- #1
Exalt
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Back in the end of october, I picked up math as a hobby (although it will also help me career-wise, but in the end I probably won't go into a math related career, unfortunately. Currently my major has nothing to do with math). I had only completed up to calc II for the AP test, and hadn't done proofs since geometry 5 years ago. I started by picking up courant's analysis. Though the reading was fine, and I understood the proofs (albeit very slowly), I had no idea how to do any of the exercises.
So I started off lower by going to Solow's proof book, and another called 100% mathematical proof. I went through them fine, though there were a few exercises I didn't understand, but the proofs were easy. Then I went back to courant. I still didn't understand it. The first section baffled me, and the solutions were totally bizarre. I went back to solow's book, with a section on 'dissecting proofs', and courant was still beyond me. And this was supposed to be one of the easier analysis books...
I'm kinda hysterical right now, because I spent 3 months feeling like I've wasted my time, which is running out. I'm not a fast learner so I need all the time i can get, but I'm very very very busy all the time.
What step am I missing? More proofs? Also, how long should each proof take me? I want to be able to finish chapter 1 before February, and the whole book before June. I want to try to get as much of a boost in math before September, because then I can only do math for 15 hours per week (the summer allows for 30 hrs/week). My schedule and finance only allows for a math minor (due to things i won't be discussing), and i want to try to have enough knowledge in 4-6 years as a math major so that I will have enough ability to get into a top #15-25 grad school. btw, this is for applied math, so I'm also trying to work on my programming, which is taking up even more of my time.
I'm going to be taking calc II again this semester, along with discrete math.
I heard mathwonk started calculus off with courant, so I'm interested in how that worked out.
EDIT: Am starting to look at harvey mudd's videos. i also want to keep at courant, since i don't have the resources to purchase another textbook.
So I started off lower by going to Solow's proof book, and another called 100% mathematical proof. I went through them fine, though there were a few exercises I didn't understand, but the proofs were easy. Then I went back to courant. I still didn't understand it. The first section baffled me, and the solutions were totally bizarre. I went back to solow's book, with a section on 'dissecting proofs', and courant was still beyond me. And this was supposed to be one of the easier analysis books...
I'm kinda hysterical right now, because I spent 3 months feeling like I've wasted my time, which is running out. I'm not a fast learner so I need all the time i can get, but I'm very very very busy all the time.
What step am I missing? More proofs? Also, how long should each proof take me? I want to be able to finish chapter 1 before February, and the whole book before June. I want to try to get as much of a boost in math before September, because then I can only do math for 15 hours per week (the summer allows for 30 hrs/week). My schedule and finance only allows for a math minor (due to things i won't be discussing), and i want to try to have enough knowledge in 4-6 years as a math major so that I will have enough ability to get into a top #15-25 grad school. btw, this is for applied math, so I'm also trying to work on my programming, which is taking up even more of my time.
I'm going to be taking calc II again this semester, along with discrete math.
I heard mathwonk started calculus off with courant, so I'm interested in how that worked out.
EDIT: Am starting to look at harvey mudd's videos. i also want to keep at courant, since i don't have the resources to purchase another textbook.