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Best way to teach myself math from the ground up?
#1
Hi all Smile

I'm a few successful CLEPs into my journey and while I love the social sciences and history, math is...shall we say, not my strong suit. I'm eager to learn, though! Although my goal is to just be able to pass one of the math CLEPs (any one - just need 3 math credits) - I really do want to *learn* the material and master math for its own sake. I'm basically looking to teach myself from the ground up here, and I'm not sure where to start. Does anyone know of a solid resource to start with the basics (ahem, basic beginners algebra or similar skill level) that explains things in a clear way and progresses up through more difficult material? The less money involved the better, but I'm definitely willing to spend a small amount to master this if necessary. Thank you in advance for any suggestions Smile
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#2
Search out older edition textbooks and use the following website to work through problems.

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my fav website for math InterActMath.com

This is the tutorial website for math textbooks for two publishers that partner with mathlab. It offers access to most math subjects. As you work through each chapter you are presented with interactive problems. It's actually a fun way to learn.

At the drop box scroll to
Angel: A Survey of Mathematics with Applications (Liberal Arts Mathematics)
Lial: Beginning & Intermediate Algebra; then move to College Algebra

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Some other online references -

video:
Resource: Algebra: In Simplest Terms

Another wonderful resource:
Purplemath

Tables (formulas): Math.com Formulas & Tables
Solving Problems: Math.com Homework Help Algebra
Calculators: Math.com Calculators and Tools

Help calculating problems:
https:///mathway.com/



Edit to add: I agree with the others that Aleks is a wonderful learning tool as well. I used Aleks to earn 18cr at TESC (at that time beg alg & bus stats were approved for credit). But I'm not sure if the OP is attending one of the big 3, it sounds as if s/he may be attending a B&M. If that's the case, Aleks is a wonderful tool, the interactive website is similar but more fundamental. It has more steps in learning the problems as well as better explanations. I actually love math. While I used Aleks for easily accessible credit, when I really want to get into the meat of a problem I grab my text to read up and then go to the interactmath site to practice.

"Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan." -Tom Landry

TESC:
AAS, Admin Studies. 2010
BA, Social Sciences. 2010. Arnold Fletcher Award.
AAS, Environmental, Safety & Security Technologies. 2011
BSBA, General Management. 2011. Arnold Fletcher Award. Sigma Beta Delta (ΣΒΔWink!
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#3
I don't know where you are currently enrolled, but my vote goes to ALEKS, that is if your school accepts the credit. It really saved my life. Before taking the course in College Algebra, I honestly thought that I was beyond help when it came to math. Thank god I found this forum and learned about ALEKS. It is self-paced, so you can go as fast or slow as you want. It can be frustrating for some students if you don't pass the initial assessment, fair warning. Do some searches on this forum and read other people's experiences with it.

ALEKS -- Assessment and Learning, K-12, Higher Education, Automated Tutor, Math
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#4
I will second the Aleks recommendation. I just finished Calculus I after testing at the elementary Algebra level about 18 months ago. Most of my learning happened through Aleks.
TESC 2015 - BSBA, Computer Information Systems

TESC 2019 - 21 Post-bachelor accounting credits
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#5
Khan academy is a good free one, although I think some people don't like it. I used Thinkwell to study for the Calculus CLEP, but they are a little on the expensive side.
Cleps Passed:

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#6
I hadn't done any math for about 20 years, so I was pretty rusty on everything. I bought a fresh notebook, sat down and started working my way back through the basics...and I mean really basic, division, multiplication, order of operations etc... I did this every night for a few weeks to get my brain going again.

I mainly used the mathisfun website here: Curriculum
Don't be afraid to go as far back as you need, you may have missed something important in the early years.

Then onto Aleks and completed from beginner to college algebra, trig and statistics in less than a month. $20
Aleks: Beginning, Intermediate, College Algebra, Trigonometry, Intro to Statistics
Straighterline: Cultural Anthropology, Religion, Biology, Environmental Science, Philosophy, Eng Comp I, C++.
Working on - Eng Comp II, Intro Comm
Sophia Intro to Psych
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#7
There are gazillions of free curriculum sites, too many in fact. So, I have no idea where your "ground" level is, so I'm going to give you what I have and maybe some of it will help. I would suggest starting a level earlier than you think you are and doing some good review. You might be surprised at how a few gaps in early understanding of math probably contributed to a bigger problem later. For instance, I was helping my son with fractions one day, I was probably 30 years old, and it hit me like a ton of bricks- wait, fractions and percents and decimals all mean the same thing!?! CRAP!?! LOL Then it took me about 10 minutes to learn what I tried to learn for several grades in school as a kid. Who knew? banghead

All of these are free.

Basic arithmetic facts (add/subtract/multiply/divide) in an online quick flashcard format. https://xtramath.org/

Basic arithmetic printables & online problems (up to fractions/percents/decimals/very basic algebra and geometry concepts). Free Printable Math Worksheets

Basic arithmetic through calculus in an online video/demo format. Includes online problems. https://www.khanacademy.org/

Saylor grade 6 through calculus (answer keys NOT provided but excellent instruction otherwise) Math « Saylor Academy

PurpleMath - a mix of grade 6 through calculus including an online calculator for complex equations Purplemath

Saxon Math- pencil/paper books and teacher texts (this is the math we use in our homeschool) Grades K-calculus Saxon Math Homeschool

Education Portal- college math and up . Videos and online quizzes. Math 102: College Mathematics Course - Online Video Lessons | Education Portal

Slow and steady wins the race. Smile
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#8
For Education Portal, you have to sign up for a free trial and cancel before they start charging. I like The Great Courses for algebra, but those are expensive. Many people download them from torrent websites, but that is illegal.
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#9
The basic package with Education-Portal varies from $49 - $99. I'll be examining all the resources here as I progress.
Don't forget that gaining college credit by taking exams is one of the reason's we're here. That's mainly possible through the flashcards made available by the owner of this forum : InstantCert Plus of course your hard work in learning and reviewing
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#10
Tedium Wrote:I don't know where you are currently enrolled, but my vote goes to ALEKS, that is if your school accepts the credit. It really saved my life. Before taking the course in College Algebra, I honestly thought that I was beyond help when it came to math. Thank god I found this forum and learned about ALEKS. It is self-paced, so you can go as fast or slow as you want. It can be frustrating for some students if you don't pass the initial assessment, fair warning. Do some searches on this forum and read other people's experiences with it.

ALEKS -- Assessment and Learning, K-12, Higher Education, Automated Tutor, Math

From reading what everyone is saying, I guess I'm going to have to take an ALEKS math course as well. All I need is a very basis math course; how exactly do you earn credits?
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