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how to improve Math and reasoning skills

disciple99

Space Monkey
space monkey
Joined
Nov 5, 2015
Messages
148
hey guys
I know many of you peoples are intelligent and self taught peoples in many who are always looking to improve I need some help to improve my self in some skills which I can't understand where to start learning
1) maths (man never studied it from last 4 yrs and I am lost where start to learn)
2)logical and reasoning ability
3) analytical skill
just need a starting point.

Maths is important one I want to make it super sharp but don't wants go to school.
any links or books will be helpful too and I have just passed high school
thanks for help in advance
 

Drck

Cro-Magnon Man
Cro-Magnon Man
Joined
Feb 14, 2013
Messages
1,488
Why not college or other school? You won't become good in math in short period of time, you need persistent and long term focus, you need to practice constantly. That is the only way to get good at anything...

* Start home with basic math, algebra or pre-algebra
* Buy some math book and flashcards and start studying home to get ahead..
* Sign up for college courses, algebra, trigonometry, statistics, then pre-calculus, calculus,... Take college pre-requisits if you have to...
* Combine math with similar subjects, physics, computer programming, reasoning, logic, finances, economics...
* Always apply math to real life situations: If I weigh 200 pounds and do 30 squats daily for 365 days, how much work in joules is done? How many calories were burned? If I invest 100 every week with compounding interest of 6% per year, how much money I will have for retirement at the age of 65? What if I want to retire at the age of 35 with X money, how much do I have to save every year?
* Become obsessed with math, study and study, apply and apply... Do lots of questions, do extra questions, keep solving math problems... Do it...

Be persistent. Two years from now you will have done tremendous amount of work, not only you finish 2 years of college but now you can focus more on further studies in whatever pleases you - mathematics, computer science, engineering, finances, economics... The doors will start opening... 4 years from now you can have solid degree and a great job. The door will now open because there are not many people willing to do hard work in math, science, engineering, finances, medicine, economics... Or, you can have nothing, the choice is always yours...


...Let me tell you something, there are great and smart people I know, I grew up with them or I met them, we were friends and I still have some of them as friends... Some are truly brilliant, much smarter than me. Looking back, you know what their problem is? They never went to college and get that piece of paper. Every single one has average paying job today, most do manual work (which is actually more paying that office job). Everybody can do their job, they can't move forward with their career... I don't want to say that they are stuck, but their opportunities to switch to other, well paying jobs are quite limited...

I went to college, and then further. I became obsessed with studying, I was hungry for education, I started similarly as described above... It took some years, but my career is amazing in comparison to theirs, with ease I am making double or triple in comparison to a guy who is the highest earner out of them, and my income will only expand in the future. I know people, I have social status, I have many opportunities that they don't, I can switch to different career with relative ease because I qualify, by default (i.g. the education) I am shifted to leading position at work, to the top of the ladder... Piece of paper? Think twice...

Do it, go to college, study hard... Find that little flame of passion, and follow it...
 
you miss 100% of the shots you don't take

disciple99

Space Monkey
space monkey
Joined
Nov 5, 2015
Messages
148
Why not college or other school? You won't become good in math in short period of time, you need persistent and long term focus, you need to practice constantly. That is the only way to get good at anything...
hey yes i am going to college this year and it is going to be either Computer science or commerce college for UG .
Start home with basic math, algebra or pre-algebra* Buy some math book and flashcards and start studying home to get ahead..* Sign up for college courses, algebra, trigonometry, statistics, then pre-calculus,calculus,... Take college pre-requisits if you have to...* Combine math with similar subjects, physics, computer programming, reasoning, logic, finances, economics...* Always apply math to real life situations:If I weigh 200 pounds and do 30 squats daily for 365 days, how much work in joules is done? How many calories were burned? If I invest 100 every week with compounding interest of 6% per year, howmuch money I will have for retirement at the age of 65? What if I want to retire at the age of 35 with X money, how much do I have to save every year?
i am starting to read a book what is mathematics. applying in real life is golden
Become obsessed with math, study and study, apply and apply... Do lots of questions, do extra questions, keep solving math problems... Do it...
how do i create an obsession because i dont like math but improveing it is a need
.
i also want to improve my
1) logical and reasoning skill
2)analytical skill
any advice or books
Do it, go to college, study hard... Find that little flame of passion, and follow it...
how do i get that burning desire in myself i know that i am not king with infinite supply of money but still i not feeling thst burning desire inside me to earn it or getting educated.

last question which degree should have more value and will be usable a Computer science or a Charted Accountant (CPA in US) in four years form now on. though both require good math and skill i mentioned to improve
 

Drck

Cro-Magnon Man
Cro-Magnon Man
Joined
Feb 14, 2013
Messages
1,488
Math and science in general will help a lot with logic and reasoning skills. IMO it is not only one subject that you should take, but rather diversity. For example, for me physics and math are more of straightforward logic, but there is also different kind of logic....

Math in simple words is numbers and formulas. Physics is more intuitive as you can many times imagine the the characteristics and behavior of different objects. In classical physics you simply deal with reality, with things you see on daily basis - moving cars, gravity, friction, electricity, falling objects, magnets...

If you advance to Theory of Relativity, you will be amazed how things in universe work; you will be fascinated by speed of light, you will learn that with increasing speed of rocket in which you sit the time in the rocket ticks slower and slower... and the distance to another planet is shrinking...

If you then touch on quantum mechanics you will be shocked. Nothing makes sense, you can throw all your logic away as nothing that you know applies... Things exist and don't exist at the same time. Things appear in more places at the same time. Things are interconnected, you rotate one electron on one direction, and coupled electron will rotate in opposite direction immediately, somewhere at the other end of the universe, billions of light years away... When you look at electron you will see it as a particle but if you look away, the same electron become a wave... You realize that when you look in the sky, you see blue sky; but when you close your eyes - according to quantum mechanics which was so far confirmed to be true - the sky will actually disappear, it will be gone, non-existent... You will realize that our Universe, no matter how infinite it appears, is only one little bubble in the whole ocean of bubbles, in the whole Ocean of Multiverses, each representing one little bubble, popping and bursting into and out of the existence... Amazing, weird, incomprehensible - unless you perhaps realize that we don't even exist, that the things we call matter and atoms are actually just 99.99% of empty space...

Biology is also interesting, you are studying life, evolution, organisms, DNA structure, the secret of what we call "Life"... you have to memorize a lot yet at the same time it has its logic and structure...

Chemistry is also different, it has a logic but it is sort of twisted - you deal with temperatures, different states of the same matter, different molecular orbitals and structures, different molecules and compounds... Memorization and awkward thinking, yet still logical...

Take psychology, basic study of our minds... Also logical, interesting, you could study it the whole life and still be discovering new and new things about our Minds...

These will give you well grounded background in logic, analysis and understanding.

....Don't look for the desire, you already have it. By you asking the questions you already have desire for the answers. The desire is like a small flame, it is there but it needs to be cherished. Focus on persistence, one step at a time, one semester at a time, that is how you grow it... Make a schedule, study during the week, than take the weekend off and go chase some girls. Then study again... It is a habit like everything else...

Another big thing is attitude. Focus on developing good attitude. Guy A goes to college but he isn't really organized, he doesn't care much about studying, he approaches every subject with "I don't really like it, I just want to pass it". He is interested in partying instead, just chasing girls... OK, great, he will have some good time for the 4 years, he will get laid and feel good about himself, but how much will he know after that? Probably not much. It's a lazy attitude, wasted money.

Guy B is more focused and organized, he is more determined. He may not like all subjects but at least he approaches with "I can always learn new things, and there are many interesting things to learn and to know". He logically spreads his focus, he makes a schedule - study hard, get ahead during the week, then take a weekend off to chase girls. 10 girls he has to chase this weekend. Then come back rested on Monday, forget all the girls, and start the circle again. Again and again, for the next 4+ years, no summer off to fuck around and do nothing like everybody else. Just get it done. It's a habit...

Computer science used to be a good profession in USA. Things have changed though, lots of good jobs were outsourced to countries like India or China. American employers became smart - why pay one American big $$$ if we can have 5 programmers in India for the same price? Be careful, those guys from overseas are no dummies. They study hard, they are determined, they have Phd's, they work long hours for low salaries... Many guys here or over there are also obsessed with computers, they work on computers 12-18 hours daily and they love it, it is their life... Overall, there is a huge competition out there...

I am not saying not to do Computer Science, I am only saying that there is a big competition out there. If you are intuitive and natural problem solver, go for it, you can make good $$$. Maybe you can develop new game or other software and sell it for lots of money. But if you take it just as a 9-5 job, you might have lots of difficulties... You can also consider Database Administrator (DBA), maintaining databases, running reports... I believe these are still good jobs (although technology is advancing), years ago they used to make about 80K per year. With persistence and skills you can still get decent job in computer industry...

I don't know much about finances. Some CPA are doing good, others so-so... Like everything else, it all depends on how much effort you are willing to put in, and also on little bit of luck, who you meet, who you know...

Look up salaries, go for what suits you, combine what you like with good income... Money is important, don't let anybody who says otherwise brainwash you. Many people don't think, they just go for what they like. They spent 30-50K on college education, they fuck around while in college, and then they can't get a job, so they go to work for Starbucks and vote for Bernie because he promises them free education. WTF? THINK! There is nothing free, that is insane! Ask: Will there be jobs in 4 years from now? How much will they pay? Is it something I can do 9-5, or will I have to work 60-70 hours a week? Will I be able to change job with relative ease? I'll tell you the truth, you want 9-5 or LESS, for good $$$, and at least some freedom to change your jobs. Fuck working long hours and making money for everybody else, you want to go home and have a life...

Say you start taking math, physics, psychology and biology, and you will like it. Will you go for psychology degree? Or neurosciences so you can understand more of brain function? Don't do it, you will not have good income, you will be limited with employment. Consider some medical career instead. Finish science courses and apply to Physician Assistant (PA) program, or other program in medical field, perhaps even nursing. Two and a half additional years in school and you can have PA degree, making 90K plus per year with relative ease, and you can switch to different location fairly easily. That is smart. Pay your college loans as fast as you can, then learn investing and finances on your own. Good job, good income, good flexibility, you will always have a job, and you spent reasonable time on education...

Your career is very important, invest time and money in it wisely...
 

thedude

Tool-Bearing Hominid
Tool-Bearing Hominid
Joined
Dec 9, 2012
Messages
288
If you want a job, go to college...

If you want a business, a college education is worth jack shit. You learn very little. All memorization, and of course you forget it all.

Up to you bud
 

Ergon

Tool-Bearing Hominid
Tool-Bearing Hominid
Joined
Mar 9, 2016
Messages
201
So, for Math I think you could start by finding some well explained book with exercises and the answers somewhere. Start from what you know and feels comfortable for you (algebra or arithmetic?), and try to build from there. Read and think about some small chunk of information, see examples and then solve a similar exercise/problem yourself, then check the answer immediately after to give you feedback, and repeat it again.
Try to understand the concepts and the methods of each topic, but don't worry about understanding it 100% since as you move on, eventually you revisit it and then you really start to understand it better, applied in other forms, etc. just know it enough to solve moderately difficult problems. Solve problems challenging enough to keep you interested, but not too much that frustrate you (unless it's frustrating in a good, slightly obsessive way). Put some time everyday and you should be fine.

As for logical and reasoning ability it may be helpful for you to learn about fallacies, cognitive biases, logic and knowledge itself.
Here's an overview of some cognitive biases you can check: https://litemind.com/thinking-traps/
and you could also check the YouTube videos from crash course philosophy and wireless philosophy which have a lot of videos about reasoning, logic and the like.

You will have to decide for yourself if you want to go to college, but I would say that it's better if you go because of the knowledge and interest in what you major cause college is mostly to know about the theory. It might actually not help you make your own business or land the best paid job there, but it might teach you how to teach yourself, push yourself to be productive, etc.
 

Skippy

Cro-Magnon Man
Cro-Magnon Man
Joined
Jul 6, 2014
Messages
486
Oh man, I just love this topic because I'm a math major in college and math has been a big part of my life for the past decade :)

If you want to get better at math, you need to be solving lots and lots of problems and learning how to do proofs. This is connected to general problem solving ability. More specifically, you need to be solving problems that get your creative juices flowing and not just problems that are routine computations.

Could you tell me more about your math background? If I remember correctly, you are about 16-17?

If that's the case, one great resource is alcumus on artofproblemsolving. it's an online learning system that gives you problems to solve and slowly increase the difficulty as you get better. but more importantly, the questions are the type that will actually build your intuition and general problem solving ability.

another website you want to look at is brilliant.org

You want to start learning number theory and combinatorics because those are branches which are often not taught in high school, but actually they are extremely important to know especially for fields like cs.


I'll write more about this when I get the chance, but I also want to add that if you ever have questions on certain topics, feel free to ask me. I love talking about this stuff
 
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