What I Learned Teaching Myself an Entire College Course From a Textbook

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[@mbjelica947]

Self-taught is really underrated; it can actually be extremely effective. I got an A grade on a univ phys 1 proficiency test with algebra-based physics (self-taught) and 2 weeks of calc-based physics self study so that I could skip it and go on to phys 2 at University.

[@lerubikscubetherubikscube2813]

It is! When you do though, you really need to put in some extra discipline.

[@mbjelica947]

@@lerubikscubetherubikscube2813 Agree! Putting in the extra discipline can be hard but it teaches something extremely valuable that no professor could ingrain in you.

[@Me-eb3wv]

Bruhhh

[@derasor]

This is a great time for curious creative people who know how to be resourceful. I wish I had the internet during my high school years. I just hope learning material and resources can evolve in the future to more personalized, immersive, and with more options to create safe, meaningful social networks with like-minded people.

[@kevinportillo1971]

Now that's what I *_hacking_* your way into university ! :D

[@FallouFitness_NattyEdition]

I basically taught myself throughout college. I would go to lecture and not understand the material then go home and read the textbook. Always aced the tests.

[@jeangtech1830]

Same, for some reason I need to go home and study it by myself in order to understand it.

[@FallouFitness_NattyEdition]

Glad that I'm not alone on this lol

[@heinzguderian9980]

I would just not go to lectures at all, and then learn the material 2-3 days before an exam. And then ace it.

[@banesik5444]

Sometimes it feels as if the instructor doesn't know how to effectively communicate what he knows. Smh

[@Me-eb3wv]

@@heinzguderian9980 lol

[@JC-zg2id]

My life as a homeschooler. The textbook and KZbin is all u need lol

[@naks7154]

Ayyy same my dude

[@malloryanderson724]

Same :)

[@projectjt3149]

Don't forget Khan Academy.

[@fitrianhidayat]

And pornhub

[@randomgreekmathematician3159]

@@fitrianhidayat No, porn is sh*t.

[@tommimuller8602]

SUMMARY: 1. Reading a textbook is going to be slow. Be patient. 2. Don’t assume you know something just because you read it. Try and recall what you learnt by writing it down. 3. It is important to go through the textbook daily, even if it is as little as 30 minutes a day. 4. When you get stuck on a difficult concept/problem even after looking at other resources, be patient. Your mind needs time to understand, and it eventually will. 5. To decide whether or not to skip a topic, look at how frequently the topic occurs later in the book. You should learn it if it appears many times.

[@faithlesshound5621]

Add point no. 6: Don't try to learn difficult stuff just before bed. That's when your brain is winding down. Just after work or a long drive is not ideal either.

[@luistorres6594]

I got through college physics by translating my entire textbook into my own words, worked like a charm

[@tempestandacomputer6951]

@@BassProFlops Yes but for anyone thinking about doing this: realize that it is pointless if you don't work practice problems. STEM fields like engineering and physics are all good fun to read about and even memorize concepts ;however, you don't really know it unless you apply it.

[@GiuseppeDeRosa2001]

I absolutely love that!!!

[@black-rose4014]

god i’m so glad that the internet is easily accessible during my teen years

[@afteruni6783]

30 minutes for 3 pages is actually really good if they're filled with proofs! Folks should also consider "taking a course" by reading an entire textbooks where a solution manual exists (obviously, do the problems first then see solutions).

[@zachstar]

Yeah honestly i think sometimes it was 45 minutes for one page but still every part was way slower than reading a normal book.

[@TheRafelito19]

A good tip that worked for me. Write notes on the side of the book as you read.

[@peepingtom9342]

@@TheRafelito19 There is software that allows you to write notes and underline in pdf documents if you have to use those.

[@everlastingideas8625]

The problem is once you reach a certain level (second year of a master degree for ex) , problems usually don't have any solution and it can be a bit draining even if the textbook is well written

[@dr.wilhemhal-howard2660]

Peeping Tom what’s the name of the software?

[@davidkippy101]

I learned differential equations from a book and tested out of the class. I always made sure to keep track of solving techniques and practice each technique extensively.

[@erievhs]

Can you tell me how to do that?

[@mujtabaalam5907]

Which book?

[@davidkippy101]

@@mujtabaalam5907 I don't remember. They all cover the same things so find any book and you'll be fine

[@masontdoyle]

I just finished my first proofs based class last semester. The fact that you were able to teach those concepts by yourself is awesome. Good on you!

[@Brown-Penguin]

Here's my story so far, regarding my experience with learning through a textbook. I hope I can be helpful to someone out there. I ventured on my own to teach myself chemistry (well, refine my knowledge) and committed a ton of time to read and understand the textbook. It took me 3 days to finish an entire chapter and truly understand the concepts (well I did a good 5-6 hours of actual reading during those days). I did the pomodoro technique [(45 minutes of work/ 15 minutes of break, then repeat), I would set up an alarm for this on my laptop] and looked up every single word I didn't understood, and I learned a ton within the chapter. Of course, I created flashcards and took notes on Google docs or on my notebook, which took hours to create when coming up with my own questions or write down simple facts on flashcards, but it helped me recall the material later on. It does feel like it takes me quite some time to finish only one page or a paragraph, and literally all of a sudden, I do get that connection in my brain after a while and a small little kid inside of me gets excited. The back-of-the-book questions had the answers on the odd numbered problems. When I was feeling a bit cocky and thought I knew the answer, the questions really humbled me down and made me retrace my steps. I recently began studying the chemistry textbook from page one during my break from the school semester, because I have my second part of chemistry coming up this spring semester. Although, it does feel like I get no where, but when this guy says it does take time to see the results, he really means it. Have faith and put in the time, work smart as well. I thought I wasn't going to retain anything, but my gosh, I even retained the historic stories that's in this chemistry textbook. Another thing that helped me not procrastinate was the environmental setting I was in. I forced myself to stay in the library for hours, and I listened to hour-long ambient music when I was studying. At the end of my hour, or finishing up a concept, I tend to revise what I learned and practice active recall (with the flashcards that I created) with my small whiteboard, because I could erase my answers (and not cheat by quickly looking at my notes) as many times that I wanted to and not worry about faded pencil marks on my notebook. Also, I know this is a personal thing, but changing my clothes to an appropriate style, style that includes jeans, shirt, and closed-toed shoes, made me feel like I was at school/ work and not feel lazy or sluggish, for example, when I would wear sweat pants with sandals. In addition to that, I would turn off my phone and throw it in my backpack and zip it up and forget about it. A quick reminder, don't study on an empty stomach, I would pack several water bottles and few snack like fruits and Nature Valley bars. One last thing, for trying to stay motivated, I wrote several things at the back of my notebook of why I am doing this work. When I felt like quitting and shutting the textbook and go home, I would go to the back of my notebook (or scroll to my last page of my Google docs) and read every point I jotted down. Stuff like, "your parents sacrificed their life and do daily things they don't like in order to improve the quality of your life," "don't let this chance fly by, because time will move on with or without you," and "after all this work, you will sleep peacefully knowing that you gave it your all today." There's several others, but the point is to be specific with your "why," why are you doing this for? The more clearer and honest you are to yourself, the better. This is from my personal experience, and I hope this helps someone out there.

[@benwinstanleymusic]

Thanks so much for this, this is amazing advice! I'm a 1st year Maths undergrad hoping to teach myself Electromagnetism this Summer. I'm writing all this down, hopefully it will help me :)

[@cheeney_6478]

Thank you as well, I wanted to study about certain engineering subjects by myself. So thank you.

[@yorgokennos3392]

Great video, I basically learned from the textbook last semester and it was really time consuming. One of the lessons I learned was that the answers in the back of the book can be wrong sometimes

[@emilberg7959]

Same here and it's really frustrating, seems almost too common. You don't know if you don't understand the concept or if the proof is wrong.

[@spaceCowboy924]

I’m a freshman in college studying aerospace engineering and I just started to teach myself advanced dynamics in my free time. I’m definitely going to be using a lot of these tips while I’m working through the text I got. Thank you.

[@spaceCowboy924]

Saul Payan it actually worked fairly well. The book I read was Orbital Mechanics for Engineering Students. That particular textbook is the baseline for a graduate level class at my school. It was a pretty tough read at first. When I wrote this comment I had no experience with solving differential equations and programming (2 skills that are fairly necessary in this field) and now (since I’ve taken those classes as well) that really helped a lot. Specific to this class though, I learned it’s important to really understand the math and physics before jumping into a text like this. Once I understood the differential equations everything came a lot easier with regards to understanding what the equations are trying to say.

[@erievhs]

@@spaceCowboy924 i was just about to ask how it was going too lol

[@scottgilsdorf2938]

I’m so impressed and appreciate your methods of explaining your topics! This topic is no exception. I have been watching your series on Machine learning over and over! I cannot believe how easy you made the topic! While going through the video I realized how rusty my math was. It’s been a lot of years 😬 and I know how time consuming and challenging teaching yourself something can be. I always have to remind myself of what I believe is called the “Ice berg principle”, you’ve seen the diagram, everyone else sees the results of you success but none of the doubt, struggle,time, sacrifice,etc you put into it! So long story short ( too late) , I’m getting out the old college math books and polishing up my skills! Really appreciate your effort here! 😎

[@adryanblack13]

Another good video topic i suggest is the fallacy of the idea of how people think their skillset is solely based on their degree program

[@jayc9940]

MajorPrep, You don’t know how grateful I am for your videos! I’ve only started taking learning seriously, because I hated school and barely graduated. I’m trying to get my life together now and your channel is such a inspiration for me!

[@TheMartian11]

4:20"I had to go to the unknown world of a page 2 of a google search" Dude I literally fell off my chair laughing😂 😂 😂

[@IrizarryBrandon]

Yeah, it makes you think about how search-engine usage has changed over time... I remember I'd regularly check out the >1 pages of whatever search engine I'd be using at the time. I guess Google is that good now!

[@abhinavayri8762]

This video came at the right time! I've been studying linear algebra and complex analysis through textbooks for a while now. Your insights and advice were really helpful. Great video!

[@alfredpianoman2543]

Your dedication is admirable

[@alkankondo89]

Thank you for sharing your experience! I'm glad I'm not the only one who takes hours to get through a few pages of a math textbook. It's like my brain will not ALLOW me to move on until I get what I'm currently reading. The key is perseverance, haha! This is a GREAT channel, especially because of videos like this! I'm so glad I subscribed and that you are on Patreon so I can further support!

[@rolandemiltoledo1283]

I'm planning on self-studying "How to Prove it" as well! Thank you for sharing your experience. I needed the boost knowing it can be done/ how to do it xD

[@MainWatcher1997]

Loved the video. Amazing approach with amazing insight to what the process of self-teaching is, you just opened my mind a little bit more with this. Thank you :)

[@lavdieel2369]

Zach, you are undoubtedly amazing!

[@benwinstanleymusic]

Awesome video Zach. I've been watching your videos for a while and had no idea you studied Engineering and not Maths - as a Maths undergrad your videos have helped me a lot in the past. I'm hoping to teach myself EM in the summer so this is very helpful

[@dreamybox9197]

Your videos are so inspiring!

[@wingzero3018]

This is awesome. I really connected with the things you were saying. Thanks for the good advice.

[@MrPetoria33]

Thank you for posting this. Autodidactic learning is so important, especially these days.

[@lucybenavides9209]

i love your honest advice!

[@jlpsinde]

You are amazing Zach!

[@whatelseison8970]

I once read a textbook cover to cover. It didn't take too long since I went around the outside.

[@SM-qk7jv]

Excellent video. Well done and keep up the good work. 👍

[@douglasstrother6584]

Learning by doing is fundamental. Thank you for this video to encourage learning "after graduation". Also, good to associate a face with the voice.

[@quriositysquared1028]

Thank you. That's all I can say because I don't have words to describe the impact your videos make on my life at least.

[@knights_limit]

I enjoyed this a lot; I do a lot of self-studying, and this video showed me that my experiences are relatable- we all go at our own pace. :)

[@rr.studios]

I *love* this channel!

[@emilberg7959]

This was honestly super helpful, I recently decided to study math on my own (never been good at math) and I'm planning to go throug an entire textbook the next term. Never done that before though so it was really interesting to hear your experience.

[@djt6fan]

If youre trying to self teach maths,, just watch Professor Leonard on YT. You can thank me later

[@Skatinima]

Another resource that I found useful when learning math was forums. I've found them to be very useful when you're stuck in a problem and you have people who know the topic very well explain the reasoning behind the solutions. Plus, you can interact and ask questions if you don't understand the solution.

[@tod3632]

I love this book. Fantastic reference and helped build my intuition in regards to proofs.

[@dannychenski687]

This is fucking awesome. Thank you, I needed to hear every bit of this.

[@spacetimemalleable7718]

Really liked this video. He shares EXACTLY the SAME experiences I have. Some textbooks however I found are much too advanced for me to plow through them. Here every other page takes you a hours or sometimes a days to get understand. Here I would look for a simpler textbook on the same topic, complete that easier book, then go back to the harder text and now found it more palatable.

[@ilikeycoloralot]

That is literally the same process I follow. Nice! Love this vid

[@oishiine6781]

Meta-learning, (learning how to learn, or understanding how you learn best) is an extremely valuable skill. Since my school moved online during the pandemic, I was forced to learn new study habits as there were no longer in-class discussions (lectures were never particularly useful to me; it's no different than watching a video on the subject or just reading the textbook. Discussing concepts with others is the only valuable thing about attending class imo). When you've learned how to teach yourself, new worlds of information are unlocked for you. Great video! I'm inspired delve into some new subjects on my own time :)

[@Arush-eu2xz]

This is exactly the channel i was looking for the past 4-5 years on KZbin. The KZbin is full of bs entertainment and news channels which get recommended to everyone courtesy of "The Algorithm", but really helpful, gold mine channels like yours are not promoted enough. Thanks for hardwork you put and insights you give to us.

[@zaidtamim]

amazing video. Thank you

[@b_a_fps1569]

I'm taking a gap year so I'm starting a 1200 page textbook on physics next week. As I have enough time on my hands, I think this will be a huge success. I intend to go through all of the problems as well. I have never been as excited as I am now to learn something.

[@zuhail339]

Zach you're brilliant.

[@dennisrkb]

Learn to teach yourself and you'll realize that 90% of the university experience is replaceable with self-study.

[@frankchen4229]

yep. You're just in school for a label

[@tempestandacomputer6951]

@@frankchen4229 Well more than anything, college is a "proof" that you actually learned it.

[@musashi4856]

@@tempestandacomputer6951 This may be true for organizations that deal in fraud which only need warm bodies in the seats. However, it is real world application or competency that serves as rigorous proofs to those who require real world results. E.g. SpaceX.

[@JASDKA1]

Glad I found this channel

[@toopidipoo1153]

Pfewwwwwwwwww ❤️ I thought I was the only one who read my textbooks for so long. I really felt dumb... thxxx for the tips!

[@paesanng]

I was once stuck on an A level geometric series/ calculus question for two weeks.

[@lexrogan2207]

Another quality video

[@douglasstrother6584]

Good advice for life after school, too.

[@LucasDimoveo]

Did you take notes while reading, as if you were in college? I'm doing that while self-studying and its taking FOREVER! I'm a parent about to go to community college. I've been re-learning Algebra and Trig through the Open Stax textbooks with the hopes that I can place into PreCalc. (Please don't laugh at me, I haven't been in school for a while). I completely identify with the experience of wondering how long it will take to get through the chapter. I've got to remember to slow down and not move on until I've got a subject on lock. Anyways, thanks for this video!!!

[@zachstar]

Keep up the good work man! I get lots of comments from people in the same position as you so you aren't alone.

[@adnanroshan2768]

Hats off to the efforts man....as an engineering student who was once weak in maths...let me give you some tips: 1. Use the feynman technique when you learn maths. 2. First Understand the core concept of each topic. Then practice it as much as you can. But don't dwell on one thing for too long. We use calculators a lot in calculus. 3. Constantly keep revising, never go more then more than one week without revising any newly learnt topic. anyways check this channel out called 3blue1brown. Its a really good channel. Best of Luck😊

[@richardgordon]

Lucas Dimoveo I’m kind of in the same stage you are with a course that I am teaching myself. It’s been a long while since I originally studied math and other topics necessary for my courses. So there are many holes in my basic knowledge. However I am using the technique of only using skills I really need to solve a problem. Sometime I can’t find the answer to a problem, so I will move on. Two sources I have found invaluable for math skills are Kahn Academy which is really excellent, it’s also free. The other is KZbin which has all kinds of amazing people who are brilliant teachers and can explain anything. But you have to search for them on KZbin. You will be rewarded. I also go back through the textbook. Usually the second time around I find I really understand the subtleties a whole lot better. You will also acquire the skill of knowing when you are right and when you know you don’t fully understand the problem. I have found that this process leads to true mastery of the subject. The biggest problem is that it is time consuming at first. Eventually you get quicker at picking stuff up and knowing when you are right or wrong. The last thing I will say is trust yourself. Acquiring a skill set is a very individual process. You don’t need to learn it exactly the way the text book wants you to. It’s a bit like learning how to speak your native language. Everyone does it differently. Just keep picking away at it like you acquired a sports skill. The more you practice the better you will get at it.

[@crocopie]

Luxas Dimoveo THANK YOU!!!!!!! I need it very much! Coursera and edX are becoming a little more expensive and I think this is a lifesaver! Another awesome site is mathisfun.com

[@JASDKA1]

@@adnanroshan2768 This will never be said enough. Practice again and again. Don't allow your brain to forget or boom.

[@josephrossman1600]

What you said about being stuck and staying with it I definitely resonate with. It's strange and exactly how you describe, all the sudden it just clicks.

[@chrisjfox8715]

I’ve found that, as much as I want to dig until I understand something completely, sometimes the answer is to keep staring at it but sometimes the answer is to move on momentarily. Not on account of giving up but simply 1) giving your subconscious time to think it through and 2) the answer may reveal itself in the context of later things. The key is that you have to come back to it periodically to reconsider it.

[@TepsiMorphic]

Im going through the same book and currently at chapter 4 section 4 on partial ordered sets. I've started to feel stuck when they introduced the smallest and minimal elements of a partial order. So everytime i get stuck i get back here and watch your video for motivation

[@tebogo743]

When he mentioned the precise definition of a limit, I started crying 😭 , that definition is impossible to understand without someone explaining it.I remember reading this definition more than 5 times but still did not make sense, until youtube saved me of course.

[@readjordan2257]

This video is very needed. Now I know that these situations arent unique to me. Gives me reassurance to keep self studying math.

[@thedoublehelix5661]

3:12 Just let B be the empty set. It follows that C and D also have to be the empty set meaning C = D

[@natalieeuley1734]

Just using a textbook without a lecturer can be very useful. I found it was difficult to use the textbook when a professor or teacher only used part of it, or covered some things but not others. But if I just read textbook chapters without the goal of anything involved with the class, they were very useful. I think I'm going to try studying textbooks for subjects I want to learn without any online tutorial

[@MinnesotaExpat]

I've taught myself advanced statistics from books, Google and KZbin. It helps that it had applications for my job and I also really like it.

[@zoltankurti]

You can easily prove that C is the empty set by plugging in the empty set for B. D is also the empty set. It's also easy to show that empty sets are equal.

[@mazorine]

My friend bought me those space canvases lol. OMG my same friend bought me that magnetic globe too. That's hilarious.

[@guerillachan20]

Why doesnt some smart person just take all important concepts and theory and turn it into a game. That way you can learn it like Duolingo if it works for language it will work for anything else.

[@pubudithamanathunga812]

Oh Shit Bro

[@6exG]

Because life is already a game :D just a difficult one

[@nirv2796]

Because everything is important

[@muhammad5432]

Have you ever heard of Khan Academy? It's so good for teach yourself "High School and College Preparation" topics

[@ivaniliev929]

Do more videos like this

[@peretzo]

Could i just go on record and say i’m in LOVE with this dude... i mean he’s so cute, unassuming, smart, passionate. Love him!

[@davecirlclux]

To me, this is a motivational video

[@saganmcvander636]

When you went through the first book and explained how you read through the first book, I was following you because I have experience with this. When you talked about the second book, it's clear that learning it in small portions doesn't seem to have had as good of an impact as the method you used to learn the first book. Honestly I think it was the nature of the books you were reading. You can easily breeze through books about merely memorizing words and definitions, but, you can't breeze through something with more complexity than that.

[@simonelomolino2904]

I never studied a book like this but I know the struggle in the maths Olympiad

[@AbdulrahmanMajash]

Slightly related, but with the same mentality you can teach yourself languages too! Especially the "Power of little things over time" part.

[@deltapee9259]

I did what you did with a 900 page Chemistry book. I never thought it was a “slow going day”, it was the opposite. Every page was fascinating and had too much information. I had to re-read stuff to try to take it all in. Of course chemistry is more real than abstract math ideas.

[@Jason-cr5et]

Awesome video! I just decided to do the same thing as you, but with physics. I'm disappointed that I decided to get a BS in CS instead of getting one in physics. So, I decided to teach myself my favorite subject with a videos on KZbin and textbooks. I have a question, if the textbook I'm using has a online component, do you recommend buying a buying a access code to use it? That way I'll have more physics problems to do instead of just solving the odd number problems. Just to let you know, I'm using University Physics with Modern Physics, 14 Edition and I'm thinking about buying a access code for Mastering Physics. Yeah, I know exactly how much these websites suck because I had to use them before in my math and sciences courses in College, but I think it won't be a problem.

[@christophersimms9128]

Freaky, I'm just about to go work through this exact book.

[@zachstar]

Nice! I thought it was a really good one.

[@rafaelaassuncao9729]

When participating in the 1st phase of the physics national olimpiad of my country I did a intire textbook of 400 pages in just a week and then I got everything right! All 20 questions! And then for the 2nd phase I finished another more complicated textbook (the 2nd volume of the first one). That took me a month and I passed to the 3rd phase! For the final test I just reviwed all the content from those 2 textbooks I used and I'm waiting the result. It goes out at 1/29 and I went really well on the test I hope I can get a medal! So studying alone can give really good learning! I did all of this just making some questions for my teacher, I wasn't all alone, but still have worked really well.

[@JaspreetSingh-zp2nm]

My interests are algebra, analysis, number theory & combinatorics, hope I understand and deal with problems like experts do

[@carbon273]

Now what about going back into the book a SECOND TIME so it can really be ingrained in your understanding.😈

[@nathandaniel5451]

As someone who self-teaches at a really intense pace. I learned that if you are applying this but is spending closer to 10 hours a day you have to have certain measures to beat the forgetting curve. For example. Compare me doing a chapter a day (Solving all problems) to me starting a new chapter (doing 50% of the problems), doing ~25% of yesterday's chapter and doing ~25% of the chapter before every day. So essentially I'm doing the same workload but each chapter is spread over 3 days. I finished freshman year physics in about a month. So essentially this is what I've been doing with physics. I have a rigid goal every day on how much physics I do and if I still have time left after meeting it I'll spend the rest of the day doing math. If I'm too behind in math to start the next physics textbook I'll do straight math.

[@marinawalls7738]

Thanks for the tip!

[@rkpetry]

*_...work the unanswered questions too-check your competence, perceive when, why, how, where, the answer is correct, without 'teacher' watching, see beyond the textbook subject, what 'teacher' isn't-watching-you-for: real learning isn't about passing tests, tests are first statistics toward productivity, tests change when mistakes become systematic, tests test teacher efficacy too-it's all about achieving the spec., the student is always the teacher..._*

[@rkpetry]

*_...a trivial example: pins to be inserted in a circuit board-shaft diameter had been tested to tolerance, collar diameter tested to tolerance, til a batch pushed through the holes because the manufacturer didn't know what a pin, was; they'd tested it... so, do you know what an education is, what a man is, (sounds religious and it is)..._*

[@drewlop]

Oh! I took this course with this very professor, Daniel Velleman. I really struggled with the lectures and barely passed, in spite of having taught myself the first two chapters over winter break before the semester started. He was out for a few lectures late in the semester and another prof came in to teach. Suddenly, this late-semester content was clicking for me, and I realized that 1) Prof Velleman's teaching style just did _not_ work for me (too abstract, not many concrete examples with actual numbers--others in the class seemed to love this, though); 2) there was nothing wrong with me or my brain, I just needed more examples (and more tenacity, and more consistency in my work schedule). At one point during office hours, Prof Velleman asked whether I understood such-and-such concept. I said yes, and he said a lot of times people _think_ they understand a concept, but actually they don't, then asked me to explain it, and I discovered that my understanding was in fact quite shallow. We went over the concept repeatedly (this must've been mind-numbingly boring for him, but he was patient with me), and eventually I got it, just through this brute force repetition that I would _never_ have imagined to be fruitful. Sometimes repetitive effort that feels like it's getting you nowhere is at the very least telling your brain "HEY! We're not giving up on this, so sprout some dendrites, pal." Anyway, from early childhood I've had this very deep-seated belief that I can learn anything if I try hard enough, so I picked up a copy of this book after graduating and vowed to work through it one day. It's really cool that it happens to be your test case for learning how to learn from a textbook, and I'm feeling inspired to give it another go, so thanks!

[@bwayagnes2452]

Yo I'm on the exact same boat as you. I'm starting to self study about proofs and mathematical logic now, because I checked the syllabus of the math majors last year in the uni I'm going to, and there doesnt seem to be a proofs course (they had Foundational Topics in Mathematics, but I fear proofs might be not the main focus of that) and I fear I might be behind the international standard (I plan to leave the Philippines after uni) I guess I underestimated how long it will take me to grasp anything, so thanks for this video. I'm definitely going to try the at least 30 minutes a day thing. I have until September anyways.

[@davidwilkie9551]

The self-discipline teaching-learning techniques are the business.

[@joeldoxtator9804]

I am teaching myself the entire american highschool math system at university level courses as I completely wrote it off when I was young. The biggest problem I have found is making assumptions is dangerous. You must fully internalize what the text is saying and then be able to replicate it in principle on example problems. Also that it is not enough to know how to do something, but why to do it. If you don't know why you would need to use a method you will never be able to figure out to use it when the situation arrives. This is why word problems are so important.

[@alexandersanchez9138]

I’ve done this with dozens of math textbooks. At times, a single problem or proof would take me days or weeks. I never skipped anything, but I’m not sure that it’s worth it to approach it the way I did. On the one hand, I know the material I’ve learned better than the *vast* majority of my peers, but I also feel as though it’s probably also useful to know a greater breadth of topics; I definitely could have learned more things (to a perhaps negligibly lesser degree) by adopting an “engineering mindset,” if you will.

[@alexandersanchez9138]

“Dozens” is an exaggeration. The actual number is closer to 10-15. It *feels* like dozens, though.

[@joaocustodio8279]

Physics vs Phisical engenniering plz

[@seb_thoms]

"If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough." - Albert Einstein (probably)

[@fightwithbiomechanix663]

Can you do a video on learning to code. I have been doing a data science certification. I'm okay now but I remembered how much I struggled as an undergrad.

[@musashi4856]

@ZachStar - 60 hours to mastery extremely impressive.

[@adryanblack13]

what do you do when you have too many ebooks to read, specifically textboooks regarding stem related subjects for practice ?

[@adryanblack13]

Very awesome video. I want to teach myself modern physics, mathematical methods and optics by the way. Will you do a video on optical and photonics engineering please ?

[@zirrnorseman8068]

I second this!

[@destinyovbiebo8988]

What u just mentioned are my favorite subjects and topics!

[@somecreeep]

Oh hey this is the book my proofs class is using right now.

[@puffthecatpuff8931]

The sky is a limit.

[@philliptorres2397]

Hey guys. I am 23 years old who is taking a break from college because I was thinking what I wanted to do, I now know that I want to be a Mechanical engineer with minor for physics but I am weak at math. I still want to pursue college but my parents make me feel like it's too late to do college and just get a full time job. Truth is I just got a full time job but i don't want to settle for this job and still want to pursue a career for Mechanical engineering. Now I am trying to self teach myself basic calculus and basic physics and etc. But my mind is a mess cuz if I want to pursue college I will have to quit my job if I go full time and the other battle I have is my family telling me I'm done with college because I'm too old for it now. I'm just venting here thanks

[@Brown-Penguin]

In simplicity, just do it. At end of the day, you only know of this current lifetime, so do what YOU have to do to get to the place you want o be in. If it means sacrificing stuff, so be it. Inevitably, you'll be satisfied at your attempt, because you at least tried. There's no better time than now. Go live the life you vision and remind yourself why you started as well. Age is simply a number, but your consciousness will stick with you until you die or suffer from memory loss.

[@marcosmorales4107]

Never too old. Don't listen to your family or people telling you it can't be done. Just do it. Right now I'm working full-time and going to college for aerospace engineering. I have to skip the lectures and teach myself since most classes are taught during work hours. One thing that helps though is that my university has recording cameras in most classrooms, and I can look at the lectures after work. I'm not going to college full-time to have work-college-life balance but it's getting done. Before this I was active-duty Air Force and went to college full-time for engineering physics. It can be done my friend, it just takes time management and discipline. Go for it! BTW, I'm 36, married, and have a kid.

[@philliptorres2397]

@@marcosmorales4107 so update im 26, and im studying to be electrical engineer, during 2020 i decided to teach my self everything brought tons of text books and now i am finishing my bachlors degree and will pursue my masters degree since i became a full time electrician and the union pays for my cont. education. this is good news.

[@marcosmorales4107]

@@philliptorres2397 That's great! Glad you decided to do it!

[@harvardstud660]

Wow im surprised at how we in Morocco tackle this kind of math logic in our very very first chapter in the 11th grade, you must've gone through implications and equivalences too! To give you a picture of what im saying; the sets problem you said gave you a hard time is one of the first easy practice exercises in our textbook.

[@everlastingideas8625]

Hello, fellow Morroccan, actually our high school math program is very good (at least for spe Math). I hope they don't downgrade it in the next few years!

[@harvardstud660]

Hey :) It is good indeed. The problem with it is that it is not taught in a way that allows every student to feel what math is about, so although many will excel when it comes to applications, only a few can go down the route of research and invention and succeed in it. I am very grateful for it nonetheless.

[@everlastingideas8625]

@@harvardstud660 :) I had no problem with it when I was in high school since I always got good grades in it. But I ve experienced what you talk about when I tutored : some students needs their interest sparked with applications for them to willingly put the effort and pay attention. Although, I m against an application oriented program since it can kill the essence of mathematics in itself, like in France (I had students pull their calculators for basic analysis questions ).

[@harvardstud660]

I am still in 12th grade and even though I go to what is said to be the most rigorous school in my city, it is still all oriented towards answering questions in the national exam not grasping concepts for you to feel them and for them to stay in your mind. But again if you go through it the right way you will find yourself A LOT more advanced than high schoolers elsewhere so it's awesome.

[@everlastingideas8625]

@@harvardstud660 I already have my engineering degree and now doing masters . I always tried to grasp the concepts and it turned out fine for me as one of my teachers used to say: " If you study math with the will to understand, you will make it ". I still think students need to pursue core comprehension of the concepts no matter the teaching , you will be able to tackle more exercises/problems that way too. Good luck in your Back exams ! (Are you in Mly Youssef ? If the question is intrusive just don't mind).

[@heinzguderian9980]

Thomas Paine wrote that schooling is only the beginning to an education - implying that one must continue to learn on their own. Besides, passing college courses without attending is usually not that hard, as long as that class doesn't have some ridiculous and puerile attendance policy. I would usually skip all classes and then start learning the material 2-3 days previous to an exam. Getting above a 90 when the class average was around 70 happened often. Of course, this isn't always possible - if the professor doesn't publish lecture materials online and the textbook doesn't cover everything, then this is not an option. I wish colleges would exempt students from taking many more of their classes rather than just the basic ones. But this would mean many more students graduating early, and therefore much less money for the college. And there are certainly courses in which participation is a necessary part of the course. For example, requiring attendance for any music ensemble makes complete sense. But requiring attendance in knowledge-based courses is simply trying to ensure that everyone does the same amount of work. I thought a class grade was supposed to represent your mastery of the material and not to show if you did all the busy work.

[@AmazingStoryDewd]

Self taught is pretty much how I learned anything. I found lectures to be mostly pointless for me personally. However when it came to doing actual research a mentor was helpful.

[@linlinc2852]

Great video. But I have a question: is it possible to get a decent evaluation from 12'th grade physics exam if I learn all by myself? Now I'am in 11 grade. I had a professional teacher from 5 all the way to 11 grade, but he left the school and now I'am left to study all by myself practically . What do you think, should I even try?

[@markgrindol859]

Did you use the Proof Designer java applet the book "How to Prove it" mentions and has an appendix section on? If so was it helpful and worth learning?

[@captainintegral1547]

Haha I have this book. It was fun to read.

[@aljenembtry7781]

I've got most of my lab equipment now

[@Beckmann1945]

"Can I move on?" "Is it a maths course?" "Yes." "Than: No!" Seriously for the first semesters of mathematics I found it to be extremely dangerous to move on, if you don't know which subsequent problems you might need a concept for. That kind of intuition took me rather long to build up.

[@berserker8884]

Agreed. The fundementals are really something you have to understand more deeply than possibly in any other subject. You have to wrestle with it and develop as a thinker so that you will survive higher level subjects.

[@renatobonito1521]

True

[@fitrianhidayat]

True that.. You know you're f*cked when the professor in a seemingly unrelated course said you already studied it in a previous semester and you don't know shit..

[@namondatane1690]

Cool haircut