No bullshit guide to linear algebra

Re:No bullshit guide to linear algebra – v2 by pault on Friday April 14, 2017 @01:56PM (#14115923)

I've been trying to develop my maths skills beyond the high school level I was last formally educated at. My problem is, that was 20 years ago, and I've forgotten a lot of the fundamentals, but every time I try to slog through Khan Academy I get bogged down in what would be many, many months of review to get to the undergraduate level. Can anyone recommend materials that contain a high level overview of those rules and concepts that are taught at the pre-calculus level, so I can jog my memory without endless manual calculation? Linear algebra and statistics are mainly what I'm interested in learning.

Edit: This book looks like a good candidate. :)

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Re:No bullshit guide to linear algebra – v2 by JabavuAdams on Friday April 14, 2017 @04:15PM (#14116929)

Start with Strang's MIT OCW Linear Algebra course: https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06-linear-algebra...

You really only need to know arithmetic to get started.

Use Anki to create flash-cards so that you learn faster and don't forget.

https://apps.ankiweb.net/

Also, manual calculation is fundamentally how you learn mathematics. Following along is a first step, but is not good enough to learn the material. You need to do the calculations and run into problems, so you can re-create the knowledge in your brain.

EDIT> Take Coursera's Learning How to Learn Course. It sounds flaky, but will accelerate all of your other learning, and help with procrastination as well.

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

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Re:No bullshit guide to linear algebra – v2 by soniman on Friday April 14, 2017 @03:19PM (#14116504)

I'm in the same situation (I literally had to start with "what is a factor again?") and I've found just doing a little every morning works. It's slow but learning one or two concepts a day avoids frustration. Selby's Practical Algebra was good and then worked my way through Schaum's Precalculus book, supplemented by stuff on the web.

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Re:No bullshit guide to linear algebra – v2 by codeful on Friday April 14, 2017 @02:37PM (#14116220)

If you not familiar with Professor Leonard check out his playlists. I like his teaching style more than Khan.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoHhuummRZaIVX7bD4t2czg

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Re:No bullshit guide to linear algebra – v2 by Double_Cast on Friday April 14, 2017 @04:00PM (#14116824)

Fror a high-level overview of linear algebra, 3Blue1Brown's youtube series I cannot recommend highly enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjBOesZCoqc&list=PLZHQObOWTQ...

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Re:No bullshit guide to linear algebra – v2 by Spooky23 on Friday April 14, 2017 @02:27PM (#14116129)

For stats, I found the Stats for Dummies and Statistics in a Nutshell were great resources to refresh and review.

It's easier to relearn some of this stuff when you know what you don't know!

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Re:No bullshit guide to linear algebra – v2 by cmejo on Friday April 14, 2017 @02:26PM (#14116121)

Lang's _basic mathematics_

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Re:No bullshit guide to linear algebra – v2 by romwell on Friday April 14, 2017 @02:28PM (#14116140)

Anyone who recommends Lang as a learning resource should burn in their version of hell.

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Re:No bullshit guide to linear algebra – v2 by cmejo on Friday April 14, 2017 @02:32PM (#14116177)

Really? I've used it before for others who found it useful. That's the thing about math, lots of options/styles. Just look at Spivak vs Apostol for Calc. Do you have a suggestion for him?

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Re:No bullshit guide to linear algebra – v2 by hackermailman on Friday April 14, 2017 @03:23PM (#14116532)

Lang's Algebra book before revisions contained famously difficult exercises https://mathoverflow.net/a/10899 but I liked Basic Mathematics even if it's out of print (expensive) and full of errata issues.

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