/sci/ - Science & Math

Errrrrmmmm

1) Learn math
2) Learn how things work
3) repeat until there is nothing left to learn

If you want to be a scientist, you have to publish original research in academic journals. So, the first step to getting on the road to scientist is to go to school.

>>2573908
alright, and yet there's so many books on math. I've always had trouble being taught things verbally, books are the best way for me to learn.

>>2573922
Eh, math books only get you so far.

There's two main ways math is learned:

1) Rote

2) Spatial-temporal reasoning skills

Usually 2 is done by the time people become like, 12-13, so if you're a women and over 12-13, you could try playing complex vidya, but otherwise, go the rote route.

Tip: Learn the 20x20 multiplications, supposedly it makes doing much math alot easier, like it's easier to transition from real unit-> relative thinking.

>>2573944
How'd you know I was a woman? Also, what kind of vidya?

So learn my multiplication tables up to 20? sounds like something I should've done already but read instead.

Also

http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.001/abelson-sussman-lectures/

Watch all the videos (for some of them, the audio is low/shit, so it's best to go with VLC then do normalization + amplification which is found in the options)

If you can learn and do Computer Science, you can do math

>>2573973
I'm intentionally trying to stay away from computers, I don't like the way my brain thinks when i'm on them. However, computer programs are interesting, and I probably should learn them. Thanks!

1. Enroll in a legitimate 4 year university.
2. Major in your given scientific discipline (computer science, electrical engineering, chemistry, physics, astronomy, biology).
3. Take the courses and do well. Master your discipline.
4. Do research. Get published.
5. Go to graduate school.
6. Do research. Get published.

It's not as glamorous as one may have thought.

>>2573969
It was just a guess, I only mentioned it because lots of people, if they weren't exposed to things by 12-13, have alot of trouble with certain concepts (negatives, fractions, among other things)

Complex vidya, I can try to think of some:
Braid would be a good example, 2d, but includes manipulating time.

Enigma and Chip's Challenge (using the Tile World program) would be good for thinking logically and in a sequence. I'd suggest using a gamepad for Tile World though, keyboard is terrible.

Basic first-person-shooters increase 3d skills, which can be relevant for many math concepts, but they take a while to get into if you've never tried them (the visual center has to grow immensely, as well as the motor center if you want to be good). Team Fortress 2 is a nice casual first-person shooter, but it has a skill cap where the better you are, does little to improve your in-game score or ability to win.

I'll try to think of other stuff.

I mentioned in another thread, Brain Workshop can be good for improving concentration, but it takes at least 14 hours of 20 days roughly.

>>2573990
Our society is on the brink of vast change. If everyone does science the same way, we'll never make it. I want to use science to help people.

Maybe I am being romantic about this. But I don't know how writing about history can help people.

>>2573997
14 hours over 20 days*

>>2573921
>>2573990
http://www.geekosystem.com/kids-bee-journal-article/

Forget the establishment, there are many ways to become a scientist.

One path is to become an alternative medicine practitioner, where the oppressively elitist circles of academia cannot interfere with their ridiculously cynical expectations of observable phenomena.

I have been a crystal healer, and consider myself a scientist, as I am applying a type of medicine that has been passed down through the generations for thousands of years - a hell of a lot longer than modern science has been around for. In any case, becoming a crystal healer is not necessarily easy, you need to learn a little about geology, spiritualism, Eastern medicine, energy channels etc and also take a year's sabbatical/pilgrimmage to a site that is recognised by the Crystal and Light Healing Association (usually somewhere like Stonehenge, Salisbury, England). Then, once you have completed a small thesis, you may commence medical practice.

I've personally treated over 300 people for various problems such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, back aches, stress, sleep disorders and many related diseases. Having had excellent results, I am now branching out into more serious diseases and have a girl with leukemia under my care.

I recommend that you have a look on Google to find out whether this is right for you.

>>2574030
Cmon, we're trying to have a legitimate conversation here, don't go D&E all over the thread.

>>2574030
>>I have been a crystal healer, and consider myself a scientist

Stopped reading here.

>>2574042
Wow, you kept reading after "alternative medicine"?
I'm disappointed.

>>2574052
>>Wow, you kept reading after "alternative medicine"?

No, I stopped reading after you said you were trying to heal people with crystals. That's fraud.

>>2574059
>you
>alternative medicine in any way shape or form not fraud

I really am disappointed.
Anonymous is the generic username of this imageboard, those who have it as their names are just people who didn't fill in the name box.

>>2573944

Are you saying 1x1---->20x20, or "the 20's" like 20x20--->30x30?


I do want to increase my arithmetic, haven't gotten any better at multiplication since grade 5, in fact i've gotten worse and lost my tricks for multiplying things like 17x18....

More thoughts:

Earth 2160 is a rare but highly praised game, real-time strategy, which stress executive skills (managing multiple lines of though, accessing strategy, analyzing a complex situation)

Tremulous is a cruel (difficult) first-person real-time metastrategy shooter game, but it's free, and on the main servers, people probably won't mind letting you watch.

>>2574065
>>Anonymous is the generic username of this imageboard, those
>>who have it as their names are just people who didn't fill in the
>>name box.

No, I am pretty certain that it was the same person who wrote both posts.

>>2573990
don't forget the part where you act like a total insufferable cunt and "subtly" drop hints about how everyone else has a job that is totally worthless and requires no "intelligence".

just look at the general tone of this board and you can feel the hater ooze out of it. I've hung out with a ton of scientists irl as well and never will you find a group of people who are more desperate to prove how smart they are. Which is usually the first indication of a tard. The smartest people I know always STFU about it. Usually because they have enough problems trying to deal with a world full of fucking mouthbreathing fuckshits.

So OP, just continue on thinking your shit doesn't stink, that you're actually making a rational or intelligent career choice, and that you're not a total faggot.

Also be sure to take your pussy college classes and get your kneepads ready to suck cock to the top. Because science isn't about science, it's about politics. Its who's ego is stroked and who publishes their worthless science in those "top tier" journals.

Meanwhile, in the real world, people have real fucking problems that need to be solved but all the "smart" scientists are too busy kicking each other in the balls to make any real progress.

Science is a fucking joke OP

>>2574080
Looks my attempt at being patronising missed the mark. It was a not-so-subtle way of telling you that you're a dumbass and you got your samefag accusation wrong.

>>2574082
>>don't forget the part where you act like a total insufferable cunt
>>and "subtly" drop hints about how everyone else has a job that
>>is totally worthless and requires no "intelligence".

I think you're reading too much into this that you're finding things that just don't exist. I was actually downplaying the role of the scientist by showing how dull the work really was.

Take your degree and go into industry. Academia will suck your blood.

>>2574076
Up to 20x20, but hey, go for 30x30 if you want, though it'd be like ~450 unique values.

Also, there's some books on math itself, here's two I've read:

Mathematics for Everyone

The Story of Mathematics

Although some people (engineers) might tell you math isn't important for science, it usually is to help understand certain relationships, especially with crap like physics, which is a mess of units and relations.

>>2574082
Right, the organization of science is a joke. But every organization, every mode of rational thought has had people who lead those that would follow to another understanding of their beliefs.


Also GTFO namefag.

>I am applying a type of medicine that has been passed down through the generations for thousands of years - a hell of a lot longer than modern science has been around for.

Not trying to fan the flames here, but I strongly dislike this line of reasoning: something has been around for a while, so it must be great. The Assyrian gods were around for some 2000 years, and we don't consider them awesome anymore. The geocentric universe was around for a dickload of time as well. Hm.

Okay, so, I'm not a scientist per se, I'm a mathematician. I've worked with biologists and physicists, so I know a few things about how the sciences work.

In order to be a scientist, you need to...do science. This can generally be an extremely expensive ordeal (chemistry, biology, physics, etc.) and unrealistic without being associated with a company or a university (eg, studying things close to absolute zero, etc. since it requires a lot of power and tools that are not available for the common person). There are a number of people who try to apply to companies and schools without any formal training (there is usually one every year in the math department who has "taught himself calculus and abstract algebra" and thinks that he deserves a teaching position here.) and they're usually (read: almost always) not accepted.

>>2574129

Unless you have done something spectacular by yourself, you will not go anywhere in science without an education. Period. There are idealists who will tell you otherwise, but for 99.999% of the population, this is it. THIS IS NOT TO SAY YOU CANNOT GET RICH ON AN IDEA, but it will not make you a scientist.

Having said this, if you really can't afford college or whatever, you need to find out what science you want to do, track down some good university (princeton, yale, uchicago, columbia, caltech, mit, etc.) and find out what their major's track is like. Look at all the classes, find out what each of the classes do, get the books, do the work. This is entirely possible with MIT online lectures and torrenting books if you're extremely poor.

I don't know the track for most sciences, but they generally all require calculus. This is something you should learn right away. Unfortunately, this requires knowledge of basic algebraic manipulation and such. So, if you're weak with algebra, get the following books: Algebra Demystified, Calculus Demystified. Do the 12th grade topical quizzes on

http://amc.maa.org/mathclub/index.shtml

And if you can do them, you're ready for calculus. Once you get up to calculus, you're going to want a buddy online or in real life to help you, because it's a REALLY hard subject to learn by yourself --- that is, it's hard to understand the "point" of many problems.

Good books on the mathematics you might need include:
"Engineering Mathematics" KA Stroud
"Advanced Engineering Mathematics" KA Stroud
"Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering" K.F. Riley

A good introduction to physics is "Fundamentals of Physics"

A good book on classical mechanics is "Classical Mechanics" by Kibble and Berkshire. Anything in the Manchester Physics series is worth a read. I don't have much knowledge of chemistry, but in the distant past I have read Atkins books on chemistry and recall them being great. I'm ignorant of biology.

It would be worth picking up a programming language. Python is one that I would recommend. "Beginning Python" by Hetland was what I used and it served me well.

I'm sorry that I cannot offer better advice because my knowledge is limited. A lot of the books that I have recommended can seem dauntingly large. I can imagine it being difficult to refrain from considering it a chore at times; so it's always good to have some pop science books or biographies around to serve as motivation and light relief. Just remember that even ten pages a day will get you through 3650 in a year, and that's quite a few books closer to your goals.

Best of luck.

>>2574129
Agreed. "Alternative medicine" and Shamanism belongs in the realm of religion because it is not subject to the rules of the scientific method. Its techniques are held to be true simply because the Mayans or Aztecs did it, without regard to clinical evidence to the contrary.

>>2574152

I'd disagree with your math books (I feel Steward or even Sallas' Calculus is a much better introduction) but I do feel that the physics book you're recommending (I think it's by Halliday and Resnick?) is great.

Also, I never thought about the reading 10 pages a day thing. This is something I should tell my students. Thank you!

>>2574152
Thank you, you've been extremely helpful.

>>2574152
>10 pages a day
>3650 a year
Holy fuck I never thought of it that way, but damn, now if only I could get the motivation to do that.

>>2574152

This them books are for faggots.

I hate how people confuse real Maths with Mathematical methods.

>>2574183
>Real maths
Don't confuse the Plebians, they haven't had a taste of the ambrosia yet.

Since I mentioned it in another thread:

Nethack, if you have difficulty memorizing symbols, equations, whatever

I'll be back later OP, I'm going to go out for like 20 mins or more, I'll respond if I can think of a good reply

>>2574082

>my face when you have no friends

>mfw I'm back

>>2574227
Not OP but thought I mention it. I know I "could" beat Nethack, but I have never beaten a modern one since the games are long and I start to drink/play while extremely exhausted and die.

>>2574561
You know you can save and quit, right?

Also, the game doesn't do anything if you don't hit keys?

>>2574609
yes. Well the drinking part is self explanatory. The other part - I have such personality, that I get addicted to things. I just won't save/quit and go to sleep. I will keep on playing when extremely exhausted. The damn game takes so long, that you can't play it without a break.

>>2574638
>the drinking part is self explanatory
You're an alcoholic on 4chan?

Foundations and Fundamental concepts of mathematics is a pretty cool book and doesn't afraid of anything. it has some neat problems at the back of each chapter too (answers included at the back of the book)

dl this

http://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Physics-David-Halliday/dp/0471105589


and this


http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Calculus-12th-George-B/dp/0321587995/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&amp
;qid=1298245985&sr=1-3

you are halfway done

>>2574561
When you manage to beat nethack, it's time to take on different playstyles. For maximumrage, try vegan knight.

ITT: Horrible advice by neckbeard armchair morons.

OP, go to Khan Academy and try out the algebra section. When/if you feel comfortable and think you have a solid grasp of the concepts, purchase an algebra textbook from a bookstore and tryout a voluminous assortment of problems. After you feel exceedingly comfortable with the subject, download/print out a few quizzes from University websites. Solve them, check your answers with their answer sheet and you can safely say that you've achieved virtuosity.

Soon thereafter, acquire a textbook on Pre-Calculus and try to stick to that book as best as possible. You want to move away from the internet and affix yourself to learning from a book; as such, Khan Academy shall only act as your secondary option. If/when you feel comfortable, download/print out quizzes and solve them.

Above all else, however, become involved. Whenever there's a discussion on Mathematics, or someone needs help with a homework problem, try to contribute. I'm not talking /sci/ here; I'm talking in general. If you believe you can help, then do so. You're actually truly tested on the subject when someone can spring a question on you and you can answer it almost instantaneously. That's true intelligence, in my opinion.

>>2574755

After you believe you've mastered Algebra and Precalculus, register for University. If you've been out of school for quite sometime, apply to a Community College. If you did exactly what I stated earlier, you should be able to pass their entrance exam relatively easily. You'll surpass the remedials and go straight into Calculus. From there, you'll take off. Biology, Chem and the rest -- there are no remedials. You'll start off in Bio I, Chem I, Physics I, et cetera. The mathematical concepts you learn now will aid you in those other courses.