Awesome stuff. I'm a mechanical engineer so I have taken a bunch of applied math in my degree 15 years ago. For past year I have been studying proof based calculus (spivak) in preparation to study real analysis next. Been so much fun
I just turned 60 years old and have started to re-learn Algebra and first year Calculus. I am enjoying it so far and I am just working at my own pace. It is harder now I am older, and takes longer, but fun. I picked up some old textbooks I used at university plus some others out from the library. I got an e-ink tablet to do the maths working on for my birthday, and my wife just got me a new graphing calculator, so am all set. Thanks for the inspirational videos on your channel, especially this answer, glad it is never too late to learn maths!
You have encouraged me as well. We have keep dyscalculia at a distance. I have understood that mainstream education is not likely to create a compatible Mathematics environment if you have learning difficulties. It is better when a mathematics environment starts at home.
I'm 68 years old, and when I was a kid, I went to a different school every single year, and only managed to finish the first 10 grades. Every teacher I had did their best to make math as boring as they could, so I developed a strong dislike and fear of math. And then, about 10 years ago, I read several books on the history of math and found out that it's not boring after all. Now I watch several RUclips channels trying to learn what I can, and channels such as your's have helped a lot.
Can you recommend any of the books you read? As someone just trying to get back into maths after a long break since high school, I would love to read some of the books that motivated you.
First, I came back to math in my 40s and today, at 57, I have shelves and shelves of great math books in my personal library here in my small home. BTW, I'm autistic! :) Second, this 87-year-old gentleman says he's not a mathematician by any means. Well, in the Math Sorcerer's own words, anyone who practices math IS a mathematician. From my perspective, mathematics is the only user-friendly, hands-on branch of the sciences that is learned by DOING. And, I think that math can help those who practice it often be better thinkers, as well.
Mid 50s here and I want to say thanks to everyone for all the inspiration and encouragement in your comments. I am revisiting math after many years of heavy duty math anxiety and realizing I actually don't dislike it and have been doing some pre-studying for upcoming math I'll need for a non-math-related degree. I have found that practicing math on my own outside of a class or work context is a great way to build confidence and skill and can actually be fun. We really do often understand more than we think we do and sometimes we just need to get out of our own ways. Wishing you all the best in whatever you're pursuing!
I do syntopic reading for work: Engineering, Physics & Math. Two books at the same level may cover "the same stuff" but have very different approaches to the subject. Working through derivations, examples and problems are *still* invaluable when "dusting-off" previous material, and learning new stuff. Also, diving into "Old Stuff" is an adventure into ingenious minds from the past.
Hey I Just want to say thanks. I'm 35 and looking at going to business school to advance my career. I need to upgrade my math and thanks to your channel I just recieved my big fat pre algebra/algebra 1 book. You've helped motivate me to learn math again, I was convinced it could not be done until I watched your videos. Thanks and cheers from Alberta Canada.
1) Looking back at it: one reads technical stuff too fast. ("I read it, but I don't *get* it.") It's not like fiction, etc. One really needs to chew slowly. However, the reality of a classroom/degree environment doesn't allow much for that. 2) When revisiting or learning new technical stuff after accumulating some work experience allows one to approach it with greater intellectual maturity.
It's truly inspiring to see someone continue their pursuit of knowledge and passion at any age. For the retired 87-year-old orthopedic surgeon, here are a few pieces of advice: 1. **Stay Curious**: Embrace the joy of learning. Mathematics can be a wonderful mental exercise and a way to keep the mind sharp. 2. **Set Small Goals**: Break down your learning into manageable chunks. Celebrate small victories along the way. 3. **Join a Community**: Engage with online forums or local study groups. Sharing your journey with others can provide motivation and support. 4. **Stay Patient**: Learning something new can be challenging, but persistence is key. Enjoy the process and be kind to yourself. It's never too late to learn and grow. Keep up the great work!
I was watching a video by Biblical Scholar Bart Erhman called "Are the Gospels historically reliable? The Problem of contradictions" (it's on RUclips and his dissection of Christianity and the Bible is amazing.) In it, at one point he talked about how scholars cannot talk to lay people. He said they are fine talking to one another but not to people who are not schooled in their discipline. He mentioned a fellow academic wanting to write a book which would sell well, as Erhman's book had. Ehrman told him he needed to write it as if he was explaining it to his mum. I think this is a fundamental issue: professors and lecturers are okay discussing their field with experts like themselves but not with others including students. This means they will over-complicate things in a vain attempt to demystify them when they should be thinking: how would I explain this to my mum (obviously for this we need the mum to not be an expert in the same field!) Further teaching is a specialist skill and is hard. And let's be honest, most of our education system isn't designed to turn out masses of great mathematicians and physicists and biologist and so on, it is designed to turn out workers, grist for the mill from whom the system can extract value from their labour. You don't need to be great at maths for that.
I read books to a retired University of Michigan mathematics when he was in the twilight of his years and I was an undergraduate. They were books of literature he wanted read aloud. His professional mathematics career had drawn to a close yet he was still intellectually engaged enjoying other lives of the mind.
Of course its never too late to change your life and do the things you want to. I'm in my 40's and I started to really get into math in the last few years. I never studied calculus in school, but to my amazement, I can do calculus. Very simple calculus-but calculus nevertheless. I'm very proud that I can do math. I failed math in school when I was a kid & teen. Its a pleasant surprise to discover I have even a small dose of math talent. I'm not sure if I can do proofs-but I can perform math problems
58 year old lawyer here, just finished Cal III going towards engineering degree at own pace - can’t wait to knock out all the physics! It’s Never too late!
As a former interpreter, we were encouraged to listen to many different «language models» because we needed to really get how people spoke the language. Some people was just so hard to understand. Not because of them, or me, but because of our chemistry. Some people you just get, others not so much. Same with teachers or professors. They are just one person. I think there will always be people that we will have difficulty understanding because they are a «language model» far away from us. Therefore I think we need to search for several “models”, as in professors, teachers, books etc, to get the grasp of it. Then, after you have the grasp, it is much easier to understand the language models that are not so natural to yours, and you build bridges between theirs, and your “world” so to speak. My story by the way is that I am a single mother of two, I am close to my 40s currently taking a new degree in mechanical engineering. I only had the most easy math from high school. I love it to bits. But my deep love and curiosity for math came after I hit my 30s. 🤓😌⚙️❤️✨
So I am 56 years old and am about to start a double degree in Maths and Physics. I am doing this after being inspired by doing subjects on MIT Opencourseware and deciding that I want to fo it gor real. Im retiring ftom wifk to givf me the yime to do it. Im as excited as Ive ever been.
Great to hear! I'm 66 with some previous plug and crank kind of math from a B.S.M.E. So, I'm studying math from a point of view of understanding the logic behind the math proofs. Your overview of books is very helpful.
It is wonderful to be encouraged to revisit maths just like the 87 year old retired orthopedic surgeon. Better to do. maths instead of just crossword puzzles.
I agree with the point you make about using multiple books to learn math. I've run into that exact issue. I don't think it's possible to learn a given math subject from only one book or source. In fact, I was looking recently about a short example proof involving absolute values in a calculus textbook (Modern Calculus and Analytic Geometry, Silverman) and remembered something I saw in your Udemy Calc 1 course which helped me understand that proof in a more direct, intuitive manner. (Thank you for that, btw!) In the end, I don't think I would've understood that concept as effectively.
Math is an art, like painting, sculpture, music, and dance. It has a practical side as well as any craft. I'm 57. I still devote part of my day to math. If I can do it, anyone can.
"maybe you use AI" , reminds me of my experiences with AI while studying, it's always gonna get something wrong, and it tries really hard to convince you. But always think about every word it writes and if it makes any sense. Sometimes it either tries to solve exercises with knowledge you don't have or with false information that it got somewhere. Also it sometimes gets into these "depressed loops" when you tell it that it did something wrong once and it starts repeating the same message over and over with nothing new to be read. So always watch out with it, the ideas it can give are valuable but it's extremely likely to make mistakes and super intransparent.
Creating Interest is something hard , but sir you made interest in maths ,after watching your inspiring video, this triggered me to go after maths book instead of surgery or medicine book Even though I’m a medical undergrad student
Hi! I have a request. Could you make a video about the fields where mathematics is used? Apart from teaching, since students can be horrible and rude. I can think of a few, but as an 18-year-old, I’m still quite confused as to what to pick.
My architect friend is 36 and wants to get into quant trading after another friend is making 8 figures a year. So he is going back for his math degree and masters in financial mathematics
I would not jump to the conclusion that educators and / or authors necessarily and / or always make mathematics hard. I, as an experienced college level mathematics and statistics tutor, must assert that it can be difficult for someone who is in a teaching position to explain some topics that, for him or her, are so elementary that he / she takes them for granted. At the same time, as I am sure that surgeons and other well-educated people know, in order to grow cognitively, you need to be challenged, not spoon-fed; therefore, I am motivated to consider the possibility that at least a few authore and at least a few educators make an effort to avoid spoon-feeding.
I think a lot of math and science is hard because of the difficulty understanding the terminology. I think if terms were a prerequisite to the concepts it would be a lot easier.
To be honest, none of this is inspiring. What you are saying is that highly intelligent Doctor (you have to have high intelligence to be an orthopedic surgeon) started to learn late. Now make videos of 100-IQ Stan down at the plant developing a love for math and trying to learn at age 60 or whatever. How about the rest of us who are not highly accomplished geniuses and never studied math?
good point. however, those stories may be hard to believe. my experience is that no guys who work at a loading dock or warehouse are interested in math, _especially_ the abstract stuff. most are philistines who just want to get wasted after their shift.
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I am a 45 years old dentist and I just got my bachelor degree in theoretical physics and I'm very happy with my achievement :)
Awesome stuff. I'm a mechanical engineer so I have taken a bunch of applied math in my degree 15 years ago. For past year I have been studying proof based calculus (spivak) in preparation to study real analysis next. Been so much fun
@meriemmeriem-d2z anyhow can I talk to you? I am also physics major
CONGRATULATIONS!! 🎆✨
Wow! I love people who never give up
😊❤❤ Keep Going ❤🚀🚀
Good achievement 🎉🎉🎉🎉
I just turned 60 years old and have started to re-learn Algebra and first year Calculus. I am enjoying it so far and I am just working at my own pace. It is harder now I am older, and takes longer, but fun. I picked up some old textbooks I used at university plus some others out from the library. I got an e-ink tablet to do the maths working on for my birthday, and my wife just got me a new graphing calculator, so am all set. Thanks for the inspirational videos on your channel, especially this answer, glad it is never too late to learn maths!
You have encouraged me as well. We have keep dyscalculia at a distance. I have understood that mainstream education is not likely to create a compatible Mathematics environment if you have learning difficulties. It is better when a mathematics environment starts at home.
30 year old female here, starting my 6 years Neurosurgery Residency program in July 2025. 😊❤
That is wonderful! I love neuroscience! I majored in psychology and physiological psychology was my favorite course.
You go, gal!!!
Thats awesome! Congrats:D
That’s amazing 🤩
I'm 68 years old, and when I was a kid, I went to a different school every single year, and only managed to finish the first 10 grades. Every teacher I had did their best to make math as boring as they could, so I developed a strong dislike and fear of math.
And then, about 10 years ago, I read several books on the history of math and found out that it's not boring after all. Now I watch several RUclips channels trying to learn what I can, and channels such as your's have helped a lot.
I'm so glad to live in the same time with persons like you
KEEP GOING 🚀🚀 AND KEEP DOINGVWHAT YOU LOVE ❤❤
Can you recommend any of the books you read? As someone just trying to get back into maths after a long break since high school, I would love to read some of the books that motivated you.
Well, I'm afraid that after 10 years, I don't accurately recall the titles of them. @mog538-j5s
First, I came back to math in my 40s and today, at 57, I have shelves and shelves of great math books in my personal library here in my small home. BTW, I'm autistic! :) Second, this 87-year-old gentleman says he's not a mathematician by any means. Well, in the Math Sorcerer's own words, anyone who practices math IS a mathematician. From my perspective, mathematics is the only user-friendly, hands-on branch of the sciences that is learned by DOING. And, I think that math can help those who practice it often be better thinkers, as well.
Mid 50s here and I want to say thanks to everyone for all the inspiration and encouragement in your comments. I am revisiting math after many years of heavy duty math anxiety and realizing I actually don't dislike it and have been doing some pre-studying for upcoming math I'll need for a non-math-related degree. I have found that practicing math on my own outside of a class or work context is a great way to build confidence and skill and can actually be fun. We really do often understand more than we think we do and sometimes we just need to get out of our own ways. Wishing you all the best in whatever you're pursuing!
I do syntopic reading for work: Engineering, Physics & Math.
Two books at the same level may cover "the same stuff" but have very different approaches to the subject. Working through derivations, examples and problems are *still* invaluable when "dusting-off" previous material, and learning new stuff. Also, diving into "Old Stuff" is an adventure into ingenious minds from the past.
Hey I Just want to say thanks. I'm 35 and looking at going to business school to advance my career. I need to upgrade my math and thanks to your channel I just recieved my big fat pre algebra/algebra 1 book. You've helped motivate me to learn math again, I was convinced it could not be done until I watched your videos. Thanks and cheers from Alberta Canada.
I have recently come across your videos. You are very inspiring. Thank you for your caring messages.
1) Looking back at it: one reads technical stuff too fast. ("I read it, but I don't *get* it.") It's not like fiction, etc. One really needs to chew slowly. However, the reality of a classroom/degree environment doesn't allow much for that.
2) When revisiting or learning new technical stuff after accumulating some work experience allows one to approach it with greater intellectual maturity.
You hit a jackpot here ! Exactly !
It's truly inspiring to see someone continue their pursuit of knowledge and passion at any age. For the retired 87-year-old orthopedic surgeon, here are a few pieces of advice:
1. **Stay Curious**: Embrace the joy of learning. Mathematics can be a wonderful mental exercise and a way to keep the mind sharp.
2. **Set Small Goals**: Break down your learning into manageable chunks. Celebrate small victories along the way.
3. **Join a Community**: Engage with online forums or local study groups. Sharing your journey with others can provide motivation and support.
4. **Stay Patient**: Learning something new can be challenging, but persistence is key. Enjoy the process and be kind to yourself.
It's never too late to learn and grow. Keep up the great work!
I was watching a video by Biblical Scholar Bart Erhman called "Are the Gospels historically reliable? The Problem of contradictions" (it's on RUclips and his dissection of Christianity and the Bible is amazing.) In it, at one point he talked about how scholars cannot talk to lay people. He said they are fine talking to one another but not to people who are not schooled in their discipline. He mentioned a fellow academic wanting to write a book which would sell well, as Erhman's book had. Ehrman told him he needed to write it as if he was explaining it to his mum.
I think this is a fundamental issue: professors and lecturers are okay discussing their field with experts like themselves but not with others including students. This means they will over-complicate things in a vain attempt to demystify them when they should be thinking: how would I explain this to my mum (obviously for this we need the mum to not be an expert in the same field!)
Further teaching is a specialist skill and is hard. And let's be honest, most of our education system isn't designed to turn out masses of great mathematicians and physicists and biologist and so on, it is designed to turn out workers, grist for the mill from whom the system can extract value from their labour. You don't need to be great at maths for that.
Keep it coming Sorcerer!!!!
🥇
I read books to a retired University of Michigan mathematics when he was in the twilight of his years and I was an undergraduate. They were books of literature he wanted read aloud. His professional mathematics career had drawn to a close yet he was still intellectually engaged enjoying other lives of the mind.
Of course its never too late to change your life and do the things you want to. I'm in my 40's and I started to really get into math in the last few years. I never studied calculus in school, but to my amazement, I can do calculus. Very simple calculus-but calculus nevertheless. I'm very proud that I can do math. I failed math in school when I was a kid & teen. Its a pleasant surprise to discover I have even a small dose of math talent. I'm not sure if I can do proofs-but I can perform math problems
This is so beautiful and inspiring! Wonderful video
great video, really encouraging!
Its really a pleasure to read about people in this comments. People who never give up the quest for knowledge and meaning. God bless you all!
58 year old lawyer here, just finished Cal III going towards engineering degree at own pace - can’t wait to knock out all the physics! It’s Never too late!
You are a hero we don’t deserve!
As a former interpreter, we were encouraged to listen to many different «language models» because we needed to really get how people spoke the language. Some people was just so hard to understand. Not because of them, or me, but because of our chemistry. Some people you just get, others not so much. Same with teachers or professors. They are just one person. I think there will always be people that we will have difficulty understanding because they are a «language model» far away from us. Therefore I think we need to search for several “models”, as in professors, teachers, books etc, to get the grasp of it. Then, after you have the grasp, it is much easier to understand the language models that are not so natural to yours, and you build bridges between theirs, and your “world” so to speak.
My story by the way is that I am a single mother of two, I am close to my 40s currently taking a new degree in mechanical engineering. I only had the most easy math from high school. I love it to bits. But my deep love and curiosity for math came after I hit my 30s. 🤓😌⚙️❤️✨
So I am 56 years old and am about to start a double degree in Maths and Physics. I am doing this after being inspired by doing subjects on MIT Opencourseware and deciding that I want to fo it gor real. Im retiring ftom wifk to givf me the yime to do it. Im as excited as Ive ever been.
Great to hear! I'm 66 with some previous plug and crank kind of math from a B.S.M.E. So, I'm studying math from a point of view of understanding the logic behind the math proofs. Your overview of books is very helpful.
and there’s 17 year old me giving up…
you are inspiring! thank you!
It is wonderful to be encouraged to revisit maths just like the 87 year old retired orthopedic surgeon. Better to do. maths instead of just crossword puzzles.
I agree with the point you make about using multiple books to learn math. I've run into that exact issue. I don't think it's possible to learn a given math subject from only one book or source. In fact, I was looking recently about a short example proof involving absolute values in a calculus textbook (Modern Calculus and Analytic Geometry, Silverman) and remembered something I saw in your Udemy Calc 1 course which helped me understand that proof in a more direct, intuitive manner. (Thank you for that, btw!) In the end, I don't think I would've understood that concept as effectively.
I fuckin love this channel
I love your attitude
I'm loving this ❤❤❤❤
Math is an art, like painting, sculpture, music, and dance. It has a practical side as well as any craft.
I'm 57. I still devote part of my day to math.
If I can do it, anyone can.
"maybe you use AI" , reminds me of my experiences with AI while studying, it's always gonna get something wrong, and it tries really hard to convince you. But always think about every word it writes and if it makes any sense. Sometimes it either tries to solve exercises with knowledge you don't have or with false information that it got somewhere. Also it sometimes gets into these "depressed loops" when you tell it that it did something wrong once and it starts repeating the same message over and over with nothing new to be read. So always watch out with it, the ideas it can give are valuable but it's extremely likely to make mistakes and super intransparent.
Creating Interest is something hard , but sir you made interest in maths ,after watching your inspiring video, this triggered me to go after maths book instead of surgery or medicine book
Even though I’m a medical undergrad student
I'm only 16 years old and I thought it was too late to start, thanks to your videos I found the motivation I needed. Thank you very much🙏🏻
Hi! I have a request. Could you make a video about the fields where mathematics is used? Apart from teaching, since students can be horrible and rude. I can think of a few, but as an 18-year-old, I’m still quite confused as to what to pick.
Hello sir! 😊
How are you
GREAT!
You have a very unique hairstyle
its not that its to late or not but more that to choose what to do
My architect friend is 36 and wants to get into quant trading after another friend is making 8 figures a year. So he is going back for his math degree and masters in financial mathematics
So I am a 30 something year old who last took geometry, what should be the next math I take?
My recommended curriculum: Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry/Pre-calculus, Calculus, ...
I would not jump to the conclusion that educators and / or authors necessarily and / or always make mathematics hard. I, as an experienced college level mathematics and statistics tutor, must assert that it can be difficult for someone who is in a teaching position to explain some topics that, for him or her, are so elementary that he / she takes them for granted. At the same time, as I am sure that surgeons and other well-educated people know, in order to grow cognitively, you need to be challenged, not spoon-fed; therefore, I am motivated to consider the possibility that at least a few authore and at least a few educators make an effort to avoid spoon-feeding.
I think a lot of math and science is hard because of the difficulty understanding the terminology. I think if terms were a prerequisite to the concepts it would be a lot easier.
🎉🎉
:)
Where can I ask a question to be made into a video?
math is very hard
Did the math sorceror attend carnegie mellon?
❤❤❤
🎗️👑
👌✌
To be honest, none of this is inspiring. What you are saying is that highly intelligent Doctor (you have to have high intelligence to be an orthopedic surgeon) started to learn late. Now make videos of 100-IQ Stan down at the plant developing a love for math and trying to learn at age 60 or whatever. How about the rest of us who are not highly accomplished geniuses and never studied math?
good point. however, those stories may be hard to believe. my experience is that no guys who work at a loading dock or warehouse are interested in math, _especially_ the abstract stuff. most are philistines who just want to get wasted after their shift.
Thanks for sharing this , cool 🥸