Learn Math & Physics on Your Own: Tips for Middle Schoolers

[phynoldus]

So i am a kid in middle school and have a serious interest in math/physics and feel kind of unstimulated in school.
So my question is can i learn everything between trigonometry all the way to some basic calculus math on my own?
If so which books or websites could i find?

 

[verty]

Algebra and Trigonometry With Analytic Geometry: A Problem-Solving Approach for under $10 shipped, probably incredibly useful.

Once you are done with that, a book like https://www.amazon.com/dp/0201531747/?tag=pfamazon01-20 will see you to college math. Also ~$10 and with a geometric flavour, very nice.

And possibly a book underneath these if you need one, but that first book should not be too tough.

 

[phynoldus]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0130234419/?tag=pfamazon01-20 for under $10 shipped, probably incredibly useful.

Once you are done with that, a book like https://www.amazon.com/dp/0201531747/?tag=pfamazon01-20 will see you to college math. Also ~$10 and with a geometric flavour, very nice.

And possibly a book underneath these if you need one, but that first book should not be too tough.

Okey, thanks!:)

 

[FermatPell]

Of course you can. You can study almost anything on your own, if you're an intelligent person (which you obviously are) and you have internet. Check out MITOCW and other MOOCs.

 

[phynoldus]

Of course you can. You can study almost anything on your own, if you're an intelligent person (which you obviously are) and you have internet. Check out MITOCW and other MOOCs.

I will!

 

[carlgrace]

Learning on your own is great, but I'd be wary of specializing too early. Go for breadth at this point over depth to really find your passions. If I were you I'd be reading introductory material on all kinds of different engineering and science disciplines as well as reading in the humanities.

 

[fysika]

Before I started university, I took it upon myself to learn basic calculus and some rudimentary physics. It's definitely possible. I second verty's recommendation for ... A Problem Solving Approach. One thing I've found with learning things on your own is it's easier to get lost/off track. If you find yourself in that position, check out Kahn Academy, it's an online school of sorts with everything you'll need. That website helped me a lot.

 

[verty]

Here is a third book to start with, elementary algebra: factoring, simultaneous linear equations, quadratic equations. If you know what factoring is and what "difference of squares" refers to, you can get by without this book. Or learn it at the same time as geometry.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071611630/?tag=pfamazon01-20.

Best of luck.