How to improve my Pre-algebra skills?

[Thendi79]

Are there any good websites or tutorials in PDF format out there that helps to improve mathematics from basics ?

 

[Mark44]

Are there any good websites or tutorials in PDF format out there that helps to improve mathematics from basics ?

khanacademy.org has lots of videos on prealgebra and many other subjects.

 

[Thendi79]

I wish i could have something to read instead of videos .

There has to be some good tutorials in pdf format out there that teaches mathematics from basics

 

[fresh_42]

Another source for especially this purpose is https://openstax.org/subjects
These books are rather basic. I assume their main purpose is to bring high school students at a common level to start at when they go to college.

 

[Thendi79]

Thanks fresh_42 ,
I will check the Pre-Algebra book by openstax
I was also looking for a book like this too

I wanted to buy this book today , but i don't have enough money with me right now and i have to wait till next month

 

[fresh_42]

Thanks fresh_42 ,
I will check the Pre-Algebra book by openstax
I was also looking for a book like this too

View attachment 276649

I wanted to buy this book today , but i don't have enough money with me right now and i have to wait till next month

I couldn't find an offer with a few pages to read, so I can't say anything about that book. There are some interesting books on mathematics which do not have the goal to teach a specific curriculum, but basic understanding of certain concepts. Those books usually require some mathematical experiences beforehand, so they cannot be recommended without the knowledge of level you are currently at.

 

[Thendi79]

I am a bit confused about addition , subtraction , multiplication and division of negative numbers .
First i would like to clear that part before i go into Prime factorization and H.C.F

I think maybe this free online PDF would do ,

https://textbookequity.org/Textbooks/Prealgebra.pdf

 

[symbolipoint]

Are there any good websites or tutorials in PDF format out there that helps to improve mathematics from basics ?

Get a couple of used books from a good library-booksale. You do not need any website or online resources, unless you want to do a search for upcoming library used-book sales. Find any books you believe might be useful and study from them.

 

[Vanadium 50]

How to improve my Pre-algebra skills?

Practice.

That you practice is much more important than which book you practice from. Practicing for an hour is a better use of your time than spending that hour trying to find the perfect book to practice from.

 

[symbolipoint]

What many people call "Pre-Algebra" is often a fast and watered-down version of Introductory Basic Algebra 1.

 

[jedishrfu]

Don’t get side tracked looking for that magic book sit down with the Openstax books and go to town. Also use the Khan Academy or mathispower4u videos to supplement your reading and as @Vanadium 50 said practice practice practice it’s the only way.

By the way, the Khan video idea came from his nephew who preferred the video because he could replay it over and over until he understood the concepts.

The mathispower4u videos take the approach of presenting a problem and then solving it. This allows you to write down the problem and then try it yourself before watching the rest of the video. You can play, replay and start, stop through the solution.

I can't stress enough the videos along with the book it well really get you prepped.

 

[Thendi79]

Thanks for all the reply ,
I have not found a best book that has it all .

Like usual its in many books , some have quality explanation some don't

The best thing to do right now is to get a pen and paper and write down all the important points that can be collected from it all .

 

[Thendi79]

I somehow managed to learn until here with the help of some websites and the above Prealgebra pdf book i posted .

https://www.dummies.com/education/math/pre-algebra/how-to-find-the-greatest-common-factor-2/
https://www.dummies.com/education/math/pre-algebra/how-to-find-the-least-common-multiple/
https://www.dummies.com/education/m...ind-a-greatest-common-factor-in-a-polynomial/

I think that is the sort of flow in some books i was expecting to see .

:)

 

[fresh_42]

That should be the case in the OpenStax books, even if not explicitly mentioned. What generally counts is

Practice.

That you practice is much more important than which book you practice from. Practicing for an hour is a better use of your time than spending that hour trying to find the perfect book to practice from.

 

[Thendi79]

OK , thanks ... i will try to spent an hour a day everyday to improve those in the notes i posted .
I have to improve my trigonometry too .
I think trigonometry for dummies is a good book for that

 

[Thendi79]

This is a great book to learn all of the above .

Technical Mathematics with Calculus, Sixth Edition -Wiley (2011)

:)

 

[sysprog]

@Thendi79 $-$ Trying to learn trigonometry and calculus, when you've specifically stated that you're not yet ready for basic algebra, while it may be rather commendably ambitious, is definitely the wrong order of procedure.

I suggest that you should fully understand basic arithmetic operations, then some simple set-theory, then learn some advanced arithmetic, such as extracting square roots (that's something of a bridge between arithmetic and algebra), then basic algebra, then algebra + trigonometry, and then single variable calculus, which will show you the bridge between algebra and geometry.

By then you should be ready to decide where to go next $-$ discrete mathematics, graph theory, real analysis, complex analysis $-$ and a host of other advanced topics.

However, you won't get past the beginning unless you, as @Vanadium 50 said:

Practice.

 

[gleem]

There are websites like

https://www.ixl.com/?partner=google...u5mOYRreMqrq5XfO-9m_48S39_SX5JCcaAm96EALw_wcB

that you can use to practice math at a specified level and in which you can keep track of your progress.

 

[MidgetDwarf]

I am not familiar with his algebra book, but his geometry book (early editions), is a gentle read. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0716710471/?tag=pfamazon01-20 .

maybe have a look at this, and study from both the mathstacks book and this one.

 

[MidgetDwarf]

But any college book aimed at teaching high school mathematics will do. Buy the cheapest.Maybe someone who hs actually looked at the Jacobs book can chime in...

 

[Mark44]

But any college book aimed at teaching high school mathematics will do. Buy the cheapest.

Good advice.

 

[Mondayman]

I agree with what's said. I don't think the choice of book or method matters too much at the prealgebra level. Khan Academy was my introduction to math, and it is very good at starting people off if they struggle with it.

 

[Mark44]

The various websites mentioned in the thread are useful, but IMO it's very useful to have a textbook, one that includes the main topics in a single package.

 

[symbolipoint]

The various websites mentioned in the thread are useful, but IMO it's very useful to have a textbook, one that includes the main topics in a single package.

You can say that again, and I may even give another LIKE to it.

I believe this because a traditional instructional textbook does not present a technically challenging interface for the user to move through, and does not require electronics nor electricity (except sometimes some lighting while in a house, room, building). Good textbooks will have both a well made table of contents and an "index" for finding key-worded topics.

 

[Thendi79]

Thanks for all the suggestions ,
Finally i found a book which i love to go through .

Technical Mathematics with Calculus, Sixth Edition -Wiley

:)

 

[symbolipoint]

Thendi79, that must be one hellofa book, all those topics and for a price of about $970. (Found an Amazon sale link through an internet search). I have often been fond of suggesting to find used somewhat old (or various ages) books from library booksales at which very good or excellent books are priced at between $0.50 and $2.00.

 

[fresh_42]

I'd rather print out an OpenStax book and solve the problems right there.

 

[Thendi79]

@symbolipoint , @fresh_42

I have started practicing from openstax books .

These books are good enough to learn about polynomials and the different methods of factoring polynomials
Openstax prealgebra
Openstax intermediate algebra

All these were nicely explained in those two books

:)