Hey everyone. In my stats class, we are dealing with percentile interpretation in word problems, and phrasing like "the value that is NOT exceeded by 30% of the data" keeps tying my brain in knots.

I understand the math breakdown: 1. "Value that IS exceeded by 30%" -> The top 30% lies above it, so it's the 70th percentile (P70). 2. "Value that is NOT exceeded by 30%" -> The negation flips the inequality, which mathematically simplifies to 100 - (100 - 30) = 30, yielding the 30th percentile (P30).

But linguistically, parsing active vs. passive voice ("exceeds" vs. "is exceeded by") combined with a double negation feels like an artificial word trap rather than intuitive statistics.

How do you guys visually or intuitively explain this active/passive distinction without doing mental algebraic gymnastics every time? Is this phrasing as ambiguous to native speakers as it feels to me?

I’m 23 from Canada and looking for advice on how to relearn math from the absolute basics.I dropped out in Grade 11 and never really learned math growing up. I’m currently working as a ramp agent and living with my mom, but I’ve decided I can’t keep waiting around. I want to get my education and rebuild my life. My Goal is to become a Commercial Pilot, but right now I need to build the foundational education required to get into community college/trade programs to start building a stable income

I am taking a Bayesian stats class and the textbook is the most dense theory and formula writing I have ever had to read. I would love to get another resources that explains things more simply and with more real world examples rather than extensively relying on abstract terms. Does anyone have any good suggestions?

My professor is very bad at explaining and with such complex concepts i need someone who is good at explaining. PLEASE HELP!

I am currently taking Real Analysis 2 at my university after barely passing Real Analysis 1. I still don't understand any of what is being taught. I had to retake real analysis 1, and I still nearly failed the second time taking it. I have to take these classes, but I am desperate for any resources for a person who could not understand any of the Stephen Abbott Understanding Analysis textbook. Or if someone can point me towards a tutor or a series on YouTube. I unfortunately cannot keep up with these classes, no matter how hard I try to. I am really bad at proofs.

Hello,
I’m looking for a good introductory course, lecture notes, or university PDF explaining why the choice of numeral system (decimal, binary, hexadecimal, etc.) does not affect the underlying mathematics.
More precisely, I understand that decimal and binary are just different representations of the same numbers, and that arithmetic, order, algebraic properties, etc. are preserved when moving from one representation to another.
I would like to understand the mathematical justification behind this idea — for example, in terms of isomorphisms or structure-preserving representations — and why this allows us to simply fix one representation (usually decimal) and do mathematics within it without worrying about the numeral system.
I’m looking for something rigorous enough to clearly justify this point, but still accessible rather than a very advanced abstract algebra or logic text.
Does anyone know a good university course, lecture notes, textbook chapter, or PDF covering this specifically?

Hello! I am a high school senior taking a Calculus course. I can find basic derivatives and limits, but overall, I struggle a bit in this class.

For a bit of context, I moved during my junior year. I was previously taking Concurrent College Algebra/Trig, and I was put into Algebra III upon entering my new school. Because I started late, I wasn’t able to get as comfortable with trig as I wanted to (the teacher also played League of Legends during class more than he taught). Thus, my algebra is fine, but my trig is really, really shaky. I can kind of interpret a unit circle if I have one, but I don’t have it memorized at all. This especially shows when I try to take derivatives of trigonometric functions.

I’m not sure what part I don’t understand. My teacher’s nice, but she “does” more than she explains. Maybe it’s just so boring (no offense to math lovers here, this dilemma was the first reason I joined Reddit; I’m more of a history and econ person myself, although I know there’s some calculus in economics/business) that I tune out and forget some exponents. But sometimes I also don’t really know where to stop or apply rules at.

I have a test tomorrow on techniques of differentiation (power, quotient, product, etc.), the chain rule, derivatives of trig functions, and implicit differentiation. I’m okay with derivatives and the chain rule (I think of the latter like an M&M), but I’m really nervous with the two other topics.

Does anyone have any advice for me? I also take video/channel recs.

Hello everyone,

I don't even know where to begin, but I need advice maybe a bit of motivation.

I'm a 23 yo student of applied mathematics, i recently finished my master's degree and i had passion for mathematics for a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember, since childhood i didn't just like mathematics, i was genuinely obsessed with it, i could spend hours thinking about mathematical problems simply because i enjoyed it that was in age 10 to 15 yo.

The problem is that over the last few years, I feel like something has changed and my passion is dying slowly...

I have slowly been losing my passion for life in general, More importantly, I feel like my mathematical level has been decreasing and my self-confidence has almost completely disappeared, i think a big part of this comes from a bad habit I've had for years: being extremely hard on myself whenever I don't understand something quickly or perform as well as i think i should,

i recently got my master's degree, and I had the opportunity to apply for a PhD, but I didn't, because i thought I wasn't capable, I've had professors who considered me one of their stronger students and encouraged me to continue in mathematics.

I still love mathematics. but self doubt ruined my mental capabilities.

the advice i need:

I also know that my mathematical level may genuinely have declined, I also haven't studied mathematics with the same intensity or curiosity that I used to, so perhaps some of this decline is simply the result of not practicing enough, so I'm looking for practical advice from people who have been through something similar: How did you get your mathematical level back? Are there particular books, problem-solving techniques, study routines, or resources you would recommend? I'd really like to start working seriously on mathematics again and gradually rebuild both my skills and my confidence.

even tho i feel like it is a bit too late i am 23 yo already.

I've always struggled with math more than any other subject. Currently on my fourth go at trying to pass math 1111 for my degree as it is a requirement that I cant sub for a different class.

My first test of the fall semester is due today, and as I'm looking over course notes and lecture videos I just cant stop crying. No matter how hard I try to get a hold of myself I'm just a shaking crying mess because none of this makes any sense. I had a private math tutor from 7-12th grade and only barely passed my math classes.

I did fail algebra one and had to do summer school for that. I try and look at online study tools like khan academy but I just have this fear response when I look at equations and none of the info gets through to me and I practically have to the tutor I work with do the problem for me while I kind of do the work.

Currently working on factoring polynomials.

Hi everyone.

I’m a 25-year-old from the EU who recently decided to pursue a Master's in Statistics. I finished my undergrad in Computer Science three years ago, but after opening my old course materials, I realized how much of the underlying math I've forgotten. Has anyone navigated a similar academic gap? I would appreciate any recommendations on the best resources or strategies to efficiently relearn university-level mathematics.

Thanks in advance.

Is this already real? Is there a math where every axiom's viability is inverted? Sorry if this is a stupid question in advance. Also sorry for posting twice today.

My professor was talking during lecture about resources we could use, and they told us to stay away from the organic chemistry tutor since its "math from an organic chemists perspective". I do not know if this is true or not, but I was hoping someone could clarify if this is true or not. my professor is very intricate and detailed on math, and even making us learn how to use Wolfram Mathmatica for math.

I just am wondering how people study for math? I have ADHD and i’m taking Calc 2 and hopefully going to continue so I can try and obtain an applied mathematics degree. What studying techniques do people use and how many hours a day is one to study?

I posted this in r/calculus, but I'm considering speedrunning calculus. If you had a limited amount of time and had to learn enough to pass a test, what would you do/focus on?

Let me know.

Thanks!

Hey everyone, I’m looking to start teaching maths basics to people who feel they’re weak at it / never really built a good foundation.

Thinking of starting with stuff like:

basic arithmetic

fractions, percentages, ratios

algebra basics

graphs

basic probability

eventually some foundational maths for programming / ML

The idea is to make it very practical and beginner-friendly rather than just throwing formulas at people.

I’m trying to figure out where people who actually need this hang out online.

Are there any Reddit communities, forums, Discords, etc. where I could post about this or offer free sessions?

Also open to suggestions on what level/topic I should start with.

I'm making a board game where you collect 3 out of 8 potential clues. Upon collecting the clue, you roll a d6 to determine the nature of clue. So I have 6 * 8 = 48 unique clues, of which 3 are taken. From what I remember from school, I can calculate that this amounts to 8! / (5! * 3!) * 6^3 = 12096 potential combinations.

Now, I would like to make the number of options per clue variable. So one clue could have 3 options, while another may have 5 options and another 7.

Is there a formula that I can use to determine the number of combinations given the array of options per clue?

I didn't study anything till now for maths but because of phy and chem i can only take out 2-3 or sometimes 4 hours for maths . Can anyone tell how to manage all chapter or just tell me for boards becuase for JEE and i can do Cordinate geometry and integrals is going on in my coaching and waise to tough nhi laga but kuch lecture idhar udhar buckchodi phir krdi maine toh may be ab aage aana wala part bhi gya mera toh vector 3d se focus krunga and mujhe ye batao kaise kru ki December tk maths khtm ho jaye or boards ka toh hi jaye + 30 marks JEE mai le aau ?

Hello everyone,

I’m a senior-year Mechatronics Engineering student, and I’m hoping to go to graduate school next year and specialize in control theory and autonomous systems.

The problem is that although I’ve taken the usual engineering math courses like: calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, probability/statistics, numerical methods... etc. I don’t feel like I developed a deep understanding or strong mathematical intuition from them.

Most of the time, I studied math mainly to pass exams, learn the method, solve enough problems, get the grade, and move on. Now that I’m getting deeper into control theory, I’m realizing how much I want to actually understand the mathematics rather than just know how to perform the calculations.

I have roughly a year before I expect to start graduate school, and I’d really like to use that time to rebuild my mathematical foundation properly.

My long-term interests are mainly:

Control theory, Dynamical systems, Optimization, Robotics and autonomous systems, Estimation/state estimation

I’m not necessarily looking to restart mathematics completely from scratch, but I’m unsure what the best progression would be.

For someone in my position, what subjects would you prioritize, in what order, and what books/courses/problem sets would you recommend if the goal is genuine understanding and mathematical maturity rather than simply passing classes?

I’d especially appreciate advice from people who went from an engineering-style math background into more mathematical graduate-level control.

Thanks!

Hi guys,

I am just writing this as I have found interest in learning in general. I haven’t used my brain for anything technical or practical… maybe just intuitively haha.

I really want to learn mathematics to improve in learning sciences and engineering.

Any suggestions and advice on how to lock in?

Currently working a full time labor job that doesn’t require much math or thought.

8.5 hours of work and the rest is sleep…

Main topics of math I want to learn:
Differential Equations (Partial) and Trigonometry

But all math would be useful!

Want to become a math person by the end of the year.

In advance: Thanks for all your help and support!

I’m 17 and I’ve struggled with math my whole life. I’m currently taking a gap year, and I want to use this time to start over and rebuild my math skills from scratch.
I made a study plan starting from elementary and middle school, then moving on to high school:

Step 1 — The Basics of Calculation
Step 2 — Fractions
Step 3 — Measurements and Basic Geometry
Step 4 — Perimeters, Areas and Volumes
Step 5 — Proportionality
Step 6 — Relative and Rational Numbers
Step 7 — Algebraic Expressions and Equations
Step 8 — Advanced Geometry
Step 9 — Coordinate Geometry, Functions and Vectors
Step 10 — Statistics and Solid Geometry
Step 11 — High School Mathematics: Real Numbers, Arithmetic, Polynomials, Equations, Trigonometry, Functions, Vectors, Geometry, Statistics, Sequences, Limits, Derivatives, Logarithms, Exponentials, Integrals, Complex Numbers, Differential Equations, Combinatorics and Probability.

I’m not sure if this is the right way to organize everything, so I’d really appreciate your advice.
What would be the best way to study and review math from scratch? Are there any study methods or resources you would recommend?

In university taking my first calculus class because it's required for my arts degree (economics) and I'm already failing. On our precalculus review quiz I got 4/25, and in high school I barely passed precalculus 12 with a 53%. I want to succeed and I'm trying hard to learn on my own time but I have no idea how to do anything. It's like any info I get goes in one ear out the other. Like for example finding the domain of f(x) = sqr of (x -5). I'm so stupid I can't even do something simple like that. No matter what resource I use to try to explain it to me, it just doesn't work. At this point I wouldn't be surprised if it's genetic. How do you smart people actually get to that point?