Getting better at Math

[deleted778820]

Hi! Math has always been a bit challenging for me and I've been doing well until recently. I dropped my Pre-Calculus 2 class because I could tell I was failing and I had no chance to raise my grade since the class is only 3 months long. As a consequence of that I need to drop the Calculus I had matriculated before-hand too this August. What bothers me is that I failed not because I didn't understand the formulas, but because I couldn't memorize them. The professor wanted us to memorize around 20 formulas for each test. I was wondering:
Is this standard for a math class or just this professor?
What do you recommend doing to understand math better?
If this is the standard, any advice on how I can memorize them?

Any advice would be gladly appreciated, thank you!

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[acciobutterbeer]

I'm not sure how to answer your first or last question, but I highly recommend using Khan academy as a resource for better understanding. I used it for my calculus class and it really helped!

 

[$haBoy]

When you say you understand, I'm not sure if you mean you understand how to use them or if you understand why you're doing what you're doing with them. If you don't understand the basic premise of why the formula gets you the answer it does, I would recommend trying that, because knowing why something works makes it 10 times easier to understand a formula drawn from it, so perhaps Khan like the above post mentions or something similar. I've found Quizlets to be very helpful as well, or copying the formulas down until you can do it from memory may help you.

 

[deleted778820]

I'm not sure how to answer your first or last question, but I highly recommend using Khan academy as a resource for better understanding. I used it for my calculus class and it really helped!

I was thinking of watching khan academy videos about pre-calculus and see if its a bit less intimidating and I can understand it better that way. Thank you!

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Paul's Online Math Notes. Also, watch this:



It is the first part in a video series by 3Blue1Brown on calculus. It explains it in an awesome way that I started using when tutoring.

 

[deleted778820]

When you say you understand, I'm not sure if you mean you understand how to use them or if you understand why you're doing what you're doing with them. If you don't understand the basic premise of why the formula gets you the answer it does, I would recommend trying that, because knowing why something works makes it 10 times easier to understand a formula drawn from it, so perhaps Khan like the above post mentions or something similar. I've found Quizlets to be very helpful as well, or copying the formulas down until you can do it from memory may help you.

Thanks for replying. I know what I'm looking for with the formulas but most of the time I mix them up. I often forget the correct order of the process or write the wrong exponent,etc. I don't know why I keep forgetting. I hope I can find a way to retain the formulas. I'll give copying them a shot.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Thanks for replying. I know what I'm looking for with the formulas but most of the time I mix them up. I often forget the correct order of the process or write the wrong exponent,etc. I don't know why I keep forgetting. I hope I can find a way to retain the formulas. I'll give copying them a shot.

Then you're not actually understanding what's going on. Memorizing formulae and trying to remember when to apply what is not understanding the math. That's like trying to understand a book written in a language you don't speak by memorizing the alphabet. You need to understand the concepts, and then what to do when will naturally flow from there.

 

[deleted778820]

Paul's Online Math Notes. Also, watch this:



It is the first part in a video series by 3Blue1Brown on calculus. It explains it in an awesome way that I started using when tutoring.

Thank you! I'll definitely start watching these along with the khan academy videos to be more prepared for my next math class.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Thank you! I'll definitely start watching these along with the khan academy videos to be more prepared for my next math class.

Feel free to PM me if you get stuck on anything. I have a math degree and a lot of experience tutoring. Happy to help.

 

[deleted778820]

Feel free to PM me if you get stuck on anything. I have a math degree and a lot of experience tutoring. Happy to help.

You're too kind, thank you. I'll do my best!

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

You're too kind, thank you. I'll do my best!

You can do it!

 

[leonardoson]

Work hard at math, and you get better at it. Practice it, get things wrong, think about it, try and create a mental model, go to office hours, seek out different resources because textbooks suck ass because writers forget where learning starts because they are in an alternate universe because they exist in higher-order mathematical proofs (i've never been irritated at a math textbook I swear ). In America we say, "Oh he/she has a math brain" when we see someone good at math. In some other cultures (can't remember which ones), people say "He/she works hard" when they see someone good at math.

 

[deleted778820]

Work hard at math, and you get better at it. Practice it, get things wrong, think about it, try and create a mental model, go to office hours, seek out different resources because textbooks suck ass because writers forget where learning starts because they are in an alternate universe because they exist in higher-order mathematical proofs (i've never been irritated at a math textbook I swear ). In America we say, "Oh he/she has a math brain" when we see someone good at math. In some other cultures (can't remember which ones), people say "He/she works hard" when they see someone good at math.

Thanks for your advice I'll try my best!