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Mathematica looks like an extremely powerful tool. I would love to have it in my toolbox. Unfortunately, I can hardly add two numbers together. I think the application of math through programming is the best way to learn. Is there any book that takes you from no math skills to advanced levels through the lens of Mathematica?

Rod
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oatsey
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    The best way to learn maths is thru good books and (if you are lucky) classes. No software needed. – Dr. belisarius Jun 07 '13 at 17:55
  • "no math skills" - not even math classes in high school? – J. M.'s missing motivation Jun 07 '13 at 17:56
  • I would argue the best way to learn is thru continual feedback and interactivity. Software needed. Obviously, not adding two numbers together is hyperbole. But I have forgotten a lot of math from school (atrophy). – oatsey Jun 07 '13 at 18:00
  • Math is a vast domain. What kinds of math do you need? It might be useful to solve first 100 concrete problems you actually encounter/need, using Mathematica as a starter. After that, i think you probably know how to proceed. – user13253 Jun 07 '13 at 18:01
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    it's important to understand that you don't need to know any math to use Mathematica. basically you just F1 all over the place (i am not joking, this is very important). the name "Mathematica" is particularly bad here. it's a much more general system than that name implies. for example, it has a lot of image processing stuff. you don't need any math to understand what Blur[ColorNegate[img]] does. even when you play around with, say, ImageTransformation which takes a function, it's not rocket science. 'mathematics' is simply not a factor in general Mathematica usage. – amr Jun 07 '13 at 18:10
  • No particular problem domain. Every once in a while I run across a Mathematica link and I'm taunted by a power I can't wield. =) Perhaps I'll just hit Amazon, pick a book and dive in. I was hoping there might be an entire curriculum for learning math with Mathematica at its core (a huge undertaking). – oatsey Jun 07 '13 at 18:11
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    The question is sufficiently general that I believe any answers would best fit into the Q&A here: Where can I find examples of good Mathematica programming practice? – Jens Jun 07 '13 at 18:17
  • im surprised there's no way to negate close votes. no wonder stackoverflow is a mindless clique – amr Jun 07 '13 at 19:42
  • @amr You can vote to reopen if it gets closed. – Szabolcs Jun 07 '13 at 19:45
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    If you are looking to learn how to use Mathematica, look at Jens's link. If you are looking to learn about math, I'd say: focus on math itself and not Mathematica. Look for books on math, and not math with Mathematica, as that's likely to distract you and you might end up just programming in the end. You can still use a computer to aid you in studying if you wish, no matter what math book you choose. Also, decide what you're interested in. There are many branches of math. Some problems can be understood by a middle school kid, but they couldn't be solved ... – Szabolcs Jun 07 '13 at 19:54
  • ... by top mathematicians for decades or even centuries. Other problems more than a year of studying to understand (calculus?), but once you know the fundamentals, they're very easy to solve. In other words, so can look for challenging problems that require creativity right now, without needing to study much first. Or you can spend a lot of time with a book that only requires a bit of effort to work through, but no great ideas ( = like to be boring :) – Szabolcs Jun 07 '13 at 19:55
  • @amr there are two factors influencing that. First, it takes five non-moderator votes to close (mods get the power to close on immediate vote). So, you have to get five people to agree with you which even on SO was harder than you think. (and, much much easier in some tags ...) Second, it can always be re-opened, but again you require five people to agree with you ... That said, as the ability to close is a privilege level, it is expected that you take some care in its application. This is community moderated by requiring multiple votes, and the ability to re-open. Thank you for your opinion. – rcollyer Jun 07 '13 at 20:12
  • @rcollyer aye. my issue is that this is basically a more subtle version of those pictures you see on facebook that ask "Like for Eminem, Comment for Justin Bieber." poor justin bieber. for multiple reasons (some behavioral) it costs more to reopen than to close, so the system heavily prefers closing vs keeping open (i'd wager that's entirely deliberate, from what i've read from the SE people). I should make clear though that i'm talking about SO. i'm not worried about Mathematica.SE, just remarking on the what is quite possibly the root enabler of SO's hilarious culture – amr Jun 07 '13 at 21:00
  • @amr presuming (hefty assumption on SO) that were all professionals, then it doesn't degenerate to that. On SO, the difficulty is that there are to many languages that people no nothing about, so acting out of ignorance, they move to close things that are perfectly valid questions (a primary reason for our and tex.se's existence). I don't think it is a case of poor design, just to many people. – rcollyer Jun 07 '13 at 21:11
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    @amr in the review panel one can vote to leave the question open, which doesn't exactly negate close votes but does age them more quickly so that more need to accrue in the same time to achieve closure. Actually, I'm just about to vote to leave open, because IMO there is a clear distinction here: this OP wants to use Mathematica as a vehicle for learning more mathematics, not (as is the usual case) to learn Mathematica for its own sake while already having at least some familiarity with mathematical techniques in general. – Oleksandr R. Jun 07 '13 at 21:22
  • Incidentally, I think it's interesting that there is an almost simultaneous question asking about the same issue from the opposite perspective. – Oleksandr R. Jun 07 '13 at 21:30
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    @amr I gave a reason for closing the question, but I'll take it back it you explain why it should be left open, and why the linked Q&A is not the right place for this. You haven't done so yet. – Jens Jun 07 '13 at 21:49
  • @OleksandrR. thanks, that's good to know. @ jens i'm not talking about this question – amr Jun 07 '13 at 22:20

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