MarkFL said:If you have a question about any exercise in your textbook, or any question arising from your studies, please feel free to post. (Yes)
RTCNTC said:Thank you. I am going to continue my self-study of precalculus. I love my David Cohen textbook. I never get tired of the questions.
Like I said in another post, I took precalculus in the Spring 1993 semester at Lehman College and got an A minus. Of course, it has been many years since the last time I was part of a formal classroom setting.
MarkFL said:It's been 20 years since I was in a classroom. Thirteen years later I got into the online math help scene. But during that thirteen years, I kept myself active with math by formalizing my thoughts in a journal. I felt the best way to strengthen my understanding would be to investigate theorems and try to fluff them out as fully as I could, as if I was writing for a critical audience.
Then I got involved in math help forums, and eventually wound up here, where I found a site that matches my needs and has a philosophy of helping by engaging the student. I found naturally that helping others is the best way to help myself.
You will find that there are many folks here (many/most of which know a great deal more about mathematics than I do) who are quite happy and willing to enrich the understanding of others, particularly those who are motivated to learn.
So, my recommendation to anyone seeking to really learn material is to take given problems and generalize them as much as possible, and then investigate the behavior of the formulas at the boundaries. That's what I tried to do as a student, especially in physics. Once you can derive a formula from basic concepts, then you truly own it. ;)
RTCNTC said:Questions
1. What is the best way to avoid forgetting what I've learned? I find that as I study math on my own, by the time I am a few chapters into the textbook, I have forgotten most of the early chapters.
RTCNTC said:2. What is your favorite math course and why?
RTCNTC said:3. What about a math video clip reply to questions on a small white board for this site?
MarkFL said:Learn to derive the theorems presented on your own...once yo can do that, you are unlikely to forget them.
Ordinary differential equations, because it tied together all I had studied up to that point. At that point I realized I could really figure out a great deal of problems.
That night be possible...where would you suggest this be posted?
RTCNTC said:This site is divided into several areas of math: Precalculus, Calculus, Geometry, etc. Why not include a video section reply forum?
RTCNTC said:You like ordinary differential equations. What is partial differential equations? What is the toughest math course you have ever taken? What made it hard for you?
MarkFL said:In my opinion, responses to videos should be in the relevant topic forum. We could have a whiteboard response area, but what would really be the advantage to a traditional reply to a posted video? I mean we already have $LateX$, embedded graphs and TikZ images...what more could be offered?
I got all A's is every university level class I took...the only difficulty was to devote the time. The greatest difficulty in providing help was in those areas that I had not formally studied. I had to pull myself up by my bootstraps. I continue to learn by reading the posts of those here who are more educated than I am. I pretty much read all posts here, and so those are the great moments of education for me.
Precalculus is a branch of mathematics that is taught before Calculus. It focuses on topics such as algebra, trigonometry, and analytical geometry, which are essential for understanding Calculus.
Precalculus is important because it provides the foundation for higher-level mathematics, such as Calculus. It also helps students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are useful in many fields of study.
A typical Precalculus course covers topics such as functions, algebraic equations, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometric functions and identities, and conic sections.
You can prepare for a Precalculus course by reviewing basic algebra and trigonometry concepts. It may also be helpful to familiarize yourself with the properties of functions and the unit circle.
To excel in a Precalculus course, it is important to attend all classes and actively participate in discussions and problem-solving activities. Additionally, practicing regularly and seeking help from the instructor or a tutor when needed can also improve your performance in the course.