study-discussion

[cyan dawn]

What should I be taking note of anywyss

[raven kindle]

Depends on the subject

for my courses i write down definitions, theorems/other results, proofs

mostly proofs

[rocky terrace]

depends on the lecturer

if the lecturer is an experienced teacher and is teaching you the material well, then you should take notes

if they're not very experienced and are basically just reading the book verbatim, then no, you shouldn't take notes, you can just read the book and go through problems in the book

[tawdry dagger]

do yall prefer dr. trefor bazett or professor leonard for calc ? i'm aiming to supplement their courses with thomas calc book

[edgy sierra]

trefor bazett for visualization

professor leonard for general

trefor bazett's videos are also more straight to the point

whereas professor leonard's are lectures

[tawdry dagger]

thanks!

[green terrace]

Both are good, but for slightly different reasons, as pi said

[fiery tundra]

hi

[green terrace]

Good day

[brisk apex]

ixls pmo they make me feel stupid

i dumb caveman

[rocky garden]

Hi all, am about to start my aerospace program. Any recommendations for a freshman?

[olive geode]

Does anyone use Obsidian on their phone here? If so, how do you sync between your phone and PC? Do you pay for Obsidian Sync or do you self-host?

[storm jasper]

Uh I use it on my laptop not phone

Uh hold on

There was someone in my friends list

[olive geode]

yep, me too, but I want the option to read notes on my phone (which I write on my PC)

[storm jasper]

Who is a obsidian sweat

You might need to convert to pdf then airdrop it to your phone

[olive geode]

wtf, that doesn't sound like an obsidian sweat solution, that sounds like a boomer solution

it's only $4 a month for obsidian sync, but I feel like it shouldn't be too hard to self host

[storm jasper]

Is there an actual app

[olive geode]

yeah, there's an android app

[storm jasper]

That was MY recommendation

[olive geode]

lol, sorry

[wispy zephyr]

you can use any cloud storage service (e.g. google drive) as long as you can find a way of syncing a folder on that service to local folders on both your pc and phone

[storm jasper]

Yeah Google drive works

No

Not anymore

Besides definitions

And proofs that look cool

Also

[olive geode]

Nice maybe I can use github

[storm jasper]

Cloud

Do you know what erdos problems are?

Wanna solve them

Only like 536 or some shit

Ali’s solved

Is

Wait not

Sorry

Idk how much (but total is like 1048 and like 30-40% is solved)

[olive geode]

I used anki a while back, but I felt like I spent too much time writing anki notes, and I ended up trying to memorize things I didn't really understand. But I'm planning on using obsidian as like a discount Anki, just to refresh my memory on simple definitions and theorems

[storm jasper]

What?

We shit talked awhile back about analysis

[olive geode]

yeah, if you use it correctly it can be pretty good, just make sure the focus isn't on memorizing notes, and remember to do enough exercises

for oral exams that can be good, because you have to be an encyclopedia to do well in oral exams in my experience 💀

[storm jasper]

Could you be referring to habuki?

Habukichan, person in this server

[scenic shuttle]

for those who use ai for drawing diagrams with tikz, do u find it helpful?

😭 ??

[reef ocean]

no i quickly learnt that ai sucks at tikz diagrams

[scenic shuttle]

thats so real

i ask for corrections and then it makes it more cursed

well i think my brain is better than this stupid chat

idk how ppl use it

[reef ocean]

yeah it's good when you don't want to bother reading docs or seeping through stackexchange posts

[wispy zephyr]

it's a steep learning curve at first but you basically plagiarise from the tutorial in the docs until you can do something basic, and then look around the docs / google stackexchange questions for more advanced stuff. and also frequently go back and look at your old work to remind yourself how you did something before

also using appropriate packages for specific types of diagrams (when they exist) can be a huge time saver

[scenic shuttle]

yeah okay ill keep that in mind 🙂

most of my professors are telling me to use AI as a tool, so I'm trying to get used to it, even though the content they generate with it is hard to understand

im recreating my own stuff

[storm jasper]

I seee

So ai can solve the Riemann hypothesis right ? On a serious note this is applicable throughout alg geo right

I’m serious akira (the alg geo portion not the Riemann hypothesis)

[civic wasp]

,iam not dying

[mossy shadow]

No selfroles matching not dying.
See ,selfroles --list for the list of valid selfroles.

Sep 20, 2025, 1:44 AM

[civic wasp]

HELP

,iam notdying

[mossy shadow]

No selfroles matching notdying.
See ,selfroles --list for the list of valid selfroles.

Sep 20, 2025, 1:44 AM

[civic wasp]

DUDE

@coral sleet

I got kicked out of discussy

,iam alive

[mossy shadow]

No selfroles matching alive.
See ,selfroles --list for the list of valid selfroles.

Sep 20, 2025, 1:45 AM

[heavy needle]

#bots

[civic wasp]

NVM!

[coral sleet]

1. why are you pinging me in particular for this?
2. why in #study-discussion?
3. it's ,iamnot dying, for future reference

[heavy needle]

I helped

[civic wasp]

1, idk
2, idk
3, I figured that out thanks to @heavy needle

[storm jasper]

Ur goated bro

[shell glade]

i'm thinking of using anki to SRS my exercises after i complete them and typeset them for the first time

[versed void]

what's the best color to write math notes in? digitally

I dont like the white bg + black text combo

[blazing merlin]

Whatever you like most tbh

[versed void]

usually I just do grey bg + white, but I kinda wanna try black bg + red

or something

[versed void]

what's the most enjoyable

tryna know what combo do you guys use

[blazing merlin]

When I wrote my notes, I used a different colour for each course (and put it on cream or black depending on what the colour had better contrast against)

[versed void]

ohh cream colorss..

yeah those are awesome for notes

[versed void]

what are some good "contrast"

something like black + cream blue could work tbh

I tend to do a lot of math at night, cant really focus any other time of the day

[raven kindle]

Tea

I am addicted to green tea, maybe because I associate it with doing math or something

And math is serotonin

[storm jasper]

Whatever catches your eye and isn’t ugly

[olive geode]

Just got obsidian on my phone to sync with my PC I pushed the obsidian vault from my PC to gitlab, then I downloaded termux on android to pull it onto my phone. I had no idea you could get a command line on android without rooting it, it's pretty cool

[eager halo]

Android 16+ is implementing a native linux virtual terminal too, with GUI capabilities.

[normal sleet]

i used to do this

[versed void]

so you're one of those...

well I guess it resemble paper so It's fine

[normal sleet]

In class the lights and all are on so I dont dark mode

Nowadays I use pen and paper

Hmm
Idk why fountain pens never seem to work for me

Yeah

I usually write quite small so the thicker nibs dont feel nice

And the fine tipped ones feel scratchy

[versed void]

oh yeah wish I could do that as well

[lapis sluice]

this is so awesome I won't need to mess around w termux

unironically BiC Cristal is probably my favourite pen

[eager halo]

What do you use termux for?

[lapis sluice]

usually evaluating python and C expressions, creating graphs and charts, and converting and creating images and videos

[eager halo]

Isn't programming on Android quite unwieldy given the small keyboard?

[lapis sluice]

yea but it beats waiting to get back to my laptop

[eager halo]

If you want to programme on a mobile device, you could consider GitHub Codespaces for a hassle free experience.

Just set up your .devcontainer once and you're good to go.

Docker ftw

[eager halo]

You get 120 free core-hours. So, if you use the lesst performant option --- the 2-core one --- you get 60 free hours.

The cores are from server grade CPUs, and behave as such. My LaTeX compile time is way faster on a Github Codespace than on my laptop's core i7.

Granted, LaTeX is a single-threaded programme.

[snow steeple]

what phone do you have

[lapis sluice]

i dont usually programming for real. i just need to know what some expressions evaluate to, or like confirm that something works the way i think it does

most of the time

[lapis sluice]

xiaomi poco x4 pro 5g

[finite glade]

Anyone got an actual good studying playlist

[scenic shuttle]

depends on ur music taste

[finite glade]

Hmm

But still some people share the same

[timber blade]

AIDE worked pretty well for me in the past when I was testing stuff

[finite glade]

Btw what's ur?

[scenic shuttle]

a lot mixed up languages

[finite glade]

That would actually be great

[scenic shuttle]

come to #chill

[finite glade]

But I don't prefer lyrical music while studying

[finite glade]

So what now?

[lost kernel]

Hello

[alpine elk]

I really need help! Need A tutor

I’m an 11th-grade student preparing for one of the toughest exams in the world(JEE) , so the level of difficulty you can imagine . I feel I need a math tutor. I can't go to my math teacher as I got backlog of 7 chapter and I just can't go to him. Watching online lectures alone isn’t helping, as I have many questions comes to mind and I also think my foundation is weak.

[steady cliff]

Which is this exam you are talking about

[kind tangle]

Not sure what exam specifically

[steady cliff]

From the wording I can kind of figure out what exam they are talking about

[alpine elk]

Jee advanced (2nd toughest)

[steady cliff]

Noooooo

I should have expected this

[steady cliff]

Why does everyone here glaze jee so much

[steady cliff]

Anyways back to the point

Can you tell me which chapters do you need to cover

And your current progress

[alpine elk]

I'll talk later I'm in class. I'll tell everything

[edgy sierra]

because it's very hard

i have seen a good amount of gruntwork they have to practice in #1021175428326633542

and it's insane they're given an x amount of time to complete it

you either memorize the solution

or take 30 minutes to solve a limit, integral, etc

[steady cliff]

I guess but at that point why not call it by its name

Why glaze the exam so much

[steady cliff]

I can agree this was the case with me too, there were different categories of problems and we had to learn to save time in the exam

But at that point what makes the exam hard is the time constraints not the actual difficulty of problems

[edgy sierra]

yes but at the same time solving these problems explicitly requires using a trick to solve it elementarily

this is not always clear to the solver because there are many tricks you could use

only a few end up simplifying nicely

[alpine elk]

Relation and Funtion,Trigonometry, complex number, quadratic equations, sequence and series . Progress ? I'm too slow to think , calculation part takes too much time 😕 i don't have thinking skill(problem solving) for solution I can't even think nearly to the accurate steps to take .

[steady cliff]

The speed part comes from practice no other way to improve that

Since the chapters don't appear too long

I would recommend to dedicate one day to each chapter

Only doing that one chapter

[alpine elk]

Dude one chapter cover 13+ lecture and some are even more

[steady cliff]

In about 6-7 hours you will have exhausted almost all possible questions

I guess 10 hours are plenty for most of the given chaptera

Except trigonometry

[alpine elk]

Lectures?

[steady cliff]

?

[alpine elk]

I have to cover concept and I don't want to watch lectures

[steady cliff]

No need to watch lectures

You can pick up a standard book and work your way through it

The topics you have mentioned should not take more than 10 hours

Each

[alpine elk]

I have just module and ncert books.

[steady cliff]

I guess that works

Is it from a reputed coaching institute

If yes it should be plenty

If no you might need more resources

[alpine elk]

Aakash module but no for concept preparation 🥀

[steady cliff]

For sequence and series I think it should be enough

Maybe telescoping night be lacking

But other than that it is fine

Ncert can help you if you are starting from scratch then I would recommend giving an hour to reading it to get an overview of the chapters

Also I would strongly emphasize not to focus too much on speed

You have plenty of time to develop that

[alpine elk]

I'm already behind,if I have to catch coaching syllabus

12 oct ANTHE so I have to prepare

[steady cliff]

It will take just a month to cover up everything done till now in all subjects

[steady cliff]

Now that might cause some problems

[alpine elk]

Not only math but physics too , i don't have time

[steady cliff]

Hmmm since you don't have a lot of time

I would recommend starting efficiently check out previous year jee main questions

If you can solve most of them

You can skip the basics

And move to the difficult portions of theory

[alpine elk]

Btw are you college student?

[steady cliff]

Nope

[alpine elk]

Then

I can't even solve State level 🥀

[alpine elk]

Dropper?

[steady cliff]

i am also in 11th

and i had quite a lot of backlog till last month

and that is pretty much how i got rid of it

[steady cliff]

jee main questions arent that bad to be honest

[tacit sapphire]

I made an elementary slip and embarrassed myself and kinda want to just throw myself out of the window after finding out I made the slip

I felt so awful I made the slip

[heavy needle]

I know the feeling

[tacit sapphire]

I really want to bury myself 🥲

[alpine elk]

Nostalgia😞✋

[storm jasper]

What you studying for

[alpine elk]

Well I want knowledge and also better marks in test

[full roost]

HOW to self study math (im in 8th grade )

[storm jasper]

Uh i see

[full roost]

...

[alpine elk]

But the time is very limited and the syllabus are vast, I'm not able to go at deep level due to time

[floral musk]

lowk lang is the clearest intro to algebra book

[worldly rune]

nobody said this ever

[cunning summit]

Question, I'm self studying.

I'm looking for where can i get old University exam papers with answers.

[worldly rune]

they usually arent made public

[plush dove]

Does anyone have any really good study suggestions like types of music, if you should study with someone, or something like that. I'm terrible at studying for all my subjects and test are significantly harder for my new school year.

[cunning summit]

So no luck then?

[worldly rune]

if you arent enrolled in a univesity, probably no

and even then...

[edgy sierra]

soft music

[plush dove]

would soft music with lyrics still be helpful or only lofi and classical?

[edgy sierra]

lyrics can be pretty distracting

[plush dove]

Also before a test how long should you study

I normally don't study at all...

[steady cliff]

If you want maths university exams

Then I think isi open courseware as a lot of them

[cunning summit]

Thank you will have a look.

Yes I'm looking for maths and chem.

[worldly rune]

generally you should study all the time, then you dont have to study extra for exams

or only a bit extra

i would recommend against music entirely but 🤷

also the best way to study for mathematics is to just grind exercises

[glacial raven]

hola friends

[main lodge]

Parameter estimation of basic SV model successfully implemented

Pog!

Next up: non basic SV model parameter estimation

Scary

[upbeat iron]

@simple socket you can ask your question here

[civic wasp]

Hello nerds

[storm jasper]

Huh

Like

Trying to prove it

What was it, the twin primes conjecture

Solve Hilbert’s 8th problem please

What about navier stokes

[worldly rune]

this is a bit longer than what i would call ideal for university but its fine

easy exercises aren't too helpful (they do make you faster, especially at computations)

a good like university homework exercise should take a single person 2-4 hours imo

[prisma sierra]

Any moderator online?

I cant see math discussion channel

If anyone can help

[wispy zephyr]

math discussion is hidden from you because you have the studying! role (which removes you from all social channels)

you can gain access back by removing the role (in id:customize or #info or by using ,iamnot studying! in #bots )

[prisma sierra]

Thanks

[alpine elk]

Help!
If someone has a passion for teaching, I really need a tutor for math, but mainly for physics. I want someone who can explain concepts clearly and help me with solving numericals (basically to improve my problem-solving skills and thinking ability). I’m very weak right now—I can’t even solve easy numericals. My foundation is poor, and I’m terrible at physics. Since I’m 11th grader preparing for JEE (one of the toughest exams 🥀), I really need a tutor at this point.
Thank you!

[storm jasper]

Hot take French fries are better than normal potatoes (transitive property)

[royal basin]

are there no cold takes?

[quick elk]

cold take is nobody is responding to a request for a personal tutor

[main trail]

How do I stop panicking during a quiz 😭

I had a really easy problem on my quiz today, panicked so i couldn't do it

[edgy sierra]

take a deep breath

grab your desk

visualize the problems

double check your answers

[heavy needle]

Stop caring

I hope this helps

Nevermind I don't care if it does

-# qed

[boreal solstice]

Does anyone know why it says this when I add a list for x?

[prisma sierra]

Try replacing tilde sign with equal to

[boreal solstice]

I’m using regression to find constants so I need to use it

[storm jasper]

What is this sat ah hacking

[glacial raven]

yo what’s the most engaging and easiest study method for autistic people

[storm jasper]

Treat studying like a video game

[glacial raven]

i can’t

it dosent work like that for me

i dread it

how do i trick it

[sage seal]

How do y'all study proofs? Like first understand and then by heart or how?

[glacial raven]

hmm

[edgy sierra]

d o the algebra and hope the proof looks good

[floral musk]

reread it until the theorem is obvious

[icy cradle]

Try to do the proof before seeing the author doing his

You'll not be able to solve all of them, but you will remember the proof almost everytime when you decide to read it, because you'll see a crucial step you didn't see before

This man talks about this wonderful advice https://youtu.be/uYTh4jMFyYU?si=vmxwU76yR3oztX1p

[sage seal]

Thank you everyone for your advice. More advice is welcome, I really appreciate it

[swift tartan]

wdym "for autistic people"?

[swift tartan]

another way id do it is to keep trying to prove the theorem periodically until you get to the same points as the proof in the text

You do a trial and error checking method, after you finish proving, what did you do wrong and where?

[glacial raven]

so i actually do it without getting bored in like 20 seconds

[swift tartan]

this doesnt really have to do anything with autism , do you find the material interesting/engaging? Or do you have an end goal in mind for the class

[glacial raven]

?

bro i just wanna be able to study without getting bored

[swift tartan]

Yeah, but do you find the material interesting or engaging?

[swift tartan]

If you do not have an end goal in mind, just to check, is your schedule selected for you, or do you choose your classes (since you are pre-uni)

[glacial raven]

what

i’m studying at home

[swift tartan]

Homeschool?

What courses are you studying

[limpid hamlet]

i'm autistic

definitely the obsessiveness helped and helps

[swift tartan]

Yeah if you find the content material fun, then that motivates you. Othertimes for me I find the aspects of being able to work towards an endgoal also fun. Like I hate RA, but when I finish a proof I always feel like I learned something new

[green terrace]

I slip off RA constantly at every attempt I take to sit down and learn it

[swift tartan]

me doing RA rn 😭

[tropic void]

I ended up getting severely obsessed with cat theory

-# tho idk if im autistic

[swift tartan]

If its content that bores you with no motivation or end goal, then you have to be able to study using other methods that interweaves the content into other things you may be studying. Some people can just sit there and lock in, but also taking breaks are always necessary because you can continue reading/doing material, but your brain may not absorb it bc its just constant facts thrown at it

[swift tartan]

Im personally in the boat that this has nothing to do with autism though

Its just studying habits that some people either have to learn or didnt even have at all, which most ppl figure out once they get into college which boat they are in

[green terrace]

Catgeories are cool, I was first introduced to them about 4 years ago by a friend who did category theory, but I haven't had a chance to talk to her recently

hope she's doing well

[swift tartan]

i had a dream i trying to apply cat theory into AT, but woke up and remembered that I was speaking facts bc it was just the Fundamental Group

Hatcher doesnt explain it using cat theory for context

[tropic void]

Yeah I’m planning to use Hatcher as a second course in AT after rotman

I’ve heard lots of praise of Hatcher, but it also seems like a book I’d need some grounding in algtop in to fully reap its benefits

[swift tartan]

Hatcher is pretty easy to jump into imo compared to the others

[tropic void]

I did try a bit of it but too much was informal for me to really understand

[swift tartan]

Yeah I can see that

[civic wasp]

Shit

@heavy needle
What's the command to cancel our ,iam dying?

[green terrace]

,iamnot dying

[civic wasp]

,iamnot dying

[mossy shadow]

Removed the studying! role from you.

[limpid hamlet]

lol at the implication that i have "studying habits"

[raven kindle]

,iam dying

[mossy shadow]

Gave you the studying! selfrole.

[brazen obsidian]

hello i am new to this server , i am pretty weak at math can any1 pls help me get better

[tropic void]

do y’all have any other jokes

[storm jasper]

This a weekly occurrence bro

[civic wasp]

No it ain't

[hasty helm]

i'm pretty weak at math too, what are some study tips that can help?

highschool level

[swift tartan]

It’s honestly just a lot of practice

[hasty helm]

alr alr

[limpid hamlet]

Step 1: obtain book
Step 2: open book
Step 3: read book
Step 4: repeat

[swift tartan]

tbf, most of my hs math teachers just had their own content/packets

so a lot of the time the resources and practice outside of the class had to take some googling

[sour mirage]

effectiveness of studying probably plays a role

if you properly learn every concept and practice different types of equations then the exam shouldnt be able to take you by surprise

[fiery iron]

Practice problems to have shortcuts too
In the test questions might be solvable just that it takes time to find the path which the test doesnt allow

(and i hate it, though id still do it, shits are simple but they mess them up making sure it needs time to do)

Hardworking with a wrong vision is wasted though, if you know what he is supposed to do then you can help

[limpid hamlet]

Books. Have. Exercises.

[stark bronze]

What are these dog theories and cat theories 😭

[stark bronze]

What is category theory

[tropic void]

in a trivial sense, the study of categories, which are special kinds of networks

"philosophically", i'd say it's broadly about the study of equality, composition and perspective, in a mathematical sense

to be clear it's a precise mathematical field, not a philosophical one, but i think it's good to have intuition for what it's trying to do conceptually

the categorical notion of equality emphasises that there are often different "levels" or "senses" of equality, and that two things might be equal in one sense but distinct in another - so it's important to be aware of this explicitly, and make clear what kind of equality you mean

divide-and-conquer is a pretty versatile problem solving tool, where you:

1. chop up a big problem into a bunch of smaller problems
2. solve each smaller problem
3. combine the small solutions into a full solution

there's no general way to do steps 1 or 2 - they require real human ingenuity. but step 3, the way in which small solutions combine to a big solution, actually stays a lot more consistent across different kinds of problems, whether that's designing a factory or planning a wedding

the idea of category theory is to get a kind of general theory of step 3, of "composing" small solutions into a big one, so that we can outsource the work to maths, and focus on the parts that require more ingenuity

as for perspective, category theory often studies the ways in which you can transform the way you look at something in order to give new insights. often this takes the form of a "dualilty", like is-does duality, but more generally these are encoded in functors and natural transformations

in many ways it gives a rigorous mathematical treatment of analogies

it's typically a masters-level course

hm yeah beyond that i'm not sure how common it is generally

and equivalence, etc for higher equalities

[tropic void]

maybe syntactic equality

[limpid hamlet]

first order equality is the equivalence relation respected by everything

[quick crane]

,iam not studying

[mossy shadow]

No selfroles matching not studying.
See ,selfroles --list for the list of valid selfroles.

Sep 29, 2025, 5:54 PM

[quick crane]

,selfies

,selfroles

[mossy shadow]

Please select the desired selfroles! (Use ,iamnot to remove your current selfroles.)

1.   Helpers
2.   Not Very Ppl
3.   she/her
4.   they/them
5.   any pronouns
6.   ask pronouns```
Please type the numbers corresponding to your selection, separated by commas, or type `c` now to cancel. (E.g. `2, 3, 5, 7, 11`)

[quick crane]

,iamnot studying

[mossy shadow]

Removed the studying! role from you.

Selfrole selector timed out, your roles were not updated.

Sep 29, 2025, 5:56 PM

[heavy needle]

#bots fr

[fleet hill]

it might be taught as a rotating course, in a logic topics course

for most mathematicians that use it in their work though, they'll pick up the basics through osmosis naturally and won't get very deep into it; obviously, if you're interested in category theory for its own sake, it's a different story

[devout sun]

thats why you should do analysis, study of ineqs

[hushed granite]

no no no talking about inequality is also woke

[main lodge]

Can we just stop teaching the woke nonsense that is math

[rocky terrace]

insert stop doing math meme

[swift tartan]

I just started doing a real analysis mind map on obsidian just for funsies. looks cool tho

[swift tartan]

back to monke

[compact seal]

Hey guys I kinda feel like I need to learn the fundementals of math, like I can memorize the formulas and all that pretty well, but when it comes to actually understanding the theroems and all that, or why factoring works etc.... I don't understand, is there any website or textbook you guys reccomend me to learn from?

I guess my fundementals overall are just weak

[compact seal]

I understand the logic behind thoerems only after studying it for like 30 mins lol, but for stuff like factoring etc... I still don't understand

I don't understand the logic behind trigornometry either, I'm doing highschool grade 12 math btw

[edgy sierra]

look at the visualization

[compact seal]

Wdym? I did but I didn't gain any extra knowledge

[slim iron]

breaking bad habits cuz i spent an hour self studying real analysis then another hour studying number theory usually i dont study at all :DDD

[swift tartan]

I would highly suggest Khan Academy

[compact seal]

I study like 4 hours a day just doing homework and I still dont do very well unfortunately

I think im not studying efficiently

[compact seal]

Thank you 🙏

[compact seal]

I didnt do well in math from like 7th grade to 10th so that may be why

[slim iron]

im a kid whos always had it easy in math but i like the subject enough to actively pursue it

[compact seal]

That makes sense, some people are better suited for different subjects because of the way they think

At the end of the day though almost everyone has the chance to be good at math, maybe not the best, but good enough

And thats kinda my goal

Eapixially cause its my final year of highschool

[slim iron]

i think the best mindset for studying math is to learn something because you find it interesting or beatiful

rather than learning it because you simply wanna get ahead

because the former tends to do better when faced with a concept they dont quite yet understand

[polar mist]

learning math is in and of itself a practicable skill

[slim iron]

you hear about it, its interesting, you study it rigorously to learn more about it

[storm jasper]

What is a mind map

I can explain exactly this

[edgy sierra]

t he best mindset for studying math is to pretend you're learning sorcery n' shiet

[limpid hamlet]

pretend?

the structure of spells involves much algebraic/differential topology

with some geometry too

[heavy needle]

Pretend? You literally summon platonic forms and use them to divine esoteric knowledge and affect the world

You write in arcane symbols and pictograms to complete your rituals too

And if you have a magic book (a notebook laptop) you can increase the power of your spells exponentially

Literally wizardry

Telling you magic isn't real is how the government keeps your hopes crushed

Don't fall for it

https://tenor.com/view/peter-pan-2003-i-do-believe-in-fairies-fairies-jeremy-sumpter-peter-pan-gif-15172992503547566196

[limpid hamlet]

broski i'm a physicist. methinks you need to do some science before you get true magic. math is more like... generalized magical theory

yes i am gatekeeping "magic"

[heavy needle]

Obviously physics is an example of magic

Like electromagnetism and relativity are straight up sorcery

Not to mention Maxwell's Demon

[compact seal]

I don't honestly find math very fun, I like some of the stuff it seems nice, but nothing that I'm very passionate about. On the other hand I am very passionate about other subjects, yet I still want to do well in math. My trajectory in life may need it

[slim iron]

engineer or physicist

[compact seal]

Neither, financial

I'm not going quant side either, just mathmatical formulas for modelling is important, and I'm hoping I can atleast get highschool math right lol

Markets are becoming more and more quantitative based

Even longer-term has a lot of quantitative factors, thus to model a bunch of stuff, math and coding is a good asset

[humble violet]

hi guys

[compact seal]

To be fair AI has already been used in the quant space a bit

lol

Nah AI is good and will be pretty helpful in the finance industry

But trading, analysis, etc... Needs context, but even further intuition, those who have understood structure, not anything that can really be replicated quantitatively

But AI cannot necissarily get the same context, you can get the numbers but deriving something will depend on the experience of the person

You're going to always need experienced analysts and trader

traders

and as well as those who can manage an AI and his analysis

For trading/execution you're not really going to use AI for pure execution unless there are risk managers and an algo needs to be made in the first place. Maybe to the help of AI

Of course, but juniors will become seniors as the seniors retire, they need people for context and intuition

what happens if the seniors leave?

They will retire, you'll need people to fill up their spot

Okay but everyone will age, people willr etire

retire

What then?

As far as I understand, firms don't what analysts who will do basic analysis of prices, they want more modelling, context, etc... To an extent AI won't be able to do this, these types of analysts will be continue to be needed as AI can pretty much help a lot on much more simple things.

Because it's a completely different thing, intuition isn't quantitative

If it was firms would be using it

But it isn't

You need that context

An analysis isn't purely numbers based. It's using your data and modelling to draw conclusions. The conclusion is the valuable part. Not all analysts draw the same conclusions becuase there's so many factors, miniscule to huge etc....

There's so many contexts themes, etc....

What? I'm saying it isn't quantifiable. Firms have already been using AI lol, the point is that something like consiousness isn't scientifically understood. Why? Because science is based on observation, conciousness is not necissarily observable. Simply said of course. The point is you cannot necessarily gain intuition like a skill, it comes from a perspective on the market. 100 quants can be modelling an algo, but someone's intuition can still outperform.

It's much more than just numbers and thinking. Even traders cannot necessarily explain why they can deduce certain things by just looking at the market.

Never said it can't

Not necissarily no. Coding and all that is based upon logic, etc... Consciousness is not scientific, it cannot be coded into an AI or thing. There is no way to understand it scientifically. So how will you be able to code it?

Like it's like this, you understand something exsists, yet there is no way to in reality describe it or understand how it works

How will you be able to code something which you cannot understand?

Okay depends on what you mean. Depends on the strategy, depends on the market. You cannot do the same thing you do on stocks to commodities as an example.

Different markets have different mechanics and things you need to understand.

That said, look at oil markets, studies have shown the past fundemental/qualitative factors aren't having any quantifiable correlation to price anymore.

Putting those who use fundemental factors purely either in loss or at a huge disadvantage. Now more quantitative approaches are being used, but at the end of the day things change, strategies stop working and then start working again. Perspective and insights are not the same as they were

The market is always changing, you need to catch up if you're trying to be successful

I bet many oil traders lost money and got screwed, others adapted and continued

What do you mean?

I never said it's purely intution, but their execution can still be affected by it. Their model may say to long or short, but understanding the context of the market etc... They may choose to change positioning size etc...

Okay but that does not necissarily correlate to conciousness lol

To be fair conciousness was an example

I get your point, but if you can please give me some sources or some examples because i"m a bit confused on what you mean

Yes as they're trying to observe how it happened why etc... They're getting observations, it's not as easy as something compared to consciousness, or even some form of intuition

The seniors will retire, and the next generation of juniors will be seniors. If juniors aren't being hired then who will take their place?

By this perspective as well wouldn't engineers and almost all jobs be screwed to an extent? Entry-level engineers, cyber security analysts, etc...

What's swes?

Oh alr

I see

Look that may be true, but you gotta remember trading is a performance based game. You lose money you're probably going to get fired if you mess up bad. The best become seniors and there aren't going to be many depending on what you're doing.

As an example, physical commodities trading is a lot of social, and some financial, etc... Easier to trade because you have an advantage with physical crude.

Financial is a lot more mathetmatical/financial type trading with a disadvantage. The best will be heavily demanded, and even if AIs are used you're going to have pretty experienced traders having to wait in case of issues with execution.

You prob spend 5-10 years before even getting a trading role lol

Most companise wouldn't give someone risk that quickly

Depends on the indstury as well remember

Once again depends, like yeah a lot of times. See power markets as an example

Yeah trading opps but in what? Execution, hedging?

Banks if I remember correctly are mainly buy side

sorry sell side

Clients buy etc...

While hedge funds and trading companies/firms are not

THey are buy-side

A lot of risk

etc...

[compact seal]

And what are you doing? Actually doing the trading or being risk analysis etc...

You may be a junior trader I guess in some oppurtunities but most guys are fighting for the trading role

I get that fair I don't know terms too much btw. So if I mix anything up just lmk

I'll clarify stuff

I think you're saying equities/stocks

I'm speaking mainly commodities physical/financial

What's S&T?

Yeah investment banking lol I get that

Even commodities becoming more and more competitive

Back in the day it was so much easier

I don't think so, they're mainly financial. Even if they do it's prob very little

If you're trying to find physical traders look at Vitol, Trafigura, etc...

[compact seal]

Relatively speaking btw

It may be a bit

like a pretty big amount

But their focus isn't that in reality

That's as far as I've understood and researched btw

Make sure to do your own as well, but again, there's financial and physical

Physical guys have an advantage obviously

and it's a lot of social, some finanicial and deal making etc... Which is why soft skills are important

Then there's financial which is more based on mathetmatics modelling etc...

You get hte jist of it

Anyways if we want to continue let's do it somewhere else considering this is study discussion

Not trading discussion lol

Maybe, again though, not everyone gets entry as junior traders. So many start in opps and analyst roles, etc... Until they get there

It's not pick and choose

[compact seal]

There's also schedulers etc...

It takes some years to get there

I'll take back that 5-10 years statement but I've heard it plenty by those speaking of the industry etc...

[swift tartan]

Its not anything math related haha. Its something you can do on Obsidian with different topics and basically each of the nodes (each of the markdown pages) are connected to one another with lines between them to simulate how a brain structure looks. Its corny but looks cool

I just wanted to see how real analysis would look under that

[eager cradle]

I am currently an adult student finishing my last semester of my bachelor's in data science. I have so far, gotten all A's and understand most of the statistical ideas and programming behind the concepts and modelling, but I am still rather shaky when I need to read a textbook and it is full of big formulas. Attached is just one example of the kinds of big formulas I am talking about, not the only kind of formula I am struggling with.

My issue is based on the fact that each individual piece of these sorts of big formulas, I understand. For example, I can follow along that these formulas are dealing with the population means, standard deviations, and giving outputs that are dependent on probabilities among classes. But the actual nuance of reading a formula like this, and perfectly comprehending what is happening without lots of struggle and confusion, I have not reached.

My question is: What approaches should I take to actually fully understand formulas like this when I come across them in a textbook? When I read aloud each component in english, I just get more confused.

[normal sleet]

Its quite to say because extremely long and cursed expressions will get most people down

One might consider, as an example, to understand the shape of the formula and only delve into the details as necessary

In your case 4.17 is just 4.15, but with pk set to some value, your understanding of 4.15 is probably enough
The sole purpose of 4.17 in life is for you to take the log of it, and to do that you dont need to "understand" the formula like its your child, you just mechanically apply the rules of log to it

Essentially not every line of math in a paper has some deep sacred meaning to it
You can get by with just the important ideas and how to derive your expressions as necessary

[limpid hamlet]

I mean, you just have the gaussian at the top. Do you understand how that would be easy to remember?

You have exp(-x^2)

You can then take it as an argument of the standardized value ((x - mu)/sigma)^2

which should be intuitive if you understand what it means

from there you should know how to find the integral of exp(-x^2) over all space

as for "why the 1/2?", you can check the variance of exp(-x^2) is 1/2

so to make it 1 you need a 1/2 in the argument.

to check that you need to know how to find the integral of x^m exp(-x^2) over all space

if you are doing that you may as well learn the gaussian integrals

integral from 0 to infinity of x^n exp(-x^b)

to find this

do the substitution t = x^b

then you'll see you get a gamma function

so if you work out the algebra you get

\Gamma((n+1)/b)/b

and so you have the recurrence relation for gamma

and the value at b=2 n=0

which tells you that \Gamma(1/2) = \sqrt(pi)

which is whan people mean when they say $(-1/2)! = \sqrt{\pi}$

[mossy shadow]

Xe\LaTeX (call me xela)

[limpid hamlet]

So now you are forced to have the right functional dependence in the gaussian distribution

Now you can integrate to get the normalizing constant

The formula 4.17 shourd be clear, you just update and then renormalize

(if you don't know what that means you should please make sure you really understand Bayes Law)

When you take the log the product becomes a sum and exp goes away. So if you notice that sigma and x is constant you only have to worry about terms with the priors or mus.

so that's why only the terms listed survive

[limpid hamlet]

Okay but like the line after taking a log has an obvious meaning to it and can be arrived at intuitively when you realize what actually varies between classes.

You fix x and sigma is constant anyways. So you consider only different mu_k's.

And different pi_k's

So you can ignore the x^2 term and the - sigma term

[normal sleet]

Yeah but thats not the complicated formula the poster was alluding to

[limpid hamlet]

Oh what was it?

4.17?

[normal sleet]

Yeah that's my guess

[limpid hamlet]

4.17 is something that's clear if you already know what you are doing. The writer assumes you do, otherwise they wouldn't have skipped the steps.

[normal sleet]

Once you apply log the thing simplifys (syntax wise at least) quite a bit

[limpid hamlet]

The writer is doing it because they want to take a log.

4.17 has obvious deeper significance

It's BAYES LAW

you should learn BAYES LAW

my BABY

[normal sleet]

Yeah thats it
So what exactly is in the formula isn't required
4.17 is a special case of 4.15 which is likely Bayes law

The sole purpose in life of 4.17 is to get logged

Ok thats sounds weird

[limpid hamlet]

I agree, but it has deeper meaning!

Every line here has deeper meaning.

And in this case it's like... clearly important to understand

[normal sleet]

Hmm
I guess that depends on what you care about

Meaning is quite subjective haha

[limpid hamlet]

You gotta fucking understand BAYES LAW to understand this properly!

[normal sleet]

But I understand your point

[limpid hamlet]

the log is less relevant, but you should be able to see how knowing what's constant and what's not lets you make it so simple

and the end result is pretty nice, to spell it out it says that if you have no prior evidence then your decision boundary is precisely in between the two classes's means

(this is an example where you have prior probability more concentrated in the green class)

When doing your bayesian update you have the likelihood f_k(x) and the prior pi_k

So the unnormalized posterior is P(k|x) = pi_k f_k(x)

The normalizing constant like actually doesn't even matter for the classification. Arguably they shouldn't have included it.

(unless they are doing something later)

So now, the Bayesian classifier says that x should be classified in the class that is most likely to contain x (assuming our hypotheses are all of the form "x is of class k, which means it's distributed like N(\mu_k, \sigma)")

[limpid hamlet]

That is, instead of "reading each component aloud in english" literally you should instead summarize what it means and what it is doing

which here just relies on understanding the gem that is BAYES LAW

[eager cradle]

Thank you for the advice, but it wasn't about this particular equation. Conceptually and in practice I understand Bayes law, its getting bogged down in details of big formulas in every math class I've taken

[eager cradle]

That's fair. Maybe I was diving in too deep, and maybe its fine to see an equation and just say "its doing this, for this reason."

[limpid hamlet]

If you understand what it is doing it should not feel big!

You should elaborate on what you are having trouble with

[limpid hamlet]

If none of these equations confuse you then you should give an example of something that does!

I'm not used to math classes having what I'd call a big messy formula, so you should give an example!

[eager cradle]

In this particular example, this is what I understand:

I have watched videos on LDA and I understand that the algorithm is using Bayes law to determine the most likely class for an observation given conditional probability in relation to overall probability. I also understand that the method of finding how to determine most probable class.

Further, I understand that the formula is trying to find the "dividing line" where the class means are the most different (mean1-mean2 squrared) divided by where the variance within each classes observations is smallest (using s squared). I also understand how to implement these algorithms in Python and R, and could, with some help using flowcharts, determine which type of method (we are learning about lda, qda, and naieve bayes in class for logistic regression).

What I am stuck on is, when I look at equations like those, which are explaining EXACTLY how to do the math, and EXACTLY how each component fits together, I get super mixed up and overwhelmed by the sheer complexity.

What I am asking is basically, is knowing what is happening so I know what to use in practice good enough, or are there some skills or habits I can build that help me understand the math via analyzing equations easier

By "big messy formulas," I'm really just talking about anything more complicated than, say, linear algebra or the pythagorean theroem. Once we start adding lots of greek letters and symbols I start to feel like I'm developing dyslexia

[eager cradle]

I think after typing all this out, I'm trying to figure out how the HECK someone who isn't an expert teaches themselves with a textbook if they don't have a teacher

[limpid hamlet]

Well do you feel comfortable with bayes law?

[storm tide]

I think what Xela was asked for was to actually see the formula you consider big and messy. It's not immediately clear from your description what it actually is.

[limpid hamlet]

if you are comfortable enoguh with bayes law you will just see the second equation as "update and renormalize"

[limpid hamlet]

Well for me I just... read the book? But also most math books don't deal in subjects with messy equations. But also it's still not clear to me what part of what is tripping you up so I don't know what you'd include.

[eager cradle]

There isn't a specific formula, that's what I'm trying to say. I'm talking about the principle of not getting immediately overwhelmed at formulas once they get pretty complex, especially when I'm first learning them

[storm tide]

I think that's pretty difficult to react to if you don't want to show any concrete examples.

Ah, I see now you actually posted a screenshot yesterday.

[eager cradle]

Right but it isn't about learning a specific formula. It's about learning better how to teach oneself a higher level type of math using only a textbook and reading equations, where if someone/a video explains what is happening in a concrete way, I get it, and could apply it in practice. But if left to my own devices, I get overwhelmed quite easily and have a HARD time parsing exactly how all the components are mixing

It's like, my goal is to get it well enough to use it in R or Python, not to be an expert at recreating the formulas by hand or memorizing them, but I figure, the best way to learn a field of math is to read the text, but when the text gets super deep with formulas interacting with each other, I get overwhelmed, and I am trying to learn how to not get overwhelmed

If I'm not explaining myself clearly enough at this point, or if this isn't really an issue people have in here, I might just see myself out. This is getting somewhat discouraging

maybe I can give another current example. How does one build the skill of reading various more abstract formulas such as this homework assignment:

In it, near the middle, there's the section that says "Suppose we have K classes, and that if an observation belongs to the kth class then X comes from a one-dimensional normal distribution, X ~ N(mu_k, sigma sqr_k.

From lots of practice I know that means Y can be some amount of categories, 2 or more, and if so, some data point that goes in any category comes from a predictor column, where that column is a bell curve, and the specs of that bell curve are unique to the data points from one of the classes, specifically the class that the data point in question comes from. But, reading that and parsing all that info into plain english is HARD for my brain. And I am trying to learn if there is some technique or skill to focus on building that makes that act of translating formulaic abstractions into plain applied english easier, beyond practice

[storm tide]

Hmm. That's a bit curious, because there's barely any information in "X ~ N(mu_k, sigma_k^2)" here. At that point the prose has already told you that "X comes from a one-dimensional normal distribution", and the only new thing you get from the formula is that it gives you the names mu_k and sigma_k for the mean and standard deviation of that normal distribution -- and those names are not even particularly important, except that the fact they have a "k" suffix reminds you that they can be different between each of the K classes.

[eager cradle]

Let me turn it around then, how do you not immediately struggle and get thrown off when there is even a little bit of technical language?

Even reading your response, I understand what you're saying, from drilling these concepts endlessly, but it's kind of hard to parse for my brain

[storm tide]

In this case it looks like perhaps you get thrown off because you expect the formula to give you a deeper level of insight than in fact it can, and then you get stalled until you've extracted more information from it than there's really there to get.

[eager cradle]

Maybe. So like, should I just ignore it then? Like, at what point can I safely move on?

Cause I thought that was the whole point of formulas, why else would they be writing it all down if not to expect one to work through it while also comprehending the use case?

[storm tide]

I think you shouldn't just ignore it outright -- at least you need to spend some thought to find out whether there's anything new in the formula. But do that with the awareness that sometimes all a formula does is restate in symbols what has already been said in words (possibly because seeing it in symbols will help make a visual connection in something that comes later, though that doesn't seem to be the case here).
At other times, an author might launch into an explanation of the significance of a formula right after the symbols. So one thing you definitely shouldn't do is refuse to read further until you feel you've completely understood the formula in itself.

[heavy needle]

I've stopped at an expression for like an hour before, befuddled, to have it explained in the next paragraph

[eager cradle]

......I have been approaching math all wrong

I think that actually was the whole problem. I've been ignoring only trying to get the high level idea first, and THEN focus on the nitty gritty as needed, and I keep trying to drill down as formulas appear, where I get so turned around, and it's frustrating because I often already have a high level understanding of the topic and could probably just keep moving right along if I ignored the formula entirely

[storm tide]

Of course there are also authors who are simply bad writers and dump a large and confusing definition on readers without deigning to explain why it is as it is, or what it means intuitively. That does happen.

[eager cradle]

THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME SO MUCH SINCE GOING BACK TO SCHOOL

[eager cradle]

OH MY GOD YEAH IT'S INFURIATING

Well, this has been extremely insightful, wow

thank you for taking the time to parse through my question, everyone

[eager cradle]

sounds like my step one needs to be hammering out "why do I care" and "how is this different" rather than plowing through each and every formula one at a time in order

[storm tide]

And that's part of the reason why we wanted to see some concrete example, because it could have been that going on, and then the correct answer to you would be, "yes, that writing sucks, sorry" or perhaps even "I liked such-and-such book better".

[eager cradle]

that makes so much sense, I had no idea this was a known issue. I wasn't really sure how to give a specific example because it feels like a learning style thing

for context, the 2 books I'm using this semester are the following, the first one is alright for my brain but both overall are pretty rough:

Gareth James, Daniela Witten, Trevor Hastie, Robert Tibshirani: An Introduction to Statistical
Learning with Applications in R, Second Edition

Richard M. Heiberger, Burt Holland: Statistical Analysis and Data Display, An intermediate Course with Examples in R, Second Edition

[eager cradle]

I tired usng the advice in today's reading, focusing less on the details and more on getting down the ideas first and it's working!

[storm tide]

Great! 👍

[hoary latch]

Hello everybody!

• I want to ask you on how i can Study maths, because lately i started to fear math as of a subject because I became really stressful, cause in the early days I was very good at it and had no problems with it at all, like i can study it the night before the exam and still ace the exam, but lately I became more fearful, more hesitant, more doubtful when studying maths at home,

-So I would love if anyone told me how do they study math and help a brother who is interested in maths but scared of the idea of not doing enough when studying type of maths.

Thanks in advance kind person responding or reading!!!❤️

[limpid hamlet]

What part of that are you confused by specifically? You have K classes, and being in a class means you are distributed according to the normal distribution that that class is corresponding to? I understand that this description is completely unhelpful but it's not clear how te better explain this to you.

I know others have guessed at what the problem is for you and it sounded like their advice helped but I still don't get what the problem is for you and am not sure they are right

[limpid hamlet]

Perhaps think of this picture?

[eager cradle]

It sounds like you have been blessed with the ability to comprehend these concepts in a way that I am not able, and while that is great, I don't know if I can find a better way to explain it

The struggle is translating the concept into plain, non math, non technical english, in as few words or detail as possible, without a professor to serve as an in between for me and the textbook. That solution we came to was "spend less time on the equations and more time on why it matters"

[eager cradle]

Whether or not they are empircally correct, the advice I was given felt tailored in a way that transcends the specific scenario. Again, the scenario in question has nothing to do with the particular notation given. Rather, the question revolves around "when i read math notation it feels like the textbook stopped speaking english and started speaking a foreign language I don't speak." And even though I watch many youtube videos that simplify the explanation behind what the concept (not this particular concept, many many concepts over many classes), I often can comprehend the ideas and how to implement the ideas in code but do NOT fully grasp the formulas in a way that clicks

The advice came down to "if you get the idea, don't feel like you need to sit there parsing every single formula all the way through, because many are there for reference or completeness, and do not actually add more to the explanation in a way that is necessary to understand the uses and implementation. In fact, in some cases, it can actually slow you down and make you more confused if you try to sit there working through every equation as you get to them in the book"

[limpid hamlet]

patooey methoughts my elaboration thene was nontechnical

is the problem the normal distribution?

[limpid hamlet]

What no!!

They are not *for reference" or "completeness"

if you are unable to come up with the equations on your own or easily see the connection then you should stop until you do!

[eager cradle]

It seems we have stumbled across the miscommunication, a difference in values

[limpid hamlet]

I had thought you wanted to make it make sense. If you don't have the understanding required to easily come up with, say, 4.17 from earlier, then you have a huge gap in understanding.

And I'd spend more time on, say, understanding the idea of classes each being hypotheses that this data point comes from a different normal distribution, because you appeared to be struggling with that, and you should make sure you are comfortable with it

[main trail]

okay, I need advice

[main trail]

How to deal with failing a course ( I've most likely failed)

[scenic shuttle]

retake it and do better

or take another prof if that's the issue

[main trail]

I'm planning on replacing it

as it's only 1.5 credits

but how to deal with it mentally

like I've never failed a course before

and harder courses are going fine

( this course is over)

[scenic shuttle]

is the course required for u to graduate? if not then u could always change it and replace it with something else

[main trail]

no

It was a half sem elective

I do hope to replace it yes

[scenic shuttle]

ah elective courses can be annoying

[main trail]

I'll probably do a summer course for the same

Like I have taken 2 other 4 credit electives too

[scenic shuttle]

ic

[main trail]

this was just 1.5 credits so shouldn't be too hard to replace in an easier sem

[scenic shuttle]

sometimes u don't do well on beginning of half semester and it gets better on next half. I had courses like this

[main trail]

How will this affect my grad school applications

I;m doing fine in my "core" math courses ( RA, alg1, LA1 etc)

[green terrace]

Not bad if you can show turnaround

as far as I understand it

[main trail]

Like If I replace this course and mostly have As and Bs

should be fine?

[green terrace]

Preferably A's but yes

[main trail]

Uh,so these are my grades *( in the last 2 sems), so something like this won't work

[elfin oasis]

gpa doesnt matter

and u cant change it neways

might as well as focus on stuff u can

[scenic shuttle]

gpa doesnt matter
it matters if u plan going to med school

and its possible to change it

[main trail]

for a MSc in math?

so like if I'm able to maintain it above 8.5/10 at the end of year 4

would that be fine

I;m in India

hmm, tbh I think they mostly have entrance exams

well, that and an interview for ISI

but what does oxbridge need

that's for UG right

eh,looks like 8.5

which isn't that hard tbh

[buoyant juniper]

yo

[hoary latch]

Hello everybody!

I want to ask you on how i can Study maths, because lately i started to fear math as of a subject because I became really stressful, cause in the early days I was very good at it and had no problems with it at all, like i can study it the night before the exam and still ace the exam, but lately I became more fearful, more hesitant, more doubtful when studying maths at home,

-So I would love if anyone told me how do they study math and help a brother who is interested in maths but scared of the idea of not doing enough when studying type of maths.

Thanks in advance kind person responding or reading!!!❤️

[royal basin]

hello, hope you are doing well.

basically you pick up a book that you find nice after you choose what you want to study, and you study it by first understanding the statements of the theorems etc.. that you are looking at them and then attempt to prove them. After you finish each chapter/section you do some of the exercises written by the author at the end of this chapter/section.

You dont have to do all of them (and i dont recommend doing all of them) because that would be time consuming without too much income. Instead do exercises until you feel more or less comfortable with using the ideas of what you have read to solve a problem thats related to them.

Lastly, you shouldnt expect to understand everything perfectly from the first or second or etc.. time and you also shouldnt consider this a failure because ah that happens to everyone especially in math.

Note that what i am talking about is mainly about proof based math (which is what math is from a certain point onwards), but the main thing which is solving many problems ie practicing alot holds for anything you are studying in math (and more generally in all natural sciences)

wow i wrote too much

[storm jasper]

I always get stuff right on the first try fr fr (hell no struggling is part of the process)

Where’d you come to that conclusion

[hoary latch]

Don't worry I like to read and truly thanks for the time you gave me to help me, I genuinely appreciate ❤️

[royal basin]

[swift tartan]

bro did not read CotE

[storm jasper]

The anime cut out a bunch of content

[eager cradle]

Silly question

if almost all my classes homework is self contained (no assignments refer to stuff learned in previous classes) and suddenly one does, how do I build the recall of what all can be done to solve

idk if that makes sense

[scenic shuttle]

i dont understand after suddenly one does

unless u mean “how to study when you can't remember anything you just learned?”

[lapis sluice]

see if you can recall what youd learnt in previous classes and, if you cant, then revisit the work you did in those classes (better your own work than writren by someone else) to get the information that you need to solve your curent problem

you should gain better memory of the material by using it repeatedly

[eager cradle]

Not just, a class im in now is referencing things i did 2 years ago and have not touched since, because i have not had time to review and all classes since have not involved the topics covered

also, building the skill of knowing what direction to go in when it is not clear

[swift tartan]

You could just quickly search it up, and then go back to doing your work when you feel confident

[scenic shuttle]

yeah looking things up again is a great way to refresh your memory especially when it's been a while

[edgy sierra]

around 10 minutes

look at the definition and fuck around with it

there's a small chance you might unintentionally prove something

[green terrace]

Your role indicates you're a preuni, and yet you study ring theory and commutative algebra?

[heavy needle]

Polynomial rings

[green terrace]

[heavy needle]

High schoolers should be focusing on the fundamentals, like alternative magmas and moufang loops

[edgy sierra]

i don't know how to switch roles

[green terrace]

Use the role menu in the channel selector

[storm tide]

More precisely the "Channels & Roles" screen.

[compact seal]

Hey guys I did another test, and I didn't do very well. My understanding would've only gotten me probably like an 80-85% (I got lower because I couldn't ask the teacher for clarification for some questions while the test was happening) or something around that. I studied for 4-8 hours a day for a week straight.

Do you guys have any advice for really being able to do well in tests. The textbook questions arent as hard as the ones on the test and I just feel like getting above an 80 has been so tough for math. I can do it in other subjects but as much as I study for math I haven't been able to. Any form of advice whether it's a study plan, or anything to review beforehand would really be appreciated.

In my previous years I didn't really care about math (until grade 11 final half, where I started getting 80s average for the final few)

Now I'm starting to see how much it's affected me and I'm really worried for uni applications as well because I don't know how I'll be able to get a high mark for math (all my other grades are pretty good)

[scenic shuttle]

don’t be too hard on yourself. honestly, understanding around 80s is already really good. i get how you feel though math tests always seem tougher than the textbook work because teachers/professors make the tests to see how well you can apply what you’ve learned.

i used to have the same problem before too back in hs. what’s helped me a lot is practicing problems outside of class. i met a lot of good people in help channels on this server, such as ones who gave me tips and advice. they are so helpful, you should definitely try it. i also look for extra questions online or from old tests since they make me think in different ways. it helps me understand the material instead of just memorizing how to do it (like proof questions)

studying 4–8 hours a day is a lot, so make sure to rest sometimes. taking breaks helps your brain stay focused. try doing something you like, such as gaming, hanging out with friends, or just relaxing for a bit (that’s what i usually do, it’s basically my hobby ). you’re working hard, just like in your other classes, and that effort will pay off. you just need a bit more time and practice. uni math can feel harder, but it’s never impossible if you’ve studied enough. soooo you’ve got this. 🙂

[compact seal]

Wow thank you, yeah, I'll be sure to do more practice questions outside of the textbook. I guess I shouldn't be too worried, just don't want to get a bad mark honestly, currently with how I did in my other tests I probably have a 70 average, but I'll just have a good study routine I guess.

Thanks once again though, I should start taking more breaks, I was working until I couldn't think anymore lol, so I didn't learn much after a few hours.

[swift tartan]

i met a hs student (son of a prof here) who is almost done with the math major as a dual enrollment 11th grader

[glass gull]

im really curious about note taking on blank paper, I have been enjoying it lately, but Im not sure the way I organize it is efficient, does anyone have an example of hand written note on blank paper that is effective?

[edgy sierra]

i rewrote the entire textbook doing that

it's up to you if you want to write on paper or just write on overleaf

[swift tartan]

Actually yes! I only use blank paper and have been for the past 4 years!

Not the greatest example imo; but during a lecture, I write down the Def., Lemma., Prop., and Thm.. I try to run through the proof on my own to get some idea bc the prof usually goes slower to explain the intuition. Sometimes I get it sooner, sometimes I dont get it at all (as we see here). I also add my own personal remarks and questions in squares/boxed. I box them so that I can look back at my notes either after lecture or remember to look into them on my own so I can understand it better

I also like to include a quote from the professor that I either find humorous or inspiring, as much as I can

[swift tartan]

lmaoo I think I made these notes humorous since I was passing them to a friend, also the first saved ones i found

Also labelling each of the def,prop,lem,thms are important too. But most importantly, when you are review them post lecture (i do it the same day), i usually try to actually understand what happened during the lecture rather than brute memorization. The most important thing about learning is that rereading your notes is the least effective way to learn compared to active recall which means you are trying to remember the information and kinda test yourself on the knowledge. After which I write them in latex and have them saved

[plain lake]

what would one consider an effective study method to learn a syllabus properly and efficiently? I have access to some textbooks that are relevant

[swift tartan]

Imo depends on the class

What is this for (assuming not just math)

[swift tartan]

To say the least, reading doesnt get you far

[storm jasper]

You have to do the exercises

[swift tartan]

same

[plain lake]

Anything tbh - I can see maths being different from science and history etc

[hexed coral]

What video materials or books would you recommend me for selfstudy linear algebra (I don’t have discrete math nor calculus base)

[plain lake]

My current subjects are ancient history maths 3u, biology chemistry and English advanced. I am considering doing 4U maths and history extension

I do hsc so an Australian curriculum

I think people won’t be super familiar but the base is similar around the world with advanced mathematics which is 2U

[swift tartan]

Most subjects outside of math are fact based, so using Anki/Quizlet would be really good. For sciency ones, remember both theory and application. Theory can be almost memorization, but outside of math, the actual heart of it all comes into application

If you can do practice problems and also be able to justify why or how it is the way it is, then you are good to go

Thats as general as I can say

English is a science btw too

Sometimes, reframing your perspective on topics makes it approachable. What one can do for xyz subject, chances are it can possibly be done for something else even though they look nothing alike, and thats whats nice about studying. "Practice problems" for english would be analyzing the text or grammar rules or smth lol

[snow steeple]

Z

[storm jasper]

I fail one course of science then

[scenic shuttle]

horrible handwriting

how do u understand ur handwriting

[heavy needle]

Actually at that level you sometimes even get polynomials with coefficients in Q fr

[edgy sierra]

axler

[edgy sierra]

learn and understand the theorem\formula

take the time to do the exercises

[lapis sluice]

the ring Z without polynomials of any kind

[glass gull]

yeah okay, interesting insight. I can understand the blank paper usage. I have always prefer graph paper, but i been trying out blank and wow, it feels so smooth

[storm jasper]

How do you write so neat fr

[heavy needle]

I'm making a joke about the variety of Rings experienced in elementary algebra

[lapis sluice]

Me too my joke is that you estimated the variety to be too great

[storm tide]

You do see rational polynomials in elementary algebra, but you don't hear of the ring they make up.

[swift tartan]

leave me be

[storm jasper]

Your handwriting so good

[swift tartan]

idk if this is sarcasm anymore

[storm jasper]

It’s not sarcasm

[swift tartan]

Oh, idk my actual handwriting is pretty shit, so cursive is what ive gotten used to

[storm jasper]

My handwriting I was told

Was like

Russian doctor handwriting

[swift tartan]

Damn

[storm jasper]

Yeah

[swift tartan]

Spacing does help

[storm jasper]

Wait what do you study

[swift tartan]

? Like in Uni?

Math and CS

[storm jasper]

Math wise

[swift tartan]

Oh, Im in UG but wanting to go to Alg Geo

[storm jasper]

I’m doing at later this yr probably

[storm jasper]

What year

[swift tartan]

Im a fourth year, im starting to apply to cs masters programs rn

[storm jasper]

Damn

Guess what year I am

[swift tartan]

2nd?

[storm jasper]

I’m -1 year

[swift tartan]

Oh, are you in dual enrollment then?

[storm jasper]

No

[swift tartan]

How are you taking AT next sem then?

[storm jasper]

Idk, through books? And doing exercises and collaborating with like minded individuals

[swift tartan]

Gotcha, thats dope

[storm jasper]

Not rly in my opinion

[swift tartan]

Lets move to #math-discussion

[storm jasper]

I’m perma study

Also whatever Mq says is automatically false

[swift tartan]

Thats what Im thinking too, but they are doing alg top I moreso think; continue in #math-discussion ?

[storm jasper]

All in due time’s

[storm jasper]

I said alg top

We are both perm asfudy

[swift tartan]

🙃

[storm jasper]

I WILL BE

[swift tartan]

So, I am lost, how will you be studying ag or at this year? @storm jasper

I get being in reading groups, but also having the background knowledge, did you already acquire it

Its not unheard of for people pre uni to specialize in grad lvl topics, seen it first hand, but just curious really

Unironically, I guess if they go through the bareminimum of point set, it is doable tbf

Like first three/four chapters of munkres is really it

Just until connectedness

Thats not terrible either? Analysis for a ug topic can be standalone to algebra

T&G teaches everything for Alg Top including, groups, fields, pstop, etc etc

And its super condensed and its better as a reference, but if you grind it then yeah it will work

Absolutely, for alg geo esp needs comm alg

Commutative Algebra

Basically, but its essentially an intro to alg geo. Thats how most books go into it (eisenbud, atiyah)

Moreso dealing with rings tho

The biggest takeaways i have seen from comm alg into alg geo are ideals, which gets studied a lot more extensively in this text than regular grad alg

Yeah

Id recommend eisenbud if you want a brief look into it

He does tend to yap a lot if you like it

[heavy needle]

Yeah sure if you wanna be technical and correct I guess

[swift tartan]

how so?

[storm jasper]

No shit

[storm jasper]

Yawn

[royal basin]

Wait till you see my handwriting

[scenic shuttle]

ill pass

[heavy needle]

Affine geometry over non ordered fields sounds horrifying

[deep inlet]

Isnt that just affine schemes

[plain lake]

yeah that sounds good - and I assume if I find a well structured explanation of all parts of my syllabi I can do practice questions on each of those topics? personally, the best teachers were good explainers, and made us explain each concept back to the class randomly at the end of a topic, and gave us practice hsc questions throughout the year. I could sort of emulate that but he left so we kind of have to get the explaining bit done first

sorry for the essay

[heavy needle]

No idea. Maybe. Overloaded terminology

A line between points in an ordered field is the usual notion, in other fields it's just the two points

Therefore the oriented line segment (0,1) in C is just the ordered point pair (0,1)

[fair quiver]

How do you study linear algebra? I can read the textbook like 20 times but not understand what im reading

like if I read something in the textbook and I dont understand it then what do I do at that point?

who do I ask?

cause my professor only really reads off of a matlab file and isnt that helpful when I dont understand what hes reading off of

Kinda feeling helpless because my classmates seem to be able understand it and I know math is just a matter of practice but I sit down to do the practice and I dont understand how to do the practice.

[worldly rune]

first of all you should prioritise doing the exercises over reading text

[tropic void]

3b1b can be good for intuition as well

[worldly rune]

it sounds to me like you would benefit from an additional source

[tropic void]

yes that too

[rocky terrace]

10 pages of analysis in 6 months? Say no more fam

[heavy needle]

Just got Neamed

[fair quiver]

My problem is I don't know how to do the exercises

[worldly rune]

you would be surprised how often you can do the exercises without understanding the text

you should always be able to do something for the exercises

you need to be able to just try things

if you cant, my guess would be you need to go back and start learning from there

math builds upon itself unfortunately

[storm tide]

The middle of a text might well be incomprehensible if one hasn't done the exercises in the first part.

[swift tartan]

just not chad enough to being able to do that

[heavy needle]

Sometimes they put the big stuff in the exercises section

[worldly rune]

i often had the feeling i could do the exercises if i can only understand the theorem/lemma statements, no understanding of proofs necessary but 🤷

[swift tartan]

I do agree with this to some degree; going in with some understanding or intuition would be fine to do such. But having no intuition for the material at all may lead into slower progression as you need to build it from the material prior

Like doing an undergrad class is relatively easy to just flip to a chapter and be able to do the exercises (as long as you also know the vocab ofc)

[glacial raven]

hey y'all im currently in calc III this smeseter as a part od dual enrollment. Im automatically enorlled in diff eqs for next semestser, and I wanted to know: how hard is it? Will it be harder than clac III rn. i've attached the course description for reference

[swift tartan]

but doing a topics class at a grad lvl, it hasnt always been the same case for me and i have had to go back to study content and make sure I get the intuition of it

[swift tartan]

Honestly, I think this is pretty subjective. You are basically using only until calc ii knowledge in that diffeq class, but its not like its completely how you may think of calculus

I thought both of them are easy

But I know some ppl struggle with diffeq as well cough engineers

[swift tartan]

How about this

[scenic shuttle]

even worse

[swift tartan]

whatttt

im convinced you cannot read cursive

[wispy zephyr]

you should go into medicine

[swift tartan]

broooo 😭

it cant be that terrible everyone

i thought this was good

[scenic shuttle]

real

im not

its just how I literally know the doctor's handwriting

[kindred anchor]

no idea what you people are on that handwriting is beautiful

it's genuinely perfectly to my taste

[green terrace]

holy shit it's valley

[kindred anchor]

omg hi tcc!!!!!

[green terrace]

hey :33333

[kindred anchor]

how are youuu

[green terrace]

our physical health is really really bad but we're okay

[kindred anchor]

hmmmmmmm that's half good i suppose

[lapis sluice]

its quite difficult for me to read

Let {U_α} be an [??????] of C.

[kindred anchor]

open cover

[lapis sluice]

grm luw

[green terrace]

That literally won't help

sadly

[swift tartan]

Its honestly as long as you know the subject material it always makes sense

Like the topic is RA, and yeah I do have my stylistic penmenship, but the words open usually follows cover bc thats what the content is about (if you recognize the thm Heine-Borel)

Also nitpickable, but bc we are all math ppl, we know that for soXX must be for some

[wispy zephyr]

if the trick to deciphering your handwriting is to already know what's been written i would consider that bad handwriting

[swift tartan]

it gets me through, thats all that matters 😭 . my chalkboard handwriting is actually good regarded by ppl here so atleast I have that going for me

So I can still present on the board atleast

[wispy zephyr]

it's fine if the only person reading it is yourself but just not so good if you want other people to read it

[swift tartan]

Yeah fair, I didnt really intend for these to be read by someone else

I am more careful when I am writing notes for a friend absent in class

But /shrug

[swift tartan]

I also only share my latex'd notes, which I think I mentioned earlier that I type them up day of lecture

[storm jasper]

Mine is poopy

[iron glacier]

Does anyone have resources or notes for like math stuff Im self studying a differential equations book

[cunning summit]

Extremely sick at the moment got a week off from work.

I'm still studying 2 hours every morning and 2 hours before bed.

But I feel like I'm not getting some work done, I feel like everything is taking longer and is sluggish well unable to stay focused.

Is this normal for being sick

[glacial raven]

Yeah it’s very much normal

Also good u still keeping up some hrs everyday

It’s good enough

[scenic shuttle]

yep it's normal

when I get sick I still get the work done bc I start doing them early

[edgy sierra]

why do you bold the n like ts 🥀

[swift tartan]

honestly i used to do the horizontal zahl but i just saw a lot of ppl, professors and students alike, do it the way you see above and i tried it out and it kinda became habit bc its quicker

[edgy sierra]

is that a c or a k

🥀

[royal basin]

where

they are all C's, there is also N and i

[edgy sierra]

oh

it was left parenthesis

the one right next to the unions

[royal basin]

ah i see where you mean

[royal basin]

yea

[queen pecan]

hii

does anyone have Obsidian?

i am not sure how to make checklist there..

[scenic shuttle]

role?

or the software app

[queen pecan]

the software app

[scenic shuttle]

what about it

if u want to do the checklist u need to make the format as - []

[queen pecan]

oh, okai

um, but how do i do that?

ohh i got it

thanks a loot

[scenic shuttle]

np

[swift tartan]

This is my professor

jsyk

This is dealing with compact sets

but was just showing their blackboard N as well

[swift tartan]

When you are sick, you should prioritize getting better more than studying. I am not going to speak on work since most people cannot work less for obvious reasons, but you shouldnt be having to exert yourself more than you have to mentally and physically and instead should be using as much downtime to prioritize health. If you dont:

1. You take longer to get better
2. Burnout goes hard esp when you are forcing yourself to get studying done
3. You likely wont be learning much or as efficient as you could compared to when you are healthy

You could just studying like an hourish rather than 4 hours a day -- if you really wanted to

[swift tartan]

ooo this is also true

I didnt think of that

I guess just balancing it out

[swift tartan]

When im sick, i usually try not to really learn but just do some stimulating work like doing math problems throughout the day

well its kinda like learning but its just a problem set i can do in bed and if i finish them makes me feel accomplished but i could also just relax and watch tv and or sleep if its really that bad

[storm jasper]

I burned out

[storm jasper]

I feel so sick rn

I did 50 mf

[restive dock]

absolutely bombed my first math midterm and need general advice. i got a 37.5/100 on it and what makes it so difficult is i know the most traditional advice would be to tell me to just keep doing practice problems.

i did a shit load of practice problems and when i was actually sitting down and taking the midterm, the problems felt relatively easy to me

i thought even if i got them wrong the partial credit id get would easily give me 50+

feeling discouraged and idk wtf to do or how to start studying effectively

[storm jasper]

What course is this

[restive dock]

proof based lin alg

[storm jasper]

I don’t necessarily have much experience with this, but how was the midterm graded

[restive dock]

partial credit if method for correct answer is right even if the actual answer isnt

thats about it

[storm jasper]

Do you know like the thereoms and lemmas about linear algebra (that was in the book before the midterm)

[restive dock]

yes

[storm jasper]

Did the test have feedback

[restive dock]

no feedback

just lots of 0/9

[storm jasper]

Can you access your test at all

[restive dock]

they gave out sample solutions so im gonna go through that

dude i was so confident too

i walked out that exam feeling so good

[storm jasper]

Yeah definitely go through the sample solutions 😭

How do you even study it though

[storm jasper]

Did you get the questions right

Like for the practice problems

[restive dock]

practice exams and worksheets

its where we practice proof writing

[storm jasper]

Ah so it’s like exercises

Ah i do that also in analysis

[storm jasper]

Did you perform well 😭

[restive dock]

yea i usually do well on those

they are a bit more complex than the exam questions so it trips me up occasionally

since proofs are more in depth

[storm jasper]

Mq carry this guy pls 🙏

Lin alg is more broad i do that later

[restive dock]

lol idek what im asking for really just super disappointed i bombed it

[storm jasper]

It’s alright bro, first check the practice solutions and you can go from there

[restive dock]

theres usually a solution that i look at

like a solution manual for the worksheets

[storm jasper]

Did you do EXACTLY what that solution said

[restive dock]

i think i lost points for sure for not using lots of math symbols

[storm jasper]

$\forall \exists$ fr

[mossy shadow]

Axkyn

[storm jasper]

True, i just write long paragraphs and hope i get it correct

[wispy zephyr]

you generally don't need to (and shouldn't) use lots of math symbols, but your proofs should be easily translatable into math symbols

[restive dock]

this is what i did lol

[wispy zephyr]

too many math symbols makes your proof unreadable

[restive dock]

for me its either i got full points on a problem or none

no in between

[storm tide]

Too many symbols can make stuff unreadable. So can too few.
It's much more common for students to err in the direction of too many, though.

[storm tide]

If you don't have actual feedback stating that, I would be very cautious about assuming it.

[sour mirage]

dam rip

i had a lin alg (proof based) midterm today too

[near peak]

can someone read my personal statement for summer research program and tell me if it sucks

[storm jasper]

Sure

[near peak]

yay!