[Doggzilla]

Ive recently continued studying math after a decade of being sidetracked. Anybody have any really good resources from advanced Geometry and Algebra and up? I have a grasp on everything up to matrix calculus, but finding detailed lessons on highly advanced examples is proving difficult. For instance, Geometry lessons revolve around basics, I have no been able to find example as advanced as on the SAT, which has things like spiraling lines and measuring the distance from various points in the said spiral.
Real life examples are what I really enjoy, such as how I can use algebra to estimate the expenses for my truck in detail, or how to calculate the range of an aircraft with a certain crosswind. Of course those aren't really advanced, I would like to see something a magnitude more complex.

[Monte314]

Take a class at your local Junior College. Seriously.

[Kisai]

You can get a second-hand textbook on precalculus & trigonometry for probably $10 or less. If you have the gumption to sit down and work on problems there isn't any reason why you cannot teach yourself.

There's plenty of online resources to assist.
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is very helpful in substituting a live teacher going over a lecture.
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is a godsend when you get more advanced. But really, there's no alternative to working on problems on your own.

[WillBrazil]

Take a look at the Opencourseware programs.

An example:


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You can watch some classes (like Single Variable Calculus) on Youtube:
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Many universities provide their classes online.

[Doggzilla]

The issue with what I have been able to find is that they rarely, if ever, have useful examples, let alone the more complex examples which appear on the SAT.

---------- Post added 07-29-2012 at 12:15 AM ----------

	Originally Posted by Monte314 To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Take a class at your local Junior College. Seriously.

I'm a truck driver.

---------- Post added 07-29-2012 at 01:18 AM ----------

The reason I asked is because books and online queries are just full of useless information. For instance, comparing a calculus book to the categories of calculus listed on wikipedia shows that books and math courses lack half of everything. I would like to find resources which are more complex than wikipedia. It just really rubs me wrong that one page in wikipedia can have more info than entire books Ive been assigned.

But back to classes, I took trig but flunked out. Turns out that I figured it out in three days, but that the teacher did not notice I had been using the function keys without using the inverse button. Took me almost a decade to realize, when someone wrote a trig article with calculator explainations.
That said, I dont have much respect for teachers, and slightly more for professors. I attempted engineering once, and it didnt really click. Later found out the professor was involved in the collapse of the Alaska pipeline when they seal the pipe insulation from water as the pipe went underground near an avalanche zone. The pipeline acted like a bad gutter and washed out the bottom of the mountain, causing a landslide which took the pipeline with it.

So what Im saying is that a lot of people who teach arent exactly the most thorough thinkers. I like to know to do everything inside out.

[Tactical Panda]

Are you seriously willing to commit the time and discipline for it? And the practice?

[KonTiki]

Doggzilla,

If you are willing to part with some cash, I would recommend that you find a local math grad student or community college instructor and hire them as a tutor. I did this to learn Real Analysis quickly and without taking the course (and with less stress). This was my strategy, with some elaboration:

1. Develop a curriculum. Look at Wikipedia and the table of contents of some text books to decide what you want to learn. It sounds like you have pretty clear ideas, you're just struggling to find the materials. Some people like to be wedded to a specific text, I do not.

2. Select a tutor. I went to the University Math Department and asked around to learn which grad student most people thought was the best teaching assistant. Other places to find somebody good are community colleges and Craigslist.

3. Communicate with the tutor your expectations. 95% of the project is going to be use working alone on problems and reading, but their guidance is helpful 1. to make sure you're studying the right material, and 2. to correct proofs/problems, and 3. to provide extra motivation. They are there to minimize frustration and maximize use of time. As for how much, I paid $20/h, but these days it would probably be more (but not necessarily).

Beyond that, I agree with the other posts. Buy used problem solver books, check out classes online, and sign up for a local class that fits your schedule, if possible.

[whatsthat]

Originally Posted by KonTiki To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Doggzilla, If you are willing to part with some cash, I would recommend that you find a local math grad student or community college instructor and hire them as a tutor. I did this to learn Real Analysis quickly and without taking the course (and with less stress). This was my strategy, with some elaboration: 1. Develop a curriculum. Look at Wikipedia and the table of contents of some text books to decide what you want to learn. It sounds like you have pretty clear ideas, you're just struggling to find the materials. Some people like to be wedded to a specific text, I do not. 2. Select a tutor. I went to the University Math Department and asked around to learn which grad student most people thought was the best teaching assistant. Other places to find somebody good are community colleges and Craigslist. 3. Communicate with the tutor your expectations. 95% of the project is going to be use working alone on problems and reading, but their guidance is helpful 1. to make sure you're studying the right material, and 2. to correct proofs/problems, and 3. to provide extra motivation. They are there to minimize frustration and maximize use of time. As for how much, I paid $20/h, but these days it would probably be more (but not necessarily). Beyond that, I agree with the other posts. Buy used problem solver books, check out classes online, and sign up for a local class that fits your schedule, if possible.

What an excellent idea! I'll have to try that so I could learn topology. I've been trying to do it myself, but I feel I would have accelerated success with an advanced tutor like you suggest.

[Doggzilla]

Originally Posted by KonTiki To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Doggzilla, If you are willing to part with some cash, I would recommend that you find a local math grad student or community college instructor and hire them as a tutor. I did this to learn Real Analysis quickly and without taking the course (and with less stress). This was my strategy, with some elaboration: 1. Develop a curriculum. Look at Wikipedia and the table of contents of some text books to decide what you want to learn. It sounds like you have pretty clear ideas, you're just struggling to find the materials. Some people like to be wedded to a specific text, I do not. 2. Select a tutor. I went to the University Math Department and asked around to learn which grad student most people thought was the best teaching assistant. Other places to find somebody good are community colleges and Craigslist. 3. Communicate with the tutor your expectations. 95% of the project is going to be use working alone on problems and reading, but their guidance is helpful 1. to make sure you're studying the right material, and 2. to correct proofs/problems, and 3. to provide extra motivation. They are there to minimize frustration and maximize use of time. As for how much, I paid $20/h, but these days it would probably be more (but not necessarily). Beyond that, I agree with the other posts. Buy used problem solver books, check out classes online, and sign up for a local class that fits your schedule, if possible.

This is what Im talking about. Thank you very much good sir!

[dah]

Originally Posted by Doggzilla To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

The reason I asked is because books and online queries are just full of useless information. For instance, comparing a calculus book to the categories of calculus listed on wikipedia shows that books and math courses lack half of everything. I would like to find resources which are more complex than wikipedia. It just really rubs me wrong that one page in wikipedia can have more info than entire books Ive been assigned.

Dismissing a book because it does not contain *everything* isn't going to help. I'd suggest you don't drop a book unless you master absolutely everything it's got, otherwise you're only becoming a math book critic...