Q&A for How to Understand Math

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How do I get help for math?

Daron Cam
Academic Tutor
Daron Cam is an Academic Tutor and the Founder of Bay Area Tutors, Inc., a San Francisco Bay Area-based tutoring service that provides tutoring in mathematics, science, and overall academic confidence building. Daron has over eight years of teaching math in classrooms and over nine years of one-on-one tutoring experience. He teaches all levels of math including calculus, pre-algebra, algebra I, geometry, and SAT/ACT math prep. Daron holds a BA from the University of California, Berkeley and a math teaching credential from St. Mary's College.

Daron Cam

Academic Tutor

Expert Answer

Don't be afraid to ask your teacher questions. You can also ask your peers for help or organize a study group together. If you're still having trouble, consider getting a private tutor. A tutor can answer any questions you have and will work with you to build a solid foundation in math.

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Question

How can I get better at the basics?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Ask someone to tutor you in the basics and do practice problems on your own.

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Question

How do I study math when I have an exam in two days?

Community Answer

Read all of the rules and go over your notes. Then do questions from each concept to check that you understand how to do each type of problem.

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How do I find time to study without letting my other grades drop or burning out from stress?

Community Answer

Spend only a little bit each day rather than a large amount at once. Often it's good to do frequent short bursts of 15 minutes for each of your subjects, maths included! A tutor might also help you by both teaching you the material and providing tips on efficient studying.

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What if I have no motivation for math, but I don't want it to lower my grades?

Community Answer

Decide what your priorities are. If good grades are important to you, you will have to buckle down and do the work.

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What should I do if I don't understand?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Ask for help from your teacher, another student, a friend or relative, or a tutor.

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What can I do if I'm not good in basic math?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Hire a tutor, even if it's just another student who understands the subject.

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Question

Is there a way of visualising negative numbers? For example, would the looking glass in Alice Through the Looking Glass be a good to understand the idea of negativity in maths?

Donagan

Top Answerer

The best way is to use the number line. It's a straight line with zero at the "center." Positive numbers lie to the right of zero, negative numbers to the left. In the Alice analogy, the looking glass would be at the zero point, and the positive and negative numbers would be the mirror image of each other.

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What if I keep on practising maths and don't understand?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Ask for help from someone who does understand (perhaps a tutor).

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Question

How to solve maths in algebra, for example: a2 + b2 = c but what is the meaning?

Donagan

Top Answerer

As you've written it, that equation is not solvable, nor does it have a meaning. Perhaps you're referring to the Pythagorean Theorem, a² + b² = c². That's the relationship between the lengths of the three sides of a right triangle, where c is the hypotenuse.

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Question

how should I study one day before a maths exam?

Community Answer

Review all the areas you think will be on the test. Work some sample problems, and be sure you understand the processes involved. If not, ask for help from someone who does.

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Question

It's not working for me, and I don't know how.

Community Answer

Ask for help from your teacher, a classmate, a friend, a family member or a tutor. Lots of people struggle with math. It's quite common for someone to ask others for help.

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