#math advice

[mathematikerin-freyja]

As a result of the increasing influence of Zen Buddhism on my thinking, I find myself giving stranger and stranger sounding advice to my students. Student: "I find this paper very hard to read." Me: "You must make sure, when you go to read a paper like this, that you assume the proper posture for reading the paper. Well rested. Well fed. Back straight - alert - attentive! Breathing properly. Then accept the paper as it is. If you are attached to the idea that you can get through a whole page in one sitting, drop that. However much progress you make is exactly how much progress you should be making. Just read. Understanding even one sentence, that was previously unclear, is already a major win. Take it one sentence at a time. No human mind is born already with the innate ability for this sort of thing, so be patient. Contemplate on the examples fully, do not skip past them. If the example is clear, contemplate it even longer than if it is unclear. When an example is obvious and clear then take a break from reading, let it circulate in your mind while you get some delicious orange juice, then return and continue. Do not fuss over the proofs of any particular theorem until you see the way the entire succession of theorems is intended to fit together."

[teaboot]

You've escaped containment. Found in a Buzzfeed list of lifehacks learned in 2023

[agirlwithglam]

hey girly!

do u have any tips to get better at math, im around a 60-70% rn and I want to get 85-95's by next school year

any advice helps <3

hi!! girl im on the same path as you <3 also i am so sorry this is so late 😭. so first, i would establish where exactly im going wrong- like is it the work & formulas and stuff that you dont understand? or is it that you are pretty decent at it and can do it well but just in exams the nerves really seem to get to you?

acing math ✖️❥

if its the actual questions and formulas, then literally do as many practice questions as you can to prepare! also try doing them in exam conditions to get you used to it. math is just a series of steps and rules and once you understand that and how you get from a to b, its much easier to do more questions. if you're still confused, DONT BE AFRAID TO ASK YOUR TEACHER! thats what you're paying them to do- ask them to explain how you do a question again. other resources you can use include khan academy and watching youtube videos!

stress is a good thing for tests and stuff but too much can be disastrous! if you are genuinely quite good at math but somehow the exam stress gets to you, you can try grounding methods to get you to focus on the question in front of you, calm you down and not worry about anything else.

some grounding methods include: 5-4-3-2-1 (5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch/ feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste OR one thing you feel right now), box breathing.

[somewhat-happy-poet]

Advice from someone who has been tutoring Calculus I, II, and III for three years:

If you are about to take a Calculus I class, and you feel nervous at all about it:

Review Algebra.

I say this with all the love in my heart. I know it's common to joke about always forgetting everything you've learned over the summer. Thing is, if your college major requires you to take any level of Calculus, you will need Algebra more than anything. Please review. You WILL feel stupid in class if you can't remember Algebra and basic arithmetic. (I promise you, though: you are not stupid. Don't give up before you start. I can go on forever on that, so I'll spare you for now.)

Specifically, review these:

Factoring a polynomial (an equation that looks something like x^2+x+1, though with different numbers)

Quadratic formula (I know you hate it. I don't care. Review it briefly.)

How to factor in general (Example: 4x+2 = 2(2x+1). Don't remember why? Review it.)

Order of operations.

Dividing and multiplying fractions (Please review this. I beg you.)

Exponent rules (Again, I'm begging you to review these. There's not that many.)

Understanding the difference between y and f(x) (Hint: unless you're going further into math than Calc I and maybe II, the difference between the two is ultimately nothing to you)

How to find the equation of a line between two points

Slope of a line (Does "rise over run" sound familiar?)

Trigonometry. Just the basic stuff. You really don't need much review here, but look over it briefly at least to understand what's going on.

UNIT CIRCLE. If you don't know what it is, look it up. Memorize the top half of the circle. Ask for help understanding what it is. Watch YouTube videos about it. Please. Depending on your professor(s), it can help so much. You might only need to memorize the first quarter of it. There are patterns to it, so it's easier to memorize/understand than it might look at first. Believe in yourself.

Anyway, that's all I can think of off the top of my head. To anyone who reads this, I hope it is helpful.

If you're scared of Calculus, take it from a tutor: the concepts are simpler than they sound, yet I completely understand whatever frustration or confusion you may feel because of Calculus. Math becomes its own language at higher levels, and learning that language can take a lot of time. You can still do it. You're not dumb for struggling to understand a language you haven't fully learned yet. Have patience with yourself, and take the time to try and figure out how to translate that language to phrases and words that you're more familiar with. You'll do just fine.

[hannybstudies]

Do you have any tips on how to study math? I have a test coming up and I did pretty poorly on the last one so I'm really nervous about it ahhh

practice, practice, practice

I struggle SO MUCH in math but practicing has always helped me! also, try not to focus on the “why” of the equation (which is so hard for me, like, WHY ARE NUMBERS IMAGINARY?!?) and focus on the “how” (aka in what order do you need to solve an equation)

so practice similar problems over and over until you’re sure you understand! THEN, switch out some of the numbers and try again and again.

hope this helped a bit! BEST OF LUCK

[beebrainz]

the 4 is meant to be $

Well $4 is not enough either, thats even less than 15! Did you even go to school????

[indominusavenger]

Even geniuses get stumped. It’s okay, Pete; we’re all crying silently with you. 

[advice-from-mica-blog]

Life Advice #27

When in doubt, draw it out