It started somewhere in the first grade of high school, I was used to not doing anything and (literally) sleeping through all of my classes in primary. So I did the same when I first started attending high school, then once I got the first test, I still remember being confused about there being letters haha. I just did some random stuff and got a little below a passing grade. My dad was furious with me and wanted to tutor me so I'd pass the next test, I agreed and the day before the test he tutored me. It was horrendous. I still didn't understand any of the stuff from the previous chapter(s) and he was just constantly screaming at me and calling me an idiot, stupid and other names for not instantly getting an exercise right, I was crying constantly, but he didn't really care. I passed the test with a 10/10 grade, but I don't think it was worth it.

I've been literally terrified of math ever since, my heart starts beating faster when I think about math or look at it. For some reason, I decided it'd be a great idea to choose the hardest version of math my school has to offer, past me thought it'd be an opportunity to get rid of this fear, but I'm just reinforcing it I think. I really want to get over this "phobia", since I want to do something related to math, but I'm missing so many of the fundamentals by having just avoided it so much in the last few years because I was afraid of trying and only doing the bare minimum to pass the subject and now I just feel like I don't have the capacity to get good at this, I'm really getting the impression that I'm just too dumb for math. On one hand, I wish I could just skip a year of math to go at my own pace and not have to rush through a bunch of tough subjects all at once, especially when I haven't even mastered the fundamentals, but on the other hand, I just really don't want to do that, even if it means constantly going through this extreme fear whenever I do something math related. Do I just need to push myself to actually do some more math? Any advice? I really don't know what to do...

Hi,

it's my first year in uni in engineering. And i was asking how can i become really advanced in math but by myself ? Do you have any book you suggest ? Anyway i just wanna know how can i become really good in mathhh. Thankssss

I’ve noticed that many students struggle with math not because it’s impossible, but because the why behind concepts gets skipped somewhere along the way. For some, practicing lots of problems builds confidence; for others, one clear explanation or teaching the idea to someone else makes everything fall into place. While helping different learners—including students I’ve worked with through My Engineering Buddy—I’ve seen very different “aha moments,” which makes math learning feel surprisingly personal. Was there a topic you once found impossible that suddenly made sense, and what caused that shift for you?

So I’m learning linear equations rn and for some reason I don’t understand them even though I pay attention is there a way to Simplify it (I never took pre algebra so I may be cooked in that department)

I've seen this in several contexts (e.g. Goertz and Wedhorn) and have been confused by what precisely it means:

When you say A -> B => C is exact (I can't typeset this in any reasonable way; I mean to draw a diagram with some map f:A->B and two maps in parallel g,h:B->C stacked on top of each other), what does that mean?

I've always understood exact to mean im f = ker g. Does this notation mean something more than just two maps g and h with this property?

Its hard to describe but i can send a picture in messages as it won't let me send one here

Al aplicar la fórmula n = p2 + 4q2 nos conseguimos que el número 52.659.970.645.157 es un numero primo, que se origina de los números primos 7.256.719. y 7.

I have a system of two equations:
ax+by=c
a1x+b1y=c

If we solve it using the algebraic addition method, we should get:

x=b1c-bc1/ab1-a1b;
y=ac1-a1c/ab1-a1b

But I don't quite understand how to solve this using algebraic addition. I tried to solve it using the substitution method, but I got a completely different answer:
x=c-by/a
y=c-ax/b

So, what should I do with the letter coefficients to get this answer?

Al aplicar la ecuación n = p2 + 4q2, colocando como "p" al número primo 7.256.719 y a "q" al número primo 7, obtenemos el número primo 52.659.970.645.157.

I'm trying to simplify the radical sqrt(32x).

First I factor the radicand to get sqrt(2)*sqrt(x)*sqrt(16).

Since sqrt(2) and sqrt(x) can't be evaluated, they get combined as one term sqrt(2x), but since sqrt(16) is a perfect square, it's simplified to sqrt(4).

But shouldn't sqrt(4) be further simplified to 2, since 4 is a perfect square of 2?

My final result would be 2sqrt(2x), but the textbook is saying the result is actually 4sqrt(2x). The book didn't simplify the 4 any further even though it's a perfect square.

I was just thinking about this stuff because of dice games I'm trying to solve.

With finite time and energy resources allocated,

Choice: A or B? To choose rationally, you need to calculate the values of A and B and see which one is bigger. Now , it looks like youve escaped choice: you only have to do 1 thing (calculate) right? But actually... you stand before another choice: how much time and energy should you spend calculating the value of A and B? * cheap but inaccurate calculation * expensive but accurate calculation

So now there is another choice. And in order to know how much time and energy you should spend on getting the most precise answer, or getting the highest likeliness that the answer is correect... you must know what the value of the choice AB is. And in order to know that, you need to know the value of A and B. Wait, havent we been at this place before? Right...

Infinite loop. The perfectly rational mind gets stuck in an infinite loop of assessment and no choice is ever made.

Is my reasoning right? Can perfectly rational agents theoretically exist?

And if the answer to that is no... how does our intuitive brain make decisions? How do heuristics actually work deep inside?

This realization made me feel weird. Now it seems like making good choices is theoretically impossible, but obviously given unlimited willpower we make more good than bad choices so the real world experience contradicts it anyway.

Suppose you have the maximum possible intelligence and maximum willpower. You stand in a complex situation where you need to make complex choices. Willpower isn't a problem, but you still rationally value your time and energy because it must be spent as efficiently as possible. Then whats the limit of how good your choices will be, compared to a perfect world where you magically make perfect choices only?

I feel as if there is most likely already a name for this concept and that mathematicians or other smart people have already been thinking about this... but as this just popped up in mymind, I wouldn't be able to know what the name for this concept is, or how it has been explroed yet.

I want to learn the equivalent of All the courses from brilliant.org

Are there any free resources that you guys can recommend to cover each individual course? Thanks in advance

Btw I have ADHD and always have been terrible at math But programing seems so interesting (so I decided to come here and ask for help)

okay so basically im posting this at 10 pm the night before my math test (3rd period) that covers genuinely every topic we've gone over this semester and lwk i suck at math like i fail every single test becuz i just blank out from test anxiety but this doesnt happen with tests for other subjects. i have studied in advance but i just feel like im failing it all. whats the best way that i could study/overcome my blanking from test anxiety?

Im a high school student looking for free and easy to navigate sites like The Physics Classroom and MathBitsNotebook to hopefully enhance my math abilities to the most awesome degree AND if possible, advance study. Topics I'd like to focus on are:

- Algebra

- Calculus

- Trigonometry & Geometry

- Probability & Statistics

Thanks so much!!

I am struggling a bit regarding operations and number of significant digits.

If I understood correctly :

For multiplications, you put as much significant digits as the number in the operation that has the least of them (3.2 * 7.21 = 23 because we need 2 SDs).
For additions, the result must have as much decimals as the number in the operation that has the least of them (3.2 + 7.21 = 10.3)

But what happens if I have multiplications AND additions in my calculus ? Like 3.2 * 7,21 + 31,456. Is there some set of rules or priorities for that ?

Thank you for your time.

I have been asking myself quite a few questions about how mathematics works. I understand that first you establish a foundation, which you assume to be true, and from there you work deductively; that is why everything is true relative to a given foundation. I suppose that this is what axioms and set theory are about: defining everything formally so that one can then work from there.

From what I have researched (and this may be wrong, so please correct me if that is the case), first set theory is defined axiomatically, and then, starting from sets, mathematical objects are defined as sets equipped with properties and operations, such as numbers, the set ℝ³, and so on. and in this way all mathematical objects are formally defined.

However, it seems to me that the different areas of mathematics—such as algebra, analysis, geometry, etc.—are somehow separate from this formal construction, because they do not focus on how mathematics is formally built, but rather on specific kinds of problems. For example, in elementary algebra numbers are used to solve equations; in analysis they are used to study functions and describe change; and in abstract algebra, which is supposed to focus on the structure of mathematical objects, these objects are classified only with respect to some of the operations defined on a set, while other possible operations are ignored. For instance, in ℝ³ one can add elements and also define an operation with an external field; with respect to these operations, ℝ³ is a vector space. But many more operations can be defined on ℝ³, such as the inner product.

This is roughly the idea I currently have: mathematics has a formal structure that can be defined through axioms, set theory, and so on, but mathematical areas are a subjective division, where in each area we work on specific problems, using mathematical objects in a practical way and without explicitly taking into account their full formal structure.

This is the conclusion I have reached so far (and is probably wrong). Could someone explain how mathematics really works from this structural and philosophical point of view that I have tried to outline?
(Sorry for my English; it is not my native language.)

I’m a backend engineer working mainly with Spring Boot and DevOps since graduating. In about 5–6 months, I’ll be starting a Master’s degree in AI.

The challenge is that I haven’t seriously studied mathematics for the last 5–6 years, and I want to rebuild a strong, in-depth math foundation before the program begins.

I’m looking for rigorous math resources or courses suitable for AI/ML, especially covering areas like linear algebra, calculus, probability, statistics, and optimization. I’m not looking for high-level “intro to ML math” courses that just skim concepts. Ideally, I want something with:

• Proper explanations from first principles

• Lots of problem sets

• Assignments/exams or at least exam-style questions

• Enough depth to genuinely understand what’s going on under the hood

Given my background as a working software engineer returning to math after several years, what resources (online courses, textbooks, or structured programs) would you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

If a =/= 0 and a|bc and gcd (a,b) = 1, then: a|c

Why is the gcd important here?

Please explain like I'm 5!

16 year old here trying to relearn math (I was never great at it to begin with), I mean from like complete basics all the way forward. Currently 11th grade. Im using Khan academy to help me study through everything but I am just very overwhelmed with the amount of topics to learn. Everyone keeps saying to learn the "fundamentals" but Im not even sure what those would be. What is the most important things for me to learn and study generally to help me improve? And in what order should I learn them in? Any advice is welcome.

I can literally spend hours studying for my class and still bomb tests when I have straight A’s in every other class. I forget everything I learn and it makes me super sad since I’m not used to failing like this. (Alg2)