/sci/ - Science & Math

[Anonymous No.8325298]

Where should a newfag to mathematics start?

I decided to start with trigonometry; seems like the most elementary subject. So i went on wikipedia and saw "Sin A = o/h"

Now this peaked my interest. Should I learn the rigorous proofs for these trigonometric equations? Or what should i start with instead of this.

Cheers.

[Anonymous No.8325311]

That's the definition of the sin function, and it doesn't need any proof. I'd start with mathematical logic, and maybe then Euclidean geometry mixed with trig.

[Anonymous No.8325324]

>>8325311
Ok, thanks.

[Anonymous No.8325329]

>>8325324
You're welcome

[Anonymous No.8325331]

start with fractions

express 0.68444... as a fraction

[Anonymous No.8325501]

>>8325298
>a newfag to mathematics

well what do you know already?

[Anonymous No.8326751]

Proofs are useless. Just learn how to do the homework so you can get a good grade

[Anonymous No.8326763]

>>8325298
Start with a study of functions and try to get an intuitive understanding of them. That's going to be useful in trig, calculus, linear algebra.

[Anonymous No.8326824]

>>8325298
Go to libgen.io and obtain these books:

George Simmons 'Precalculus in a nutshell'
Sheldon Axler "Precalculus"

Read them both. Simmons breaks each subject (Algebra, Geometry, Trig) into 3 seperate sections you can learn without knowing the other 2. His Trig section is all from one 90 minute lecture he gave.

As you go through Simmons book find the accompaning Axler chapter and try the problems first without reading the text. If you can't do the problems read the Axler material too.

When done Simmons book, go back and read everything in Axler's book that wasn't covered by Simmons such as Unions.

Now you want to learn mathematical thinking. Get Eccles 'Intro to mathematical thinking' or any other intro to proofs book that covers elementary set theory, first order logic/propositional logic ect. These are always short books.

Now obtain Spivak's Calculus, 3rd edition. While you go through Spivak, at the same time watch MIT open courseware lectures on single variable calculus to get an applied understanding as well plus sometimes they compliment each other helping to explain something. Spend a focused hour on Spivak every single day. In a month you will be finished (some problems are really, really difficult you will have to math stackexchange).

Obtain the book Advanced Calculus by Sternberg and Loomis for free off his harvard profile page. It's everything you ever wanted to know about analysis of calculus on manifolds, classical mechanics, linear algebra, and differential equations.

Congrats you are finished. You can safely obtain any math book on any subject and have enough background to attempt the treatment which will almost always include some kind of review to bring you up to speed, even a graduate level text.