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I'm new to this website so I apologize in advance if what I'm going to ask isn't meant to be posted here.

A bit of background though: I haven't been to school in 6 years and the last level I've graduated was Grade 7 due to financial problems, as well as my mom frequently being in and out of the hospital. I am now 18 and I wish to go to college as soon as I can, but I need to be caught up on all the math I've missed (I have been studying these past few years with what's available on the internet, but I don't think it's enough).

So my question is, are there any good, easy to understand, high school math books suited for my situation? I learn better with a teacher who can explain the lesson, but since I don't have one I'd prefer books that aren't too difficult, but at the same time provide everything necessary for high school level math and more. I used to be a bright student so I'm sure I can do this on my own with the right material.

Again, if this question isn't meant to be on this site I'd be more than willing to delete it asap! That's all. Thank you for reading. :)

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    $\begingroup$ There is probably an office in your city or state that arranges the GED (high school equivalency) exam. Someone there might be able to help you. $\endgroup$
    – Ethan Bolker
    Feb 29, 2016 at 13:20
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    $\begingroup$ Khan Academy is a nice resource for self directed learners. khanacademy.org It is designed around common high school course content. $\endgroup$
    – Carser
    Feb 29, 2016 at 13:33
  • $\begingroup$ Since you're from the Philippines, I'll list books I know in English. (If you know French, I have better suggestions.) You could try using Mathematics: A Complete Introduction (Teach Yourself). The books by C.V. Durell available online here ( knowledge-dojo.com ) are good, though old-fashioned. All the basic high school material is covered by General Arithmetic for Schools, School Certificate Algebra, A New Geometry for Schools and Elementary Trigonometry. You should ask again after that. $\endgroup$
    – David
    Mar 3, 2016 at 0:05
  • $\begingroup$ There is a related site in this network that is on the topic of math education. You might post this Q there also. $\endgroup$
    – DanielWainfleet
    Jul 17, 2019 at 15:04
  • $\begingroup$ Does this answer your question? Textbook recommendations for self-studying high school math? $\endgroup$
    – user1124753
    May 27, 2023 at 1:43

6 Answers 6

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You can start Higher Algebra by Hall and Knight. Elementary Number Theory by David Burton. (Great for theory, might wanna do Justin Stevens) Circles by Dimitri would be good for beginners. Books by Titu Andreescu are really nice for some advanced prep.

These books are great for Olympiad level preparation.

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Books by Bernard Child, SL Loney are awesome. Do try problems in calculus of one variable by IA Maron. Thomas's Calculus is alse good for in-depth knowledge. Problems in mathematics is good for it's problems (there are too many of them).

Best of luck for your studies.

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Try out this book.I am sure it will help!!

http://www.amazon.in/Challenge-Thrill-Pre-College-Mathematics-B-J-Venkatchala/dp/8122409806

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  • $\begingroup$ Apparently he wants to go to college, so calculus would also be required. This book does not have anything related to calculus. However, this book is extremely good for every other topic except calculus and statistics. $\endgroup$
    – SS_C4
    Feb 29, 2016 at 13:26
  • $\begingroup$ @SS_C4 He has last studied in grade $7$ (see his question)...it is essential he covers the topics in this book first (most importantly functions,graphs and introduction to number theory and combinatorics) and then goes at trying calculus.You cant get all good things loaded in one book..:-) $\endgroup$
    – Soham
    Feb 29, 2016 at 13:29
  • $\begingroup$ Yes, that's true. I only wished to point out that this book does not cover calculus. Otherwise, this is a wonderful book. $\endgroup$
    – SS_C4
    Feb 29, 2016 at 13:30
  • $\begingroup$ @SS_C4: In the profile of the person who asked the question there is no indication where he/she lives, but if it is in the U.S.A., then grade 7 is before any algebra (and possibly even before computations with negative integers, at least this was the case when I was in school). In fact, except under extremely rare circumstances, one cannot quit school that early in the U.S.A. I think some more context about the poster is needed for us to be of much help (i.e. that person may never take calculus), although I do think the GED and Kahn Academy suggestions (in comments elsewhere) are helpful. $\endgroup$
    – Dave L. Renfro
    Feb 29, 2016 at 14:54
  • $\begingroup$ @DaveL.Renfro I'm from the Philippines, but I was enrolled in a school with a US based curriculum called A.C.E! I didn't have any algebra at Grade 7, but I've been trying to learn some throughout the years. I've tried something like the GED, but I didn't have enough requirements unfortunately. If I still have a chance to go to college any time soon I'd like to major in Economics or Banking and Finance. Sorry for the lack of info, I'm not used to sharing personal stuff online, haha :)) If I need to add anything else please let me know! $\endgroup$
    – fuwa0
    Feb 29, 2016 at 16:39
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Good complimentary books to go with whatever resources you chose are the Schaum’s Outline series. You can find some high school level math books in these series with a lot of practice problems and full solutions. Good luck! https://www.mhprofessional.com/schaum-s

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http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu is really good for calculus. I’ve never used the non-calc parts, but from a cursory look, they look of the same quality. Don’t use it exclusively though, since it is designed for a single college course, it has to skip some portions that there is more time to teach in high school.

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Currently, these two websites are down for me. (If anyone can check, please let me know if it isn't.) I will remove the links in a few days if it is still down: math30.ca math20.ca

The Math 30 website corresponds to the Alberta (Canada) Grade 12 Precalculus curriculum, and Math 20 website similarly corresponds to the Grade 11 math curriculum. Both these resources were immensely useful for understanding concepts while I was taking those classes, as they provided animations and interactive slides for demonstrating math concepts.

I did find a pdf version of a part of the booklet available here, and a playlist for the youtube videos are for someone's 30-1 (university-stream math) class, without the interactivity.

In my own searchings in the past, I have also found HELM booklets from the UK to be a possible source of self-study material, as they cover needed portions for engineering math from the ground up. As Carser has mentioned, Khan Academy high school math offers a lot of videos that can be self-studied, and I found Khan Academy useful up to intermediate-level university math as well (Differential Equations, Vector Calculus and the like). HELM could complement KA well by providing a "workbook" of sorts to practice from.

A huge part of my degree was spent learning about how to study as well, so here are also some tips that seem no-brainer but were good for me:

  • Google the concepts when you don't know them, and watch the YouTube tutorials on the similar problems
  • Don't be distracted by flashy videos while you're on YouTube
  • Try reworking the youtube examples after it's finished, and if there's points where you're stuck, go back and revisit the concept
  • Start from the simpler questions, and work your way up in difficulty.
  • Don't give up when you encounter difficulties -there will be a lot of those times- but do remember to take breaks when you feel that sufficient progress has been made and something was too difficult to understand in one sitting
  • Keep up your energy for the long run, as self-studying like this isn't done like a short sprint
  • Consider enrolling in a class to get support from peers.

Hope this helps!

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