", but sometimes a little sugar helps the medicine go down:

1. Algebra Unplugged
   
2. Calculus for Cats
   
3. Calculus Made Easy
   
4. Trigonometry
   
   I wish you all the best!
   
   

You might try the book Calculus for Cats. It helped me for re-learning. Even if it's too basic it might help to speed things along at a higher level.

I also liked this a lot - Calculus for Cats