Summer Plan: Learn Algebra in 3 Months?

[DarkConfidant]

Hey all. I'm curious about something. I've ordered some books and dvds on Algebra 1, 2, and Advanced Algebra (college) and they should be in relatively soon. How much could I possibly learn in 3 solid months of studying two or three hours a day? Now I honestly don't know how much material will be present because in high school we spent a full year taking on one subject at a time, so I'm curious if anyone has thoughts on how much could be learned.

I'm now a senior in college majoring in history before going to law school, but I just want to learn math because I've always wanted to dive into physics and deeper into chemistry. In high school I basically ruined myself by rarely doing homework because I was able to get by with the daily lectures, so much so that I was able to get college credit for trig my sr. year of high school which allowed me to skip all college maths. I'll admit that I have this fear or lack of confidence regarding math and that's one reason I don't want to jump directly into a college algebra class because I want my gpa flawless. I think I have some good materials to learn on my own, but I'm also sure i'll get confused on certain stuff, but luckily I can search around here to find answers if and when that happens.

Why do I ask about 3 months specifically? Because it's summer and I have nothing else to do. Unfortunately, when the semester starts back up I'll be flooded with school assignments all of which will take away a great deal of time to study math, but oh well. I'm hoping I can put a nice dent in algebra and one day,*gulp* learn some calculus.

Anyways, thoughts?

 

[symbolipoint]

You can learn ONE course if you study 3 hours per day, nearly everyday in the summer. At that rate, you should be able to learn the course which you pick, very well.

Which Math courses did you study in high school, and when? You should have at least completed Algebra 1. You might want to study it again, and maybe you might cut the rate down to maybe 2 hours per day for 2 months (just guessing on this one), and then use the rest of the summer time to begin Algebra 2. If you could make this route, then you could at least have a strong start on Algebra 2 in case you enroll for the Fall term in college.

If you did well in Algebra 2 in high school, then you might be ready to study College Algebra in the summer (3 hours per day, every day, for 3 months). Is this the same as your "Algebra 3"?

 

[DarkConfidant]

You can learn ONE course if you study 3 hours per day, nearly everyday in the summer. At that rate, you should be able to learn the course which you pick, very well.

Which Math courses did you study in high school, and when? You should have at least completed Algebra 1. You might want to study it again, and maybe you might cut the rate down to maybe 2 hours per day for 2 months (just guessing on this one), and then use the rest of the summer time to begin Algebra 2. If you could make this route, then you could at least have a strong start on Algebra 2 in case you enroll for the Fall term in college.

If you did well in Algebra 2 in high school, then you might be ready to study College Algebra in the summer (3 hours per day, every day, for 3 months). Is this the same as your "Algebra 3"?

In high school I took Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, College Algebra, and Trig/Pre-calculus, but I'm not sure how much I remember due to my laziness. I managed As and Bs throughout that time, but I'm basically wanting to start fresh so that I can really grasp the material so I can move on to the higher maths and concepts. Also regarding Algebra 3, that exact course was not available at my high school, nor was calculus, both of which are now available there because my younger sister took Algebra 3, but I don't know exactly what Algebra 3 is.

 

[symbolipoint]

Chances are you would not retain too much from those high school courses after your last high school year; but you can still pick one of them to study during the summer. One good choice is to pick Algebra 2; you will need the skills and concepts anyway and you would only learn them better than you had in high school. You college will make you do a placement test (maybe, maybe not). Whatever that result indicates, take the course. It should NOT indicate to take anything lower than Introductory Algebra (equivalent to Algebra 1). Maybe your review effort in the summer will strengthen you enough to score well enough to enroll in College Algebra.