When it comes to learning, I have always been driven by two competing instincts. My curiosity pulls me to constantly explore new things and my desire to understand pushes me to dive deeply into subjects. This has manifested itself as two distinct styles of self study: one slow and methodical and the other fast and …
Learning a Little About a Lot: Why I Read Introductory Textbooks for Fun Read More »
The best tool I have found to improve my studying is journaling, as I discussed in a prior post. The practice remains central to my studying efforts, and my appreciation has only grown. At the time I last wrote about it, I had only been doing it for three months, so I wanted to revisit …
How Journaling Took My Studying to the Next Level – Part 2 Read More »
This is the third post in my series on self studying physics. The first post can be found here and the previous post can be found here. In the prior posts I have already described how I began this journey self studying physics by following the excellent guide “So You Want to Learn Physics” by …
So I Wanted to Learn Physics: Vibrations and Waves Read More »
This is the second post in my series on self studying physics. The first post of the series on introductory mechanics can be found here. In the prior post in this series I described how I decided to self study physics after completing my math degree. Discovering the excellent guide “So You Want to Learn …
Today I am going to review the probability textbook “Introduction to Probability” by David Anderson, Timo Seppäläinen, and Benedek Valkó. I used this book to self study probability several months ago. This ended up being the book I chose because it is (or at least has been) used as the textbook for the probability course …
Book Review: “Introduction to Probability” by Anderson, Seppäläinen, and Valkó Read More »
What better book to kick of my in-depth reviews of textbooks with than than the first math book I bought for myself? In December of 2018 I purchased “A Book of Abstract Algebra” by Charles C. Pinter (and several others), somewhat on a whim, and worked through it. It would not be a stretch to …
Book Review: “A Book of Abstract Algebra” by Charles C. Pinter Read More »
For my holiday vacation I was looking for something light, fun, and informative to read, and AIQ, by Nick Polson and James Scott, did not disappoint. The authors clearly state in the beginning that there are many public discussions which must be had about new AI technologies, and that this book is not here to …
Throughout my time in school and especially during my self study endeavors, I have always looked for ways to improve my habits. There is no shortage of tips and tricks online for how to study better or more efficiently. I have tried many different things and some have worked better than others. Today, I want …
How Journaling Took My Studying to the Next Level Read More »
Several months ago, my desire to learn physics crystallized from a vague goal to a determination for action. It was a confluence of multiple streams of influence. A lifetime of pop science and sci-fi merged with the can-do attitude from a recently completed math degree. A difficult job market provided the opportunity and incentive to …
Every once and a while, I come across a book that feels like it was written for me. “Ultralearning” by Scott H Young is one of those books. I have long had a passion for self directed education, and this book is essentially a guide to self study. The short review is simply this: I …