Myopenmath is what my courses use for online assignments. The assignment portions I'm given I do not find helpful. I'll have to navigate the site to see what else is on there.
I think the teaching style is the issue.
I need to see a complete breakdown.
Where you are getting the numbers from, why, the logic behind steps.
Often, some steps are omitted as some sort of common sense.
Unfortunately, I was a highschool dropout. Out of school for 10 years playing catch up. I'm sure I'm a special case in regards to how slow I am, and how long it takes for me to grasp concepts.
My "common sense" when it comes to math is lacking.
Steps that are omitted by common sense on Khan Academy, 99% of the time, are steps that have been thoroughly broke down in previous videos.
Something I can say Khan does well, for absolute certain, is breaking every component of every equation or theory into small manageable steps. He also provides relevant context for every subject.
If you’re struggling with a sector of maths, it’s because you’ve missed something previously.
When you notice stuff feels "out of nowhere" like that, it's nice to be able to "diagnose what you're missing" and jump to that, then try to build back up.
If it's hard to know what to even look for, don't be afraid to ask questions, cause more than "the answer to that one question" you might figure out what it is you need to practice
I think a lot of time it's that people aren't fully confident with "manipulating expressions/equations" and then the math just carries on from there, which is extra rough cause after that point, you don't *need* calculus to start learning about matrices for example, but just knowing how you can rewrite fractions is going to show up in almost everything you do
Oh totally! It stems from my rocky math foundation.
I have basically been self taught up until a couple quarters ago. Unfortunately I have always struggled with math, so even the self taught material is rocky.
My issue is that I wish when steps were skipped they would at least mention why, so that I could go back and reference it or learn it, rather than feel like it's coming out of nowhere! Of that makes sense.
First, I commend your willingness to take a stab at math again. I know many people get disheartened by math in high school then try to avoid it like the plague, so I commend you there.
To start, at least at my university, the College Algebra course was essentially a high school Algrebra 2 and Trig course put together. They didnt use this course as an "intro calculus" at all. If you're struggle is with this, then I'd strongly suggest using online resources to expose yourself to these concepts. YouTube channels like Khan Academy, 3Blue1Brown, The Chemistry Teacher, and many others take a considerable amount of time to teach these courses in a way that is relatable and easily digestible. I'd also look online for free worksheets or an open source textbook if thats more your preference.
As for preparing for calc 1, I think the approach is largely similar. Even if you mastered algebra 2 and trig, calc 1 will just feel "weird". You learn new operations and concepts that you simply would have never seen in any math course prior to this. When you take algebra 1 and then move to algebra 2, they feel connected and related to each other (as the names would suggest 🤣). But when you move from algebra 2 to calc 1, they don't feel like that anymore, at least in my opinion. Calc 1 will introduce operations, techniques, and concepts that your probably have heard of before. I'd start by looking into what limits are and how they work (just go until you conceptually understand what they mean). And do the same for the derivative. If you can conceptually understand what these two concepts are, you'll be fine. Most of calc 1 is centered around understanding what a derivative is conceptually and learn how to compute them. After derivatives comes integration but I personally don't see a benefit in exploring that too deeply now because much of the intuition of what an integral means can be linked to that of the derivative and it might not help you explore integrals without knowing the derivative first.
That's my advice and if I can do anything for you, please let me know.
The thing that was most useful for me when I went back and took Calc I and Calc II is that studying for math in general is less like studying for subjects like history or English Literature and more like playing a sport or a musical instrument in that practice is really the only way to master the material. You have to work enough of the problems that are likely to appear on the tests until you can answer them quickly and without much hesitation.
Once you’ve gone over some of the content on khan (or elsewhere that explains the material) you can use alcumus for extra problem sets.
https://artofproblemsolving.com/alcumus
A warning: i would recommend starting off with the easy for me or normal for me difficulty settings unless you love harder math problems. The harder problems on aops can get very difficult (and come from contest math problems).
If you enjoy math and its challenges, self-study and/or Khan Academy might be enough. Otherwise, take a precalculus course first if possible. In the US, many colleges offer precalc over the summer.
After rereading your post, I suggest taking the Algebra 2 course over the summer. This will prepare you for a precalculus course. The equivalent of high school Algebra 2 will not be enough to prepare you for Calc 1. If you can't squeeze in the precalc course before fall, take precalc in the fall.
I came back to college after an almost thirty year break. My first three classes were conceptual physics, a chemistry course, and trigonometry. I couldn’t multiply fractions or help my kid with his middle school math homework. A couple semesters later I was tutoring chem and calculus.
Just have an open mind, use your professor and your schools tutors at every opportunity. There’s also an endless number of online math resources. You got this.
The part-time and non-traditional students more likely to take courses at night. You are more likely to get instructors (maybe adjunct or part time themselves) for focused on teaching and not being in a class of math prodigies set on straight-A’s and going on. This was definitely a thing at my flagship Big10 school.
I never passed Algebra II, never even took Precalc, and got straight A's in 3 semesters of calculus.
Test into calculus, and then start studying it before your class starts. Also, make sure you're calculator has a CAS (TI Nspire CAS good, NSpire regular no good, even if it's got color.
You'll quickly see what parts of algebra and trig are used (functions, logarithms, unit circle, power reducing/half angle formula... that's about it) and if you're lacking, do a little cramming.
I understood basic limits and derivatives when I got to Calc 1. Didn't know anything about integrals. This put me at an immediate advantage over all my classmates who had just taken Precalc.
Precalc has always been a scam, and now that we have better calculators, Algebra 2 is due for a serious revamp.
And Calc 2 is completely obsolete, but that's a story for another time.
Just brush up on Khan Academy.
Yup They have algebra 2, precalculus, and more
Khan academy wasn't helpful for me, unfortunately. I still use it. But I cannot say that it has been helpful.
What about sites like [MyOpenMath](https://www.myopenmath.com/)? Was the issue with the practice problems or the teaching style?
Myopenmath is what my courses use for online assignments. The assignment portions I'm given I do not find helpful. I'll have to navigate the site to see what else is on there. I think the teaching style is the issue. I need to see a complete breakdown. Where you are getting the numbers from, why, the logic behind steps. Often, some steps are omitted as some sort of common sense. Unfortunately, I was a highschool dropout. Out of school for 10 years playing catch up. I'm sure I'm a special case in regards to how slow I am, and how long it takes for me to grasp concepts. My "common sense" when it comes to math is lacking.
Steps that are omitted by common sense on Khan Academy, 99% of the time, are steps that have been thoroughly broke down in previous videos. Something I can say Khan does well, for absolute certain, is breaking every component of every equation or theory into small manageable steps. He also provides relevant context for every subject. If you’re struggling with a sector of maths, it’s because you’ve missed something previously.
When you notice stuff feels "out of nowhere" like that, it's nice to be able to "diagnose what you're missing" and jump to that, then try to build back up. If it's hard to know what to even look for, don't be afraid to ask questions, cause more than "the answer to that one question" you might figure out what it is you need to practice I think a lot of time it's that people aren't fully confident with "manipulating expressions/equations" and then the math just carries on from there, which is extra rough cause after that point, you don't *need* calculus to start learning about matrices for example, but just knowing how you can rewrite fractions is going to show up in almost everything you do
Oh totally! It stems from my rocky math foundation. I have basically been self taught up until a couple quarters ago. Unfortunately I have always struggled with math, so even the self taught material is rocky. My issue is that I wish when steps were skipped they would at least mention why, so that I could go back and reference it or learn it, rather than feel like it's coming out of nowhere! Of that makes sense.
First, I commend your willingness to take a stab at math again. I know many people get disheartened by math in high school then try to avoid it like the plague, so I commend you there. To start, at least at my university, the College Algebra course was essentially a high school Algrebra 2 and Trig course put together. They didnt use this course as an "intro calculus" at all. If you're struggle is with this, then I'd strongly suggest using online resources to expose yourself to these concepts. YouTube channels like Khan Academy, 3Blue1Brown, The Chemistry Teacher, and many others take a considerable amount of time to teach these courses in a way that is relatable and easily digestible. I'd also look online for free worksheets or an open source textbook if thats more your preference. As for preparing for calc 1, I think the approach is largely similar. Even if you mastered algebra 2 and trig, calc 1 will just feel "weird". You learn new operations and concepts that you simply would have never seen in any math course prior to this. When you take algebra 1 and then move to algebra 2, they feel connected and related to each other (as the names would suggest 🤣). But when you move from algebra 2 to calc 1, they don't feel like that anymore, at least in my opinion. Calc 1 will introduce operations, techniques, and concepts that your probably have heard of before. I'd start by looking into what limits are and how they work (just go until you conceptually understand what they mean). And do the same for the derivative. If you can conceptually understand what these two concepts are, you'll be fine. Most of calc 1 is centered around understanding what a derivative is conceptually and learn how to compute them. After derivatives comes integration but I personally don't see a benefit in exploring that too deeply now because much of the intuition of what an integral means can be linked to that of the derivative and it might not help you explore integrals without knowing the derivative first. That's my advice and if I can do anything for you, please let me know.
Wow, what a killer comment. You deserve so many upvotes dude. I’d assume you’re either mathematics, or engineering major?
Yep. I was a math major and now I'm pursuing a PhD in Applied Math and Stats
Yep. I was a math major and now I'm pursuing a PhD in Applied Math and Stats
The thing that was most useful for me when I went back and took Calc I and Calc II is that studying for math in general is less like studying for subjects like history or English Literature and more like playing a sport or a musical instrument in that practice is really the only way to master the material. You have to work enough of the problems that are likely to appear on the tests until you can answer them quickly and without much hesitation.
Once you’ve gone over some of the content on khan (or elsewhere that explains the material) you can use alcumus for extra problem sets. https://artofproblemsolving.com/alcumus A warning: i would recommend starting off with the easy for me or normal for me difficulty settings unless you love harder math problems. The harder problems on aops can get very difficult (and come from contest math problems).
In the same boat
We got this 🫡
If you enjoy math and its challenges, self-study and/or Khan Academy might be enough. Otherwise, take a precalculus course first if possible. In the US, many colleges offer precalc over the summer.
After rereading your post, I suggest taking the Algebra 2 course over the summer. This will prepare you for a precalculus course. The equivalent of high school Algebra 2 will not be enough to prepare you for Calc 1. If you can't squeeze in the precalc course before fall, take precalc in the fall.
I came back to college after an almost thirty year break. My first three classes were conceptual physics, a chemistry course, and trigonometry. I couldn’t multiply fractions or help my kid with his middle school math homework. A couple semesters later I was tutoring chem and calculus. Just have an open mind, use your professor and your schools tutors at every opportunity. There’s also an endless number of online math resources. You got this.
What's the content in algebra II?
Work problems
The trick we used back in the day was to take the night sections of math.
I’m confused haha what does this mean?
The part-time and non-traditional students more likely to take courses at night. You are more likely to get instructors (maybe adjunct or part time themselves) for focused on teaching and not being in a class of math prodigies set on straight-A’s and going on. This was definitely a thing at my flagship Big10 school.
I never passed Algebra II, never even took Precalc, and got straight A's in 3 semesters of calculus. Test into calculus, and then start studying it before your class starts. Also, make sure you're calculator has a CAS (TI Nspire CAS good, NSpire regular no good, even if it's got color. You'll quickly see what parts of algebra and trig are used (functions, logarithms, unit circle, power reducing/half angle formula... that's about it) and if you're lacking, do a little cramming. I understood basic limits and derivatives when I got to Calc 1. Didn't know anything about integrals. This put me at an immediate advantage over all my classmates who had just taken Precalc. Precalc has always been a scam, and now that we have better calculators, Algebra 2 is due for a serious revamp. And Calc 2 is completely obsolete, but that's a story for another time.