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Reddit mentions of A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra)

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Reddit mentions: 49

We found 49 Reddit mentions of A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra). Here are the top ones.

A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra)
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Found 49 comments on A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra):

u/BigSquirrelSmallTree · 157 pointsr/LifeProTips

Focusing on the reward, product, or outcome isn't very effective.

Instead, we should focus on the process (flow of time, and the habits and actions associated with that time).



Edit: Gold! :)

The bulk of what follows are notes from a class that I and 200,000 more students all over the world are finishing this week online from the University of California, San Diego called Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects and the textbook A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra).

The book and the lectures are incredibly well cited. You can download the lectures free.

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When we focus on the reward or the product of the task that we need to perform, it doesn't really address the real reason that we're procrastinating, and can release stress related chemicals making us even less motivated.

Why we procrastinate: When we think of something we have to do that's unpleasant or uncomfortable, it literally triggers neural discomfort in the part of our brain associated with pain: the insular cortex. Focusing on the reward or the product/outcome of the task can amplify this neural discomfort because the task has yet to be performed.

So what happens when we procrastinate? We first think of the thing that we don't want to do. Our insular cortex receives that discomfort/pain message and our brain immediately switches our attention and thoughts to something else that's pleasant, temporarily relieving that discomfort and triggering a cue for us to do something else. We're distracted and procrastinating now. This only temporarily eases the discomfort of that neural response.

The good news: It's absolutely normal to feel negative or uncomfortable thoughts when starting anything. Research shows that when we engage in the activity for a couple of minutes, the neural response in the insular cortex eases and we don't feel as much discomfort. In other words, the more we engage in the task we're putting off, the better we'll feel about doing it.

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Movation in our brain

Neuromodulators: These are chemicals that influence how neurons respond to other neurons and whether or not we get out of bed in the morning. Those chemicals?

acetylcholine: This chemical controls focused learning and attention. Supplements exist.

dopamine: This is THE rewards chemical and the most important chemical for motivation; release it and you feel good. Too much, and life sucks over time (stay away from bad drugs). Lose dopamine and you have no motivation. Like, if you literally have no dopamine you go catatonic. No joke. Learn to do things that release this chemical naturally and you're good.

serotonin: This is the chemical that controls your social life and risk-taking behavior. Prozac increases this chemical in the brain. Low serotonin levels means high-risk behavior. The most violent criminals in our prisons have the lowest serotonin levels. Keep that chemical in check.

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Four things to understand about our habits:

A Cue: This is an event that welcomes our engagement or participation. Phone, porn, food, thoughts; you get the idea. Cues are neither helpful nor harmful.

A Routine: This is the mindless activity that we engage in after having received the cue. Routines can be useful, harmless, or harmful.

A reward: Habits develop or continue because they give us pleasant feelings. Procrastination is one of them because it makes us feel good, temporarily. In this way, procrastination is like an addiction. We do it for the temporary good feelings. Immediate reward. We can, however, rewire to become "addicted" to new habits by rewarding ourselves for new routines.

A Belief: Habits have power because of our belief in them. To change a habit we must change the underlying belief.

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Spread out your tasks and your rewards for improved productivity and better motivation.

Our brains have a lot to do. Focusing too long on something is like doing too much exercise. Our brains need breaks from the tasks that we're performing. By breaking our productivity into smaller chunks and taking a break with a reward (remember, we need the reward fairly soon because procrastination gives us the dopamine feel-good chemical now) we'll find it's much easier to be better motivated. The reward can be internet time, tv, book, walk, coffee, etc. I've found that anything I'm doing while I procrastinate can often be used as the reward during breaks.

Pomodoro (google it): Set a timer for 25:00. Turn off interruptions. Focus on your task. Take a break with a reward and let your brain relax for a bit. Hint: You're releasing dopamine with the reward and training your brain to crave the new behavior.

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Changing our procrastination habits

Cues - If we change our reaction to these (see above) we win. Turn off the stuff that distracts you and gently ignore any new distractions while you're focused on your task.

Routine - Rewire here by developing a plan or new ritual to react to the cue. By engaging in new reactions and new routines, and rewarding ourselves immediately after, we'll begin to crave habits that are more productive. I've already been doing this with success more or less, but this information helps me to understand why it works. Perform tasks in smaller chunks. Spread those chunks out to make the project more manageable. Set your timer for 25:00, or shorter, or longer (not very much) and take a break - five minutes minimum but go longer if the task is super taxing.

Reward - Super important! Reward yourself with something to indulge in immediately after your task Doesn't have to be food or cost money. It's your time and your indulgence. Remember: One of the reasons that procrastination is one of our default habits is because we're rewarded immediately for it. We're training our brains to crave a better feel-good response, one that's not too distant in the future, and one that helps us change our habit. No reward = we won't feel good about changing our habit.

Belief - Change the underlying belief about the task you're going to perform. Don't tell yourself elaborate stories about how hard it will be or how long it will take. Focus on the process (flow of time, and the habits and actions associated with that time), and not the outcome, product, or completion. Understand that for the larger stuff you'll only be focused in small increments of time, and only on the task at hand. (Hard lesson: Our environment, our friends, our family, and our level of understanding and knowing our place in the cosmos will directly effect whether or not we'll ever believe that anything is worth doing in life, even in small increments of time. By broadening these things or changing them completely, we'll find it much easier to change our attitudes, behaviors, and habits.)

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It's normal to feel negative or uncomfortable thoughts when starting anything. Engage in the activity for a couple of minutes and those feelings will go away. Because research and science.

Don't judge yourself: Allow your mind to relax into a flow of the work or activity you're going to engage in. Everybody sucks at stuff in the beginning. Life's messy and so is the stuff we have to do to get things done. Take breaks and vacations. Research shows that people who balance fun time with work time outperform workaholics over and over and over.

When distractions or new cues present themselves, let them go; gently ignore them and relax back into the process and flow of the activity.

"I'm different and special and I'm a genius and none of this applies to me." No you're not and yes it does. Look, some of us may have more astrocytes than others (look that up) so we have some talent. But without a plan to do something with those astrocytes, we're going to be stuck with the same addiction to procrastination.

Not all procrastination is bad. Sometimes our brain really does need a break, so take one. Sometimes we're spending too much time on a large task and need to break it up into smaller tasks. Smaller tasks makes it more manageable and taking breaks helps our brains relax. Less stress, more dopamine, healthy brain. Balanced leisure time with productivity time makes us more productive. Because research and science.

Write down the things you want to accomplish the night before. This frees up energy in your prefrontal cortex and makes it easier for you to get started. Again, because science. While you sleep your brain processes that stuff and you're more likely to actually do them.

Keep a planner journal to outline what works and what doesn't as pertains to changing your procrastination responses and routines.

No rewards until you've finished the immediate task/pomodoro.

Keep an eye on procrastination cues.

Gain trust in your new system.

Have backup plans for when you still procrastinate.

Be bad at it for awhile.

tl;dr: When we procrastinate, it's because thinking of doing something unpleasant can trigger discomfort in the part of our brain associated with pain. Focusing on the reward or the product/outcome of the task can amplify this same discomfort, because the unpleasant task has yet to be done. Our brain switches to more pleasant thoughts to release dopamine (feel-good chemical), but this only temporarily feels good. In this, procrastination shares common features with addiction. We can tackle procrastination by focusing on the process of the task (the flow of time, and the habits and actions associated with that time), and taking breaks with small rewards.

u/CertifiedNicePerson · 106 pointsr/IWantToLearn

Read the book "A mind for numbers" by Barbara Oakley and take the course "learning how to learn"

Link to course:
https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn

Link to book:
https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Numbers-Science-Flunked-Algebra/dp/039916524X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=a+mind+for+numbers&qid=1570212770&sr=8-1


Edit: if I remember correctly, you don't have to pay for the course if you're not able to. Hope this helps you :)

u/TheWebDevCoach · 104 pointsr/learnprogramming

And if you're more into books, read the book: A Mind for Numbers. It's by the professor of the Coursera course.

https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Numbers-Science-Flunked-Algebra/dp/039916524X/

u/qna1 · 41 pointsr/learnprogramming

I was in basically your place last year and am still on my journey, self learning takes a lot of self discipline though, and given that life will at some time get in the way of your goals, its best you have the right mindset starting out. This track I am about to recommend is what I call the Python Track, and its the track I more or less have followed, making many mistakes, so you do not have to. First, before you even look at computer code, sign up for this free course, Learning how to learn, if money is not an issue I highly recommend the book, by the same professor that teaches the course , self learning something of this magnitude can be very challenging, this book will help you overcome some if not all of these challenges, if you follow the techniques outlined. Next, read Code, This book is probably the most recommended book on this sub-reddit and for good reason. Code is just well written and so easy to understand, you will have a much greater appreciation for learning to program once you have read this book. Now you are ready for programming, As your search will show, the most common advice from where to start is Codecademy, now the most common advice would be don't worry about what language you choose, the language is just a tool, and this true, however many sources cite Python as an easy language to learn, and I would agree. Now, one thing you need to realize early is, learning or becoming proficient in anything for that matter, can be made easier by building upon little successes(one of many great rules in A Mind for Numbers). That said, once you progress through Codecademy, you will quickly realize, either it holds your hand too much, or you have difficulty holding the information in your head, these are common complaints, but Codecademy's greatest strength is its ability to ease a person into the world of programming without throwing them in the deep end of the pool. Course 2 is taught by Dr. Chuck, take the course called Python for Everyone . There are several courses on the website but I feel this is the most natural progression from CodeCademy, it will be more challenging, but not overwhelmingly so. Once you finish this course, you can either follow the rest of Dr. Chuck's courses if you really want to or advance to the intermediate level.
Now its time for the intermediate level courses you can start with Learn to Program the Fundamentals and follow its two course track, or you can take An Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python(Part1)
either intermediate track is great, see which suits you best, all Coursera courses are offered on a regular basis with the option to audit them freely(check out the wealth of non-programming courses also!!!). You will at this point realize that you are TIRED of going over for-loops, all I have to say to that is, repetition is key. The most common answer given on this sub when someone asks how they can get better at programming, is practice, followed by the next common answer build something you care about(I will get to this). After you have selected and finished an intermediate level track, feel free to browse Coursera for any other classes that grab your interest, as now you have the tools to explore on your own, but DO NOT!!! take more than one course at a time, or if you do, limit yourself to a taking one course on a certain day and the other course on another day, Do Not get into the very bad habit/mistake of signing up for courses left and right barely getting past week two in all 10 courses you signed up for; as so many people myself included have done. Finally, the advanced level, many people say the gold standard for learning to program on the web are these two classes. Either Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python or CS50 these are considered the best and for good reason. Though this sub seems to recommend CS50 more often, in keeping with the Python theme I must recommend the MIT course, also because I feel its pacing is better, however I do want to let it be known that CS50 does incorporate Python towards the end of the course, and has the added benefit of giving you a deadline of a year to complete the 12 week course, whereas the MIT course is split into two parts spanning about 15 weeks total(offered 2 -3 times a year). Once you complete these courses you will be ready and capable for whatever programming challenges you are willing to undertake, as well as your own personal projects, program often, google and this sub reddit are your friends, don't let programming consume your entire life, and most of all have fun with it all, if you have any questions or need any help, myself and many many others would be glad to help you, best of luck, haha I feel like I'm talking to my 27 year old self from last year.

u/onlyforjazzmemes · 21 pointsr/compsci

Check out the book A Mind for Numbers. Really insightful for CS majors IMHO.

u/formal_maximum · 11 pointsr/math

I can't claim to have any experience with graduate level math, so I hope I'm not stepping out of my lane, but I'm very familiar with failing university courses (uhh more familiar than I'd like to admit). In my case it was due to a learning disability and chronic illness but it forced me to learn a bit about how to learn, which I think is always applicable.

You're halfway through a master's so I assume you're going to class and doing homework, so the next problem that stands out to me is intuition.

So try this exercise either alone or with a partner. Put away your all your notes and pick a topic, say, Stokes Theorem (you can also do this for your past exams by working the problems out loud) Either in front of a whiteboard or on paper, pretend you're teaching someone else from scratch. Prove the relevant theorems from the book/lecture from the ground up and explain the applications with example problems. Basically, pretend you're the professor. At every step ask yourself 'why?' and 'how?' Justify everything you do. I suspect that you'll frequently reach points in example problems, proofs, or the "big picture" where you don't know or can't adequately justify the next step.

The key thing is that when you do get stuck in your mock lecture, go back to the book or to your TA/professor and clear up the misunderstandings.

The point of this exercise, sometimes called the Feynman Technique, is to identify gaps in your understanding. Broadly, the underlying principle is that you don't understand something until you can teach it. I get the impression that you're rereading lecture notes and redoing problems ad nauseum. That can trick you into thinking that you understand something when in reality you haven't developed the intuition necessary to tackle new problems.

There's a lot more to be said about effective learning methods but I think this is the most important, especially for higher level math exams. Here's a video about the Feynman Technique in the likely scenario that my explanation wasn't clear. Also, engineering professor Barbara Oakley wrote a book called A Mind for Numbers which goes into effective learning techniques for math/science. If you have time, I highly, highly, highly recommend you purchase it or see if your library has it. It's a quick read and has really good information.

Like I said, I've failed several courses so I get how demoralizing it can be. But keep in mind that you've made it this far. You just need to readjust and find learning/study techniques that can work for you in this situation. Stay strong!

u/ExtremelySmashing · 5 pointsr/GCSE

There's so many more points I want to make to this, but the character limit prevents me from doing that. I'll keep it simple and make just one more recommendation.

For the love of god, please try your best to read this book, its literally life changing. It's how I've learnt how to learn and it will change your life too. Read it, apply it.

u/nomadProgrammer · 4 pointsr/learnprogramming

there's a whole metacognition theory behind it.

The paradigm of left and right side brain is losing strength now we think of the brain as a focused or difused mode, focused it while studying, but difused mode is creative and lets you solve problems. Have you ever been stuck in thhe same bug for hours, then go grab a snack, or go for a walk, or maybe sleep on the problem, and once you get back, finally it's very clear where the problem was?

That is difuse mode working my friend. If you study for many hours without resting your brain is stucked in focused mode, which is good but also bad. That's why sometimes we get burnout.

Want more info:

Try this course: learning to learn

Aint nobody got time fo' that? read this short book: a mind for numbers

u/MrTMDPhD · 4 pointsr/ChemicalEngineering

Hmm, you probably won't get a real taste of a chemical engineering course until sophomore year of college.

I'm not sure of any books on general information about chemical engineering, however here is a good link.

If you want to get a good advantage over other students I would recommend learning how to study in college.

These two are pretty good. One Two

Best of luck!

u/owenshen24 · 4 pointsr/rational

Good and Real by Gary Drescher. Covers a similar philosophical stance to that of Yudkowsky in the Sequences, but with more academic rigor. A fun read that goes over computation, decision theory, morality, and Newcomb's Problem (among other things.)

Thinking Fast and Slow Daniel Kahneman's lifetime of research in heuristics and cognitive biases condensed into one epic volume. Highly engaging and 100% recommended if you aren't well-versed in this area.

A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley. A scientific approach to studying, looking at good memory tricks, ways to learn better, and some interesting ideas on procrastination (including characterizing it as a malign reward loop).

u/[deleted] · 4 pointsr/india

You should read a book by barbara oakley "How to excel in maths and science even if you flunked algebra". A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra) https://www.amazon.in/dp/039916524X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3CUlDbJX28V05.

If not then you should try pomodoro technique. Basically set a timer of 15 min and do what you want with complete devotion. Don't mind about completing just focus on studying for that 15 min. Then buildup your time.

u/steelypip · 3 pointsr/Python

The brain needs down-time to process information and move it into long term memory - trying to focus continually for long periods while learning can be counter-productive. Try using the Pomodoro Technique: set a timer for 25 minutes and focus completely on learning your subject. When that goes off set another timer for 5 minutes and take a break during that time, avoiding thinking about the subject. Ideally get up and do something physical rather than browse the web. When the 5 minutes is up start another 25 minutes of focused concentration. Take a longer break every couple of hours.

Coursera have an online course called Learning To Learn which is pretty good. It is based on the book A Mind For Numbers.

u/juniegrrl · 3 pointsr/learnmath

Giving up won't help, especially with math. So your first order of business is not letting yourself off the hook. Keep working on it, even when it seems hard and confusing. Sometimes it takes many attempts before a concept finally 'clicks.'

Khan Academy is good, but you're going to need to do additional problems to really get the work to sink in. I recommend clicking through on the hints after you've done a problem to see how they explain it. A lot of times I've found those hints to be better explanations than what is in the video.

If you can't retain the concepts, you're going to have a hard time doing CS. You might also want to look into memory aids, like Anki flashcards, to practice and reinforce ideas as you go.

I started a small notebook where I write in concept outlines so I can come back and re-read them and reinforce them as I go.

I would recommend a YouTuber named James Tanton. He has an Exploding Dots series that is really basic, but is visually very helpful. There are loads of other people uploading info on YouTube, so you can pretty much always find someone explaining what you're learning. Watch different people to see how they approach things differently, until the ideas make sense to you.

Another online resource that will provide some help as you go along is the website Better Explained, though you'll need to poke around to find what you need.

I also read a book called A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley. It's not a math textbook, but it's full of advice for how to train your brain to be better at math.

Those are the things I've been using that have helped. Good luck!

u/jesfre · 3 pointsr/WGU

I don’t have any practical suggestions; I’d say take a look at how long you’re studying and if you begin to “check out”, get up and do something else for a bit.

Also read A Mind for Numbers (A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra) https://www.amazon.com/dp/039916524X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_43L4Bb5DTHGTY)

Best book on studying habits ever. It’s helped me a ton.

Best wishes!

u/kittycatzero · 3 pointsr/getting_over_it

> Take baby steps. Yeah, once upon a time studying would come naturally to you and now you're worried because it doesn't. But you've got to deal with that. Break all the tasks you have to do down into simple little chunks. Tick boxes. Lists. Whatever. Something small and tangible.

This. Get a pomodoro app or a kitchen timer or use your phone and sit down and tell yourself you're going to study for 20 minutes, no distractions. Just 20 minutes! That's a do-able amount of time for anyone, don't worry about finishing the assignment. Then you get to take a 5 min break. Rinse and repeat. If you're only able to do one round, great, you still got work done. If you do three or four or five rounds that's even better.

I'm a terrible procrastinator too (in fact, even now I should be studying instead of doing who knows what on reddit) and timing myself like this has been a total breakthrough. I often find that once I sit down and commit to that 20 minutes I end up spending a few hours at it.

I read this book over the summer and it's been incredibly helpful with the studying side of depression/motivation/etc. It's geared for high schoolers going into STEM fields in college, but it has great advice for anyone in school, regardless of age or field of study.

u/NieIand · 3 pointsr/intj

Verbal Judo by Dr. George J. Thompson - Teaches you how to talk to people.

A Mind for Numbers by Dr. Barbara Oakley - Teaches you how to learn effectively.

u/UntangledQubit · 2 pointsr/learnmath

Khan Academy is a good resource - I would also recommend the book A Mind For Numbers. The fact that math makes you anxious, while perfectly normal, is going to be a mental block when it comes to learning it. Math is like any other skill - you keep practicing, you get it wrong a bunch of times, and gradually your brain retrains a small portion of itself to do it. This process can be interfered with - you'll never learn a sport if you don't eat or sleep enough, and you won't learn a mental skill if your brain is subjected to enough stress.

You absolutely are capable of grasping the math. I do hope you believe this, and if there is any doubt I hope the book will give you some mental tools for managing that anxiety, as well as some high-level approaches on how to approach mathematical problems.

u/turd__burgleson · 2 pointsr/learnmath

Secrets of Mental Math May be helpful for filling in some gaps. Also A Mind for Numbers gives helpful meta learning info: how to study, etc.

u/Krypto_74 · 2 pointsr/ADHD

As I mentioned before: pills aren't skills. You still have to put it the work even when you don't feel like it. THIS IS KEY. You won't always feel like following through. But the difference between failing and passing is putting in the work.

Here are a couple guides that I heartedly recommend: A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley. This book will give you the basis for effective learning, and not just for science or math students.

How to Become a Straight A Student by Cal Newport This book defines the genre of what an effective student guide really is. Study tips abound, but the real lesson here is about effective time management and scheduling.

u/YellowFlash99 · 2 pointsr/IWantToLearn

Try this:
https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Numbers-Science-Flunked-Algebra/dp/039916524X

Really helped me a lot. Great book not just for learning math, but how learning works in general.

If you can't buy it just find a PDF from a torrent site or something like that

u/Tom_Raines · 2 pointsr/learnmath

I'm in a similar process with software development, I've always had the passion, but mathematics always stopped me, now I'm very motivated!

​

These are the resources that have helped me, I hope and work for you

​

https://www.youtube.com/user/professorleonard57

The best teacher!

​

https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Numbers-Science-Flunked-Algebra/dp/039916524X/ref=sr_1_2?crid=16HTDVAQL50FX&keywords=barbara+oakley&qid=1572824841&s=books&sprefix=barbara+o%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C210&sr=1-2

The best book

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http://www.math-aids.com/

Exercise page

​

And of course

Khan Academy!

u/Iron_Bawls · 2 pointsr/learnmath

A mind for numbers. Give this a read.

u/HarmlessEZE · 2 pointsr/IWantToLearn

I foundthis book on how to learn math when you sick with numbers. I haven't read it so I can't review it, I just know of it.

u/CodeTamarin · 2 pointsr/computerscience

The Stanford Algorithm book is complete overkill in my opinion do NOT read that book. That's insane. Read it when you've been doing programming for a while and have a grasp of how it even applies.

Here's my list, it's a "wanna be a decent junior" list:

  • Computer Science Distilled
  • Java/ C# / PHP/ JS (pick one)
  • Do some Programming Challenges
  • SQL
  • Maybe build a small web app. Don't worry about structure so much, just build something simple.
  • Applying UML: and Patterns: An Introduction to Object Oriented Anaysis and Design Iterative Development
  • Head First Design Patterns
  • Clean Architecture
  • Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code
  • If you're interested in Web
  • Soft Skills: Power of Habit , A Mind for Numbers , Productivity Project

    ​

    Reasoning: So, the first book is to give you a sense of all that's out there. It's short and sweet and primes you for what's ahead. It helps you understand most of the basic industry buzz words and whatnot. It answers a lot of unknown unknowns for a newbie.

    Next is just a list languages off the top of my head. But you can pick anything, seriously it's not a big deal. I did put Java first because that's the most popular and you'll like find a mountain of resources.

    Then after some focused practice, I suggest grabbing some SQL. You don't need to be an expert but you gotta know about DBs to some degree.

    Then I put an analysis book that's OOP focused. The nifty thing about that book, is it breaks into design patterns nicely with some very simple design patters to introduce you to design patterns and GRASP.

    Then I put in a legit Design Patterns book that explains and explores design patterns and principles associated with many of them.

    Now that you know how code is structured, you're ready for a conversation about Architecture. Clean architecture is a simple primer on the topic. Nothing too crazy, just preps you for the idea of architecture and dealing with it.

    Finally, refactoring is great for working devs. Often your early work will be focused on working with legacy code. Then knowing how to deal with those problems can be helpful.

    FINAL NOTE: Read the soft skills books first.

    The reason for reading the soft skills books first is it helps develop a mental framework for learning all the stuff.

    Good luck! I get this isn't strictly computer science and it's likely focused more toward Software Development. But I hope it helps. If it doesn't. My apologies.
u/Homme_de_terre · 2 pointsr/math

I strongly recommend that you get this book, Mind for Numbers, which contains excellent tips for excelling at math.

For a preview, watch this video

u/unclesaamm · 2 pointsr/math

There is one more suggestion I can offer, which is at the level of learning habits and psychology: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Numbers-Science-Flunked-Algebra/dp/039916524X

It's written for a much more popular audience than the earlier suggestions, but I still found it helpful.

The instinct for a lot of people is that when they get stuck, they think that the way forward is to isolate oneself to that problem and batter themselves at it until they solve it. The author does a good job explaining why this is almost always the wrong approach, and offers some psych-ish suggestions on better approaches. For example, she describes the difference between "diffuse" vs "focused" thinking, and how important it is to learn to switch between the two modes, so you don't get stuck performing focused thinking in the wrong area. Or how memory needs to be allowed to "chunk" so that it can form larger mental maps.

Good luck!

Edit to say, as for where homomorphisms are used, one cool application is that linear transformations (vector space homomorphisms) are a close analog of group homomorphisms. Having taken your group theory class, you may find something like this interesting? https://www.amazon.com/Linear-Algebra-Introduction-Mathematics-Undergraduate/dp/0387940995

u/sapientrobot · 1 pointr/CasualConversation

This book helped me out a lot, in case youre interested:

http://www.amazon.com/Mind-For-Numbers-Science-Flunked/dp/039916524X

u/luxuryUX · 1 pointr/uwo

> I don’t know why people have to bring each other down like that.

I've found this to be a thing at Western. There is a big crab bucket mentality at Western and in London, Ontario in general. People love to pull each other down and talk behind peoples backs.

​

Also, I'll add that academic success isn't always forward a forward-looking indicator of having a successful life (in terms of profession and income). Some of the most book smart people I knew who received great marks in uni struggled to find career-type employment after university and some are working service type jobs close to minimum wage (and shackled to lots of loan debt)

​

I received pretty mediocre marks (high 60s, low 70s), yet I've succeeded professionally in my mid/late 20s (working for a great firm, take-home pay just over six figures, working internationally) because I focused on networking, marketing myself, and honing my soft skills.

​

/u/DizzyNeedleworker, your worth as a person isn't determined by a number on a piece of paper, so don't stress out too much. Do your best and focus on Learning how to Learn.

​

A great book I'd recommend reading is A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley. Math wasn't my strong suit either, but this book really helped me and it might be of value to you as well.

u/somedude8 · 1 pointr/IWantToLearn

Would recommend this book very highly, I think it might be just the kind of thing that will help you. I consider myself to be fairly decent at math, and even then this book has made a world of difference.

u/its_just_shane · 1 pointr/SoftwareEngineering

I'm an embedded software engineer and I don't do much calculus. I do mess around with polynomials (which is just simple algebra) quite frequently. Polynomials are great ways to represent a nonlinear set of values for modeling analog sensors. My background is in electrical engineering so understanding Fourier analysis is really useful too but I haven't used it much which reminds me I probably should do a quick refresher on that soon.

I recommend this book to any software engineer no matter their level. It was an amazing read and gives you some insight on core methodologies to problem solving and just learning in general

https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Numbers-Science-Flunked-Algebra/dp/039916524X/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=57601891578&gclid=CjwKCAiAqqTuBRBAEiwA7B66hQSRttqQ90P0z_Eir5lDL0JXaHGw9w8HIcB-ePqxeHtD6LJffZe-MxoC7GYQAvD_BwE&hvadid=274722315593&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=1014452&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t2&hvqmt=e&hvrand=13061966951674896290&hvtargid=kwd-295392791902&hydadcr=15176_9602975&keywords=a+mind+for+numbers&qid=1573500656&sr=8-3

u/Astrosonix · 1 pointr/ADHD

Sooo many lol, here are some of my favorites.

ADHD

Smart But Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD https://www.amazon.com/dp/111827928X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_1.Y9ybCSGW7GF

General Brain Stuff
You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, an d 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself https://www.amazon.com/dp/1592407366/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_abZ9ybEHGSMEK

You are Now Less Dumb: How to Conquer Mob Mentality, How to Buy Happiness, and All the Other Ways to Outsmart Yourself https://www.amazon.com/dp/1592408796/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_vbZ9ybKY1636G

School/Study Help
A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra) https://www.amazon.com/dp/039916524X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gcZ9ybCDM8Q6K

Social/Relationship skills
What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061438294/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_1cZ9ybQJXS3BK

The Chemistry Between Us: Love, Sex, and the Science of Attraction https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591846617/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_OdZ9ybBFRG9R4

Cosmology

Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400033721/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_GeZ9ybHP9J2J5

Each one of these books has had a big impact on me, as a side note I'm have become a big fan of audible since I normally have a hard time sitting still to read, so I'd recommend giving it a try if you never have. You'll be surprised how much of a book you can comprehend while listening to it as do you other random chores and stuff throughout the day.

u/WhistlinWill · 1 pointr/IWantToLearn

Third year Microbio major here! Just picked this book up but could have been much more helpful earlier. Quick, easy read with lots of good insight on many common errors students make when studying or learning topics and is backed by a lot of recent, well supported studies. Can bring to light a lot of things you know should happen when studying but just don't. Has a lot of good tips and strategies and can overall motivate you to get better at learning! I recommend it!
http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Numbers-Science-Flunked-Algebra/dp/039916524X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417378070&sr=8-1&keywords=a+mind+for+numbers

u/kalimah1 · 1 pointr/WGU_CompSci

This book might be a good resource for you A Mind for Numbers

u/Future-Under-Dev · 1 pointr/JordanPeterson

https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Numbers-Science-Flunked-Algebra/dp/039916524X/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1541404216&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=a+mind+for+numbers&dpPl=1&dpID=41WK-w2fOlL&ref=plSrch

This book became famous a couple years ago and is so well regarded its essencially been pushed aspart of the American federal k-12 education curriculum.

She was an English major with zero math ability or interest and at age 25 decided to learn how to be good at math for fun if I recall because she was so terrible and it bothered her. Well she became a chemical engineer and is now is a fellow of the royal college of engineers and she's some poly math genuis now.

She also has a ted talk. Anyway you might like to read this.



u/avec_katzen · 1 pointr/learnprogramming

In addition to everything everyone else has said, this book is fantastic for people who have memory/learning issues: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Numbers-Science-Flunked-Algebra/dp/039916524X

u/UCB1984 · 1 pointr/sysadmin

If you have time, I highly suggest doing the "Learning how to Learn" course on coursera https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn it teaches you a bunch of really good strategies for learning things by teaching you about how your brain actually learns. Be sure to buy the companion book if you do take the course ( https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Numbers-Science-Flunked-Algebra/dp/039916524X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1541451290&sr=8-4&keywords=barbara+oakley ). It's geared towards learning math, but the concepts apply to all learning.

u/SunnyFlares · 1 pointr/math

While you're working on the math itself, it might not be a bad idea to incorporate some of the material from A Mind for Numbers and Mindshift; the author undertook a liberal arts-to-engineering shift in grad school and her insights into learning maths could help make your students more comfortable with studying and thinking about maths in general.

u/baroing · 1 pointr/LifeProTips

I really enjoyed this book which touches on pomodoro and many other study/work techniques. Well sourced with too!

u/pastafusilli · 1 pointr/IWantToLearn

A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra) by Barbara Oakley https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Numbers-Science-Flunked-Algebra/dp/039916524X

u/Transnicky · 1 pointr/india

>Why maths? You were struggling with Bank PO level maths...

Well this kind of changed my mind on it and I just tried to cram for IBPS PO in the last 5 days.

Math was always the subject that I failed , 112/200 in board exams but as I get to know about more programming, Banking , even philosophy I saw how integral math is and how fascinating it must be for someone to have good knowledge of it.




>That said, why are you averse to working for your dad? Second, try to understand him, you said neither of them had the opportunity to finish school and your mum has mental illness as well. I assume you are the only son? Imagine having to deal with wife being ill, you son not agreeing to join the business yet not getting a govt job either.


My father and I don't get along, he has always put me down , called me worthless , that I won't amount to anything compared to other kids ever since I can remember(yes he telling me this even before 5th standard or something). I just wanted to prove I am good.


One of the reasons my mother went is probably because she never went along with my father. She ran away from home 7-8 times before finally having a accident(when my uncle was bringing her back from one such incidents) which kind of completely fucked her up.


If I am being totally honest with myself, I want to learn math because many of my friends are in tech field and I am very insecure about that myself.




>To be honest. I would recommend you join his business. Not to appease him, but to learn the amount of crap one has to deal with on a job. When you get into the civil services, there will be times when you will be forced to do things you don't want to, you will have to put in hours and deal with incompetence and get blamed for it all. Can you handle it? Some job xp will help you build a scab against this world. Join his business, get therapy, get a thorough grounding of your situation.


Thank you , I am back on my medications. Trying to change my daily routine. Learn in a slower pace than before.




>What's with this subs fixation with age? UPSC's cutoff is 32 with 6 attempts assuming you are general category. State's are 35. You practically have 7-10 years on your hands. What's 2-3 yrs of business, if anything it will make you cannier in dealing with future shitheads.


It's not my obsession per say but my fathers. I know not everyone succeeds at a young age but my father feels people won't take me seriously if don't get a high paying Job by 27 or 28.





>Civil services will open up opportunities for you, you can't even imagine. I am a grad from one of the ICAR universities and the forestry ranks are filled with our folks. My senior is an IFS, he's working on his PhD in parallel on himalayan hydrology. Imagine that. Stay away from IGNOU, shit material copied from books. Might as well buy Kreyszig and practice from it.


I think I will prepare for UPSC 2019 along with joining my father like you suggested.


I really appreciate your honest replies. I'll put hardcore math in the back burner right now.

u/FF_BC · 1 pointr/INTP

Awesome that you are following your dreams!

I'm in process of doing the same as you, going to college after loitering in the armed forces for half a decade. To be honest though, I haven't been totally idle, I have spent my time on "Learning how to learn" since school got in the way of my education.

I like philosphy and especially history of ideas, I find that it provides a nice overview and structure to different ideas which makes it easier to grasp new ideas, put them into context and categorize them. I think philosophy is the most underestimated subject today, philosophy provides a bridge between the social and natural sciences. http://qz.com/635002/teaching-kids-philosophy-makes-them-smarter-in-math-and-english/
Even though that study is about children, I think that the results can be transferred to adults.

But learning stuff is all about method and exploiting how your brain works. This book is about mindset https://www.amazon.com/Art-Learning-Journey-Optimal-Performance/dp/0743277465
And this book is all about method https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Numbers-Science-Flunked-Algebra/dp/039916524X

Hope this helps some, and good luck with your education :)

u/SomeASCIICharacters · 1 pointr/IWantToLearn

This book is absolutely amazing, and I think it would help you!
It says Numbers and seems like its for math only. Nope! It teaches learning skills!

https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Numbers-Science-Flunked-Algebra/dp/039916524X

u/terraneng · 0 pointsr/learnprogramming

I was in the same position when I started. I actually had to take a college algebra course before I took trig (which i took instead of precal).

The best thing I can say is develop an interest in math. During high school I thought that I hated math and that I wasn't any good at it. But I found when I applied myself to it that I was I actually interested in it and that I enjoyed it. It is far easier to learn something you are interested in. Lookup youtube videos and Wikipedia articles about applications of math.

Don't try to rush into it. It is very important to get your fundamentals solid. Math seems complicated but it really boils down to a few concrete rules. I would actually suggest to take the precal course instead trying to test out of it. You do not want to get in a class you are not prepared for.

I found that the vast majority of my learning was outside of class. Think of each class as just guidance on what you need to study in your own time. There were many times that I had no idea what the professor was talking about, while all the kids around me were nodding the heads and asking/answering questions like they understood everything. I didn't actually learn anything until I went home and studied it myself. You have to put in the work. Read the textbook in detail, work through ALL of the home/practice problems, watch youtube / Kahn Academy videos, google stuff you don't understand, ask questions on forums/reddit, go to office hours and ask your professor/TA questions.

It is a lot of work. But it will pay off in the end. You might find that you enjoy it. I actually miss it, and I am seriously thinking about graduate school.

Also check out A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra). It is pretty much geared towards people exactly like you. I recently started reading it, and I wish it had been available when I started college. It contains lots of techniques to help maximize your learning. I have actually found that I have unconsciously been using a lot of the techniques described in the book.