the tree

I'm noticing a lot of new users starting their own introduction threads - could we make this one more obvious somehow?

Welcome to SFN. Hopefully you'll have a good time here. Don't hesitate to start asking and answering questions.

Learn Direct maybe?

 

A lot of the time - you need to work through a lot of examples so that you get an understanding of why a method such as long multiplication is used.

Yeah, Wikipedia isn't the best place to study maths at a basic level, it's maths articles are very good but often pretty advanced. Honestly I'd just go for a regular GCSE textbook, (do you have a maths GCSE already?) numeracy helps with algebra and algebra helps with numeracy.

 

As far as practising addition and multiplication - it genuinely does help to write out tables for them. Try to time yourself, see how quickly you can write out a multiplication and addition table for numbers 1-12.

according to the 'plugin finder service' unfortunately no such suitable plugin can be found.

Really? I can't imagine it needing more than Java, Flash and PDF handling. What browser are you using?

and the other link you've posted, thanks but I'm not going to waste my money on books since there are free lessons available on the internet.

Books aren't necessarily a waste of money, it's been shown that people retain information better from printed material than from a screen. You can always sell them on when you're done with them as well although I wouldn't expect that much return from old GCP books to be honest.

 

Especially as exam season looms (it seems to start looming from straight after Christmas nowadays) there will be deals on revision guides at major bookshops. Although if there is a good second hand bookshop near you then check that out first.

 

Remember that any money spent on (good) education is an investment.

Do you know any web sites that provides and offers free GCSE math lessons?

Firstly, I apologise for not realising how much MathsNet charges for now. I remembered nearly all of the useful content being free, evidently times have changed.

 

Bitesize is obviously a good place for basics and it should have plenty of exercises.

 

Maths Revision.net is comprehensive and about as good a point of reference as any.

 

Unfortunately Wikibooks haven't got a GCSE Maths project yet.

 

In terms of lessons, per se I don't think that's such a good idea. It's up to you to decide how to structure your time out of school hours and what order you want to study in. You might want to spend 40 minutes on past papers for every 20 minutes resting and some website telling you otherwise isn't helpful at all.

 

I'll emphasise again that past papers really are the best approach to maths exams.

 

Also, if you have any specific questions at all, scienceforums.net (you're already here, you don't need to click that) is here to help.

So GCSE maths then? My high school teachers always seemed to like telling us to use MathsNet, although really what helps the most in terms of revision really is doing past exam papers.

 

Everyone loves the CGP series of revision guides, you don't have to use them for revision either, they are perfectly good for learning from. Make sure you get the workbooks (or other books with questions in) as well though; very important piece of advice that the head of maths at my old school gave: "to get better at maths you have to do maths, you can't get fit by watching other people exercise"

Can't say I understand what a factorial of a non-natural number would mean.

I always understood that the definition was the amount of ways to order n objects and any formula was merely a way of calculating that. And ways to order 2.5 distinct objects doesn't make much sense to me.

 

Although I guess I could have it very backwards.

But what is a "kilogram-meter[-per-second]"?

It's the might amount of momentum to move a kilogram one meter in a second. I think.

Hi Elessarina,

This is kind of the point of the Introduce Yourself thread, but whatever. (moderator we needs this threads merging plz)

It's be nice if you could tell us a little more, like what level of science you've studied. Welcome to SFN, you'll have plenty of fun here.

I know there is an "Hello" thread but this is my first post so thought it polite to introduce myself.

 

I'm a fan of all science but I especially love physics and evolutionary biology.

Why don't we have a misc subject area

We have General Science and General Discussion Areas.

No, she likes Missus, but not Mrs

Howso? Obviously she wouldn't like Mrs on it's own, but she'd like Mrs Tilly wouldn't she?

Mrs Tilly likes Unitarian Universalists, but hates Catholics.

I don't think so.

 

Mrs Tilly likes Mrs Tilly, but hates herself.

I'm extremely critical of anything that puts "science" after it's name in order to assure you that it is in fact a science.

 

Are the staff going to give us an opinion on there being a logic forum?

Then I could point out that verbs appearing as part of a convoluted noun phrase, don't count as verbs in the construct of the whole sentence.

 

I am still in support of a logic forum.

The expected arrival of the 300 millionth American (?) this month -- as though it is a celebratory event ignoring the world resource depletion & environmental 'foot print ' it & further growth will make .

Minding the convoluted noun, that sentance had no verb. As a result, no sense was made.

I'd only be in favour of an economics forum if it were kept as scientific as possible, which would involve keeping the money portion of economics to a minimum, because money just encourages politics.

They look a little too hardcore for my brain, plus command line drives me insane.

As far as software for graphs goes, I'm trying to keep up a list here: http://www.freewebs.com/mytestingzone/Reviews/graphmath.xml

What about a sub-forum for Logic in the Mathematics section?

That would be all kinds of awesome.

If you dropped something from the top of a building and yelled "Look out!" at the same time then even assuming the object had no air resistance, for the object to catch up with the sound of your screem the building would have to be more than 22224.4898 meters high.

No, for exactly the same reason that you can't have a ladder with three legs.