Reddit Reddit reviews Elementary Algebra

We found 6 Reddit comments about Elementary Algebra. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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Elementary Algebra
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Elementary Algebra
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6 Reddit comments about Elementary Algebra:

u/slegx · 16 pointsr/learnmath

I had to deal with the no internet thing for some time.
Find some place with free wi-fi(you are using phone?).
Download ebook/pdf reader, FBreader + PDF plugin is good (Assuming that you are using Android phone).
Install Firefox and this add-on Save Page WE, it also work for phones (tested with Android).

Then you can save pages from some of these web sites or Wikipedia:

u/InfanticideAquifer · 7 pointsr/math

There is no guaranteed was to factor any arbitrary polynomial, sadly. You could look into synthetic division, which is probably the fastest general way to test possible roots of an arbitrary polynomial.

You're never going to escape the "if x is not zero" stuff because 0 really is different than every other number. 0x = y has no solutions for y =/= 0, whereas ax = y does for every a =/= 0. This sort of "we need to exclude this one silly case" thing shows up all over math. For any non-zero number... for any non-empty set... for any non-trivial solution...

In math you always look at the cases where n=1, n=2 first (whatever n is... in your case linear and quadratic functions). Starting with the easy case isn't bad... but losing sight of the harder cases or not learning how to deal with them at all is.

I learned elementary algebra from this book and this one, in that order, and I think they were both excellent at providing the sort of perspective on problems that you were looking for. I don't think that "buy an extra set of textbooks to read in your free time" was the solution you were looking for... but maybe.

The really fundamental rule of algebra is "do to one side what you do to the other", although in practice I usually picture moving terms from one side to the other (flipping the sign) when the thing that I'm doing to both sides is addition or subtraction. The other fundamental rule (haha there are two) is that you can replace any term with something that is equal to it. The third fundamental rule is to check your answer at the end to avoid spurious solutions you got because you took the wrong root or divided by zero or something. If what you have solves the equation, it's a correct answer, even if everything leading up to it was wrong. (It might not get full credit of course...)

Really, with elementary algebra, you will eventually find it to be completely intuitive if you stay in math/science... just by using it so often. If your class isn't giving you a good perspective on the subject, you can at least rest assured that that perspective will come with time. I totally understand your frustration, though. (For what it's worth, I really struggled in high school algebra I (not II for some reason). I eventually just got past that with lots of practice.)

u/jacobolus · 6 pointsr/math

I’m not sure Khan Academy is the most useful source; most of the assigned exercises I looked at a few years ago seemed pretty much trivial. You just watch someone solve a problem on a video, and then do exactly the same steps but with slightly different details. It’s an exercise in memory and copying, not in thinking for yourself. Basically the same curriculum as standard high school courses, just at your own pace. See Lockhart, “A Mathematician’s Lament” and Toom, “Word Problems in Russia and America”.

If you are self-studying the Gelfand and Kisilev books /u/TheBloodyNine1 mentioned are nice Russian books with some good problems in them, but also some text. If the text exposition is too fast or high level you could try reading the algebra and geometry books by Harold Jacobs. These have easier (standard American style) exercises but gentler exposition. If you are looking for medium to hard (by typical American standards) problems but also a good amount of step-by-step help with solving them, you might enjoy the Art of Problem Solving books, including those about algebra, geometry, basic number theory, “precalculus”.

Or for something a bit more poetic, check out Lockhart’s book Measurement.

The best way to learn the “why” of things in a real way is by doing the work for yourself. If someone just tries to tell you it won’t really sink in – you have to struggle with something for yourself before the explanation even has any relevance. Sometimes a book of nothing but problems can be just as useful as a book full of text.

See if you can work your way through problems such as those in Mathematical Circles (Russian Experience) (designed for ambitious Russian middle school students). Or you can look at the problems used at Exeter (famous private high school): Math 1, Math 2, Math 3–4, Math 4–5, Math 6, Discrete Math.

Or see if you can solve some past contest math problems. E.g. pick up a copy of a past AMC 12 (or AMC 10 or AMC 8 if those are too hard), and see how many problems you can do if you let yourself try to solve each one for 20 minutes without looking up the answer.

If you get through some of those and want less typical fare there are some fun topics in A Decade of the Berkeley Math Circle.

For some more general advice about problem solving methods (alongside problems), the book Thinking Mathematically is nice.

To be honest, the fastest way to improve is to find an expert tutor/mentor/coach to meet with face to face. Self-studying from books or websites or learning from class lectures and completely independent work is much more difficult / less efficient. There might be free tutoring resources available in your area if you hunt around (e.g. sometimes colleges will do free tutoring for nearby high school students).

Finally, if you get stuck on anything (problem, topic, ...) in particular, try /r/learnmath.

u/[deleted] · 2 pointsr/math

I've tutored forever (>10 yrs) and have taught highschool math for 3 years. I strongly suggest you check out this book by Harold Jacobs. It covers the broad range of high school math in a relatively interesting, self-study type way. There's also one for younger kids (Mathematics: A Human Endeavor) if she needs to start earlier, and a geometry book if she needs to work on that.

u/mathrat · 1 pointr/math

Apart from the other good advice in this thread, if you're able to invest some money, I've heard wonderful things about this book.

It sounds like you had a really shitty teacher. Bad teachers can fuck with your confidence. But then, you already know that. I know it's easy for me to say, but: don't let that get in the way of learning math. There's nothing wrong with you. I promise you're capable of learning algebra.

There's also a /r/learnmath subreddit where you can ask questions about particular math problems.

Finally, I'm curious: does a problem like "Solve for x: 5 + x = 17" make sense to you (and would you be able to answer it)? If not, I'd be happy to write a few paragraphs about that. Maybe that's what you need to get started.

u/upgrade_station · -4 pointsr/Jesus

lol thanks i'm furious.

btw, i have something for you:

http://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Algebra-Harold-R-Jacobs/dp/0716710471

don't thank me now. buy it read it fail to understand it realize you suck at math move on to something you're good at like raping/robbing/killing then come back and thank me for setting you on your proper life's path