I am not going to start with Precalculus or College Algebra. I am doing a self-study or review of courses taken back in my school days. To construct a decent math background, returning to my high school 9th grade math class material (Algebra 1) is a good idea. I plan to complete the high school math program taken from 1980 to 1984.
Here are the courses that I plan to revisit using the Cliffs Review books:
•Algebra 1
•Algebra 2
•Geometry
•Trigonometry
This should give me a solid foundation to then proceed with the following courses using Michael Sullivan textbooks:
•College Algebra
•Precalculus
If I do well in all the above courses, I will finally endeavor to step into Calculus l, ll, and Ill using textbooks by the late James Stewart.
I will search for exams online for self-testing after completing each chapter. I think 20 questions of 5 points each per chapter exam is a good way to measure progress. What is the passing grade per chapter exam?
Let me see:
There are 20 questions. In NYC, the passing grade for exams as I recall is 65%. I will raise the passing grade to 70% in my self-study. So, 14 x 5 = 70. I will need to score 14/20 correct answers on each exam to successfully move on to the next chapter. The 14/20 objective allows me to get 6 wrong answers and still pass each chapter exam. Of course, the goal is to score higher than 70% but that is the passing grade for my self-study journey.
I will only post questions on this website after trying several times or when I need clarification on a certain idea, theory, etc. My goal is not to become a math "expert" or to become a math tutor or teacher or professor, etc. That would be ridiculous at age 60.
When people start aging, solving crossword or seduko puzzles is recommended to help keep memory power alive and well. Although I like crossword and seduko puzzles, nothing tops answering math questions as I travel through each chapter/each book.
Lastly, I simply want to review the essentials of the courses listed above. Cliffs Review books or the Math for Dummies series is a perfect collection of books for my goal. There's no need for me use traditional, thick, heavy textbooks like they do in colleges and universities at this time.
I like Michael Sullivan and James Stewart but their textbooks are for students with a strong math background. This is why returning to the basics (Algebra 1) is the right road to take. However, I will tackle College Algebra and Precalculus later in my self-study using Michael Sullivan textbooks.
If I decide to finally step into a self-study of Calculus l, ll, and lll, then books by the late James Stewart is the right choice to make. Any tips to help in my self-study are welcomed. If you know a better way to review math concepts learned decades ago, I welcome this as well.
