I’ve seen people in this community mention they want to relearn math but don’t know where to start. Others remember the steps but never really understood why they worked. Others had math teachers that didn't care or were just bad teachers.

I've been helping students with math for over 15 years 

My name is Isaac. About 25 years ago, when I was in high school, my father started teaching math for free to children of friends and family. It began with a small group of 5 students and eventually reached more than 100 students motivating us to convert our family garage into a classroom.

I’ve continued teaching over the years and in 2018 I created Think! Before You Solve. A math program to help students understand math. Now I want to carry that into an online community, the reddit community lol. 

Below are the class conditions/rules:

- Free, live online classes: once a week for 90 minutes.

- 20 students maximum per class: if more people sign up, I’ll organize additional groups.

- Schedule: we’ll find a day and time with the people interested.

- Starting point (elementary math): basic addition and subtraction, including positive and negative numbers, fractions, and order or operations (PEMDAS).

- End goal (Trigonometry): we start with elementary math then pre-algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and eventually trigonometry.

- Length of Class: most classes are covered in 20-24 sessions. 

- Time Schedule: the time will be TBD based on the availability of most. Ideally it would be in the afternoon or evening.

The intent is to make it simple for busy people. Once a week for 90min is more than enough. 90 min are two episodes of your favorite series. 

If the majority wants to do twice a week instead of once we can also make that happen. 

I really mean it about one student. If one person wants to learn, that’s enough for me to start.

AI tools now provide students with the answers instantly. I feel learning math, now more than ever, is critical for reasoning, critical thinking, resiliency, and nurturs self-assurance. 

Because getting an answer and understanding it are different experiences.

Technology can be useful. But I want students to be able to look at a solution and ask: Does this make sense? Why does that work? Could I explain it to someone else?

The goal isn’t to grind through hundreds of problems. It’s to understand the concepts well enough to have the ability to reason through something unfamiliar.

When an answer is just a click away, it’s tempting to grab the answer just to complete the assignment and move on. I understand that. But with someone guiding you, working through that uncertainty is where confidence grows. You try, ask a question, adjust your approach, and realize you can figure it out.

That’s the type of classroom vibe my program creates. You can ask a basic question, get something wrong, or need another explanation. Those are all part of learning.

Adults starting over are welcome. You don’t need to remember what you learned in school, and you don’t need to consider yourself “a math person.”

If you’d like to see who you’d be learning with, here’s "my teaching journey"

https://www.thinkbeforeyousolve.com/v2/gallery/

and some "feedback from students"

https://thinkbeforeyousolve.com/v2/testimonials/

Interested? Just dm me it's that simple. 

Please share this with someone who’s been wanting to start again.

This isn't a scam or a joke this is for real. Education is at risk in the US the department of education is been cut, finding to schools is cut, and many other disadvantages our students face. 

I am literally doing this because it's my 2 cents to make the world a little better. Im only good in teaching math lol so I want to share it with you. 

Let's get cooking with math. 

Hey! I've honestly never posted on Reddit before, but I thought I should after thinking about this for a long time. I am quite terrible at math, and yes, I know that's like preaching to the choir, but I really need some advice. I'll preface this by saying I have been extremely passionate about physics and astronomy since the 2nd grade; I'm totally enamored with the laws and theories of the universe and would adore to major in astronomy in college and make it my career. But I have an issue.

(sorry for all of this yapping)

My problem started around 4th grade when I couldn't quite wrap my head around writing out multiplication on a table, which was easy for everyone else. I was enrolled in tutoring until 6th grade, where I continued to not do the best in my math classes. Then came 8th grade, when I was given two math classes with two different teachers to help me catch up with my peers, but I was starting to give up completely! In high school, I stopped focusing on math and was passing with Ds until my junior year, when I finally enrolled myself in physics hoping that I could turn things around for myself, buuut I failed and dropped out. I would study whatever I could and was still failing all written sections on the exams. But get this!! I was passing the multiple-choice with flying colors. Though my teacher also did have a pretty rough reputation. I know that my lack of focus totally stunted me, and now I'm hoping to build the skill from scratch.

I am now enrolled in college, about to get my associates in general sciences, which only includes biology, so it's pretty easy for me. But my next step is deciding if I want to stop here or pursue astronomy like I've always wanted! I thought that there has to have been someone else on here that was kind of like me or anyone who could give some good advice. I'm mainly hoping for any guidance on where to start, or what material is most important to cover for physics-focused math?

(I'm not sure if people usually ramble like this on Reddit, so sorry if this is weird lol)

Just realized I misspelled physics

I want to major in math, but I’m feeling completely lost in a proof-based linear algebra and multivariable calculus class I’m taking in the first year of university. To me, the class moves extremely quickly with little guidance and has introduced completely new ideas with real analysis topics used in the proofs we’re supposed to write. Even if I begin to understand things on a general, intuitive level, I get points docked for lacking rigor in my proofs (if I can think of any at all).

The requirements of the class were just that we had taken single variable calculus before with the recommendation of having taken linear algebra and mv before. Although I’ve taken all these classes before, they were mostly just doing computations, so I feel like I have no sense of proof-writing. We’re also supposed to essentially come up with everything ourselves with the teacher just showing some theorems in class.

I’m very willing to put in as much work as necessary to catch up, but I don’t even know where to start. I’ve watched real analysis videos online to try and catch up, but they’re much simpler examples than what we’re doing. I just have no clue what I should do, and I don’t want to drop.

If anyone has any video suggestions, books, or general advice, thank you in advance!

Hey guys, I got into college for Networking and it turns out we learn electronics (math/physics) when I was younger I made the mistake of not paying attention in class, like never.. and now I have trouble with stuff like fraction divisions, rearranging formula, and more.. I feel lost when It gets to some points, like I have holes I need to fill, I can maybe bang my head to learn a formula and copy paste it like a parrot but I can also forget it due to not understanding and at times in class(like rearranging formula and fraction division) I get confused.

This is kinda embarrassing because this is considered simple math

Now my question is: how do I approach it? There seems to be a lot of rules I don't know of, any tips?

I really gotta learn that quickly before studying for the subject itself

Thanks for the help

Hi guys,

I just finished a midterm for my abstract math class and my probability class. For my abstract math midterm I got a 48 and for my probability midterm I got a 24. These are by far the lowest scores I have ever gotten in any math class. In my proofs course I would sail through homework and class handouts, yet somehow despite studying for at least 30 hours and working through tons of practice problems I got a 48. Now in my probability class, I am just always confused. When I open my homework I don't even know how to start a problem. I just read the problem over and over again and I remain confused each time. I really am at a low point and its making me go crazy. I know I'm not stupid because I've come this far and I did good on my other 2 midterms. I am working on practice problems from the textbook as much as is available. I go to class and participate. I frequently attend my professors office hours. I am in study groups with classmates. I read the textbook albeit i have a hard time understanding the textbook. What else can one possibly do to study and understand a subject? I do not want to blame my professors, although my probability professor just reads off of his notes. I should be able to learn regardless of who is teaching me and how they are teaching me. I am so lost and angry at myself. This is like such a low point for me. I need advice, help, and guidance.

Thank you !

Is it possible to study university-level math only with self-study and learn with YouTube videos, AI, and websites.

Just wanted to introduce Limerse (https://limerse.com), a new style of math textbooks built around visual explanations and interactive examples. I was really inspired by 3Blue1Brown and wanted to bring that level of deep intuition to full math textbooks.

So far, I have launched Calculus, which includes 950+ animations (over 50 hours of videos), and 150 interactives. Will be adding more subjects like Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Equations soon, and I would really love to hear what you all think. Thanks.

Title. Was joking around with a friend and told him I wanted him to be 2% happier tomorrow than he was today, and he was like, 2% of 0 is still 0. So I was trying to think of a function f(p) such that for p = 0 f(p) = .02 (2% floor, e.g.), but for p < 0 ≤ 1 f(p) = p + .02p.

I was trying to figure out if there was some way to do this algebraically / without resorting to defining the function piecewise, and it has been many years since calculus and I can't remember if this is possible without getting really gnarly.

Greetings,

I'm a freshman in college taking intermediate algebra (which is just algebra 2), and I'm having trouble keeping up. I graduated from HS nearly a decade ago and forgot most of what I had learned, so it's like I'm re-learning most of these concepts all over again.

My teacher goes blazingly fast, so much so that even other students have asked her multiple times to slow down. She generally starts class by getting straight into problem solving, explaining while she's going along, instead of taking even just a half hour to explain what we'll be doing. So, it just becomes very overwhelming to keep up when I'm still 5 steps behind where she is in the middle of a lecture.

I try to get help from the tutors that the campus offers, and genuinely try my best to pay attention in class, taking notes, and doing all the homework she gives (up to 2 hours after class). Through all of this nothing has felt like it's stuck with me yet. Only thing I've done that I know how to do well is synthetic division...

I am on the brink of dropping the class and asking to take an easier class. I've failed my last two quizzes and have a major midterm exam coming up, and I do not feel ready for it. I don't want to because I hate to feel like a quitter, but I just don't know how to make these concepts stick in my head and understand better.

IGNORING ALL COEFFICIENTS

How is all of this so connected?

Let's consider the homologous series of c, x, x^2, x^3, x^4... and so on: x^n where n belongs to a non negative integer only

Why is it that the graph for a particular expression not only explain the graph for the expression itself, but also the graph of literally *EVERY OTHER MEMBER IN THE SERIES*.

for example, the graph of x^3 (or simply x^3 itself, as graph is that thing itself) explain the graph of x^3 itself, but also x^4 (how f' graph explains a graph of f), and x^5 (how f'' graph explains for f)

How the graph for f' of x^3 is same as f'' of x^5 and f''''''' of x^10

How the graph for f' of x^8, f'' of x^9 and f of x^7 is all the same. A single graph is doing all of it

Yes, on paper, I know, and can prove this with my pen (I know the limit definition of derivative and what it is in terms of slope, in terms of rate of change in area/volume etc). But it still seems out of grasp on how this is possible.

[Only considering for the homologous series highlighted to keep it simple for now]

I've got some doubts about the properties of the neutral element and of the inverse in general, and in particolar about about a property of vector spaces.

Firstly, when you consider the neutral element in, for example, a group or in a ring, the neutral element must be commutative. So it must satisfy: a + e = e + a = a? Or can there be a left neutral and right neutral? I've got the same doubt with the inverse. I get that if you have an abelian group that is guaranteed by axiom, for example in a ring that is obvious. But what if you have a group.

Secondly I don't get how you can prove this:

Let be V a vector space on K.

If l is a scalar and v a vector =\ 0 and

lv = 0, then l = 0.

I don't understand how is proofed that there isn't any scale diverse from 0 that gives 0 as a result. I don't seem to find any axiom of the vector space that assures this.

Hey everyone! I'm in 10th grade, and I'm looking for good beginner-friendly resources for number theory and combinatorics.

I'm currently using AoPS. I really like their Introduction to Counting & Probability book, but I haven't enjoyed the number theory book as much. Also, I feel like the combinatorics book doesn't have enough practice problems, and I'd really like to solve a lot more problems.

I'd appreciate any recommendations for books, YouTube channels, websites, online platforms, courses, or any other resources that could help me build a strong foundation in both subjects, especially through problem-solving.

I've been studying probability theory, particularly continuous probability density functions, and I came across something that I mathematically understand but still find logically and physically counterintuitive.

In a continuous uniform distribution, say a random variable (X) between 0 and 10, the probability of any exact value is zero:

[
P(X=5)=0
]

This is because probability is calculated by integrating the density over an interval, and a single point has zero width, meaning zero area under the curve.

I understand the mathematics behind this. I also understand the distinction between countable and uncountable infinity, and how an interval can have a positive measure even though every individual point has measure zero.

My problem isn't with the mathematics, but with its representation of physical reality.

If something has exactly 0% probability yet physically occurs, shouldn't that suggest the model might not perfectly describe reality?

We can't still say weather the universe is fundamentally continuous or discrete. But if space has some smallest resolution, wouldn't that change how we assign probabilities to exact positions?

I'm struggling to reconcile that with physical intuition.

So my question is: Is continuous probability merely a useful mathematical approximation of physical reality, or is there a deeper reason why zero-probability events can physically occur without contradicting the model?

Transferred from a community college with As in everything up until calc 3 and differential equations.

First term and I’m taking proof and logic and a proof based linear algebra course(and probability theory but it’s been easy thus far) and I’m debating if this is for me.

I genuinely enjoy math, and have systemized my way of studying it but I feel like I’m not yet accustomed to the jump from computational to proof based mathematics

Do I just accept my B/C’s? Will that affect my graduate/postgraduate applications and what if I retake the class?

I’d be appreciative of any and all tips.

yeah so i looked up my professor and theres hundreds of negative reviews on them that say the video lessons don't align with the tests on pearson and i would be doing hours of textbook readings per week self studying the material.

i'm kinda scared and would like some resources or tips to self study calc III.

the textbook we're using in class is Thomas’ Calculus: Early Transcendentals (the 15th edition).

i was thinking of using professor leonard but im not sure how to supplement that with problems

im willing to work hard about this. also not to mention the fact that its an 8 week course that starts on oct 19 and ends mid december.

thank you

Hi, I am learning math by myself with Khan academy. Well, I'm just doing the "exams" or what it is called. Right now doing the "pre-algebra" course. I'm in my mid 20s and quite a fast learner, but it somehow feels like one billion things to learn and master. And I have no clue how my roadmap looks like. I remember some stuff from school 10+ years ago but don't know what I don't know...

Can someone give me a brief overview with each name of topic and order to learn? And how long does it take to reach university requirement level?

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I just finished an animated video that explains the ideas behind the derivative: how trying to find the tangent to a curve and the instantaneous velocity of a moving object leads naturally to the concept of a limit and derivative

Video: https://youtu.be/i0Q5Gl8V66k

i want your honest feedback! thanks in advance

Hi! I’m looking to purchase secondhand Grade 1 materials from Russian School of Mathematics—the U.S. after-school program—for my first-grade daughter.
I’m interested in the student/classwork book and homework workbooks, ideally a complete year. Advanced or Accelerated materials and older editions are welcome.
If you have books your child has finished, please let me know the level, edition/year, condition, and asking price. Some writing is fine as long as the problems are readable. Photos of the covers would be helpful.
I’m in California and happy to pay reasonable shipping. I’m looking for original physical RSM materials.
Thanks so much!

I started making animated maths lessons mainly for my daughter (Grade 4).

Sample: Fractions: https://youtu.be/bHL4Z3UbvAc

Each video has a free printable worksheet with an answer key. Here's the one for this video (PDF, no sign-up):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O_lK7tNx0iW_36udZzcJr7ayLdBb8Bjy/view?usp=sharing

The narration uses an AI voice. Feedback from teachers is very welcome!

İ found out that we can use the formula that i found out to while calculating degrees we dont even need to use any geometry (my english isnt that good dud im Turkish). So with this formula im pinning is helps for that.

Hey! I'm a Grade 12 student in Manitoba, Canada, looking for someone around my age or older who is good at math and wouldn't mind helping me with Pre-Calculus 40S and AP Calculus.

Honestly, I'm struggling quite a bit with both courses right now, and I feel really lost with some of the concepts. I can't afford a tutor, so I'm hoping to find another student who understands the material and wouldn't mind studying together, explaining things to me, or working through practice questions with me.

I'm also happy to study together and help each other wherever I can! We could use Discord or another online platform.

I know this is a big ask, but if you're taking these courses, have already taken them, or know someone who might be willing to help for free, please let me know. I'd genuinely appreciate it. 😭