I am only a sophomore at an average taught high school. I am very good in every subject and every subject comes extremelly easy to me (Biology, Spanish, Typing, English, History). There is one class that gives me more troubles than anything and that is Algebra II. The class just makes my mind go berzerk and I can't comprehend anything my teacher is saying. Maybe, just maybe, I just don't have an Algebraic Mind. Does anybody have any tips to get better.. because when I try to study with my notes all I do is confuse myself to a further extent.

Do anybody have any tips to get better.. because when I try to study with my notes all I do is confuse myself to a further extent.

Yes: Study with other people. Talking things out can really help matters. And if all of you are confused :D , then post questions online. There are more than enough people around here who know mathematics who can help you.

Oddly, I used to be very bad at math. I could not understand anything. Maybe I wasn't paying attention? Anyway, something "clicked" in my head back in the middle of 8th grade and ever since, I have been pretty good at it. Now I major in mathematics at college.

What can you do? Do the same thing I do: try to understand WHY it is you do things you do. It's kind of hard to do in grade school because they just want you to memorize everything so that you can pass a test. When you understand what it is you need to do, you find yourself not memorizing math anymore.. you just do it.

Yeah, I made C's in every math class I ever took untill I got to Calculus in high school. Then I aced to course.

Keep trying. You'll get it eventually. Maybe you haven't found a good way to study yet?

yes, math is more about the method than most other classes. other classes have you memorize facts, that wont do you a damn bit of good in math. the best advise I have is to study a lot. do extra problems left and right. I sucked at math, but eventually I put the work in and now I can do algebra in my sleep (literally, though the problems are rarely right)

I suspect that you have not developed good study skills. that was my problem, it took such effort for me to pass most things, (even into college) so I never really developed the work ethic/skills to do well in math. don't get discouraged, just study with people if you are really lost, and if you kind of know what you are doing, then study on your own. studying in groups is often a distraction, but if you are making no progress on your own, then its worth it.

No, I don't have the best study habits. My teacher will teach for two weeks straight and I will finally start to get the hang of it and boom she not in class for two days and I forget everything I knew. She doesn't assign any homework at all.. and that screws me over as well. I don't have my algebra period until after lunch and by that time I am tired and do not have a long tension span.

She doesn't assign any homework at all..

It is simply not possible to learn math without doing regular homework. If I were in charge of your school, your math teacher would be out of a job. If you're serious about really learning this stuff, start doing problems on your own. Presumably your teacher won't mind showing you the solutions manual if she nevers assigns the problems in the first place. If not, pick up a book of practice problems and work through those. While it is surely hard to motivate yourself to do extra homework for no credit, imagine how much harder it is to get through college without any background in math.

I agree, If I am having any problems from now on I will ask you guys for help.

Thanks for the advice,

Lil' Mozart

I teach HS math.
One thing that helps my students are what we call Summary Sheets.
Some call them Cheat Sheets if you can use them in an exam.

The idea is to put/summarize the entire course on to one A4 or letter size piece of paper [both sides ok]. By doing this you take some 100+ pages and put it all where you can see everything. A good summary sheet has tiny lettering that almost needs a magnifying glass to read. This is part of the skill of reducing large amounts of information to one location so you can see it as a whole. Then you may be able to see the cohesiveness of the myriad of topics. How does everything tie together ?

Think of it as summarizing a book [War and Peace] or a movie [a long 4 hour movie].

Hope this idea helps you.

PM me if you'd like more help.

I had some trouble with calculus when I entered university. I'd always done really well in maths and sciences but I just couldn't wrap my head around it. A while later I basically went back to the very beginning and went through the material again, this time with each new concept I'd ask myself why each calculation was being done. Instead of just memorizing the fact that "If a question looks like this I do this" I'd go through each step and determine exactly what was being done and why.

After that it became much easier. Advanced maths like calculus and algebra are just a collection of tools, and once you understand what each tool is for and why you would use it they start to come naturally. Try not to memorize the individual methods, figure out the tools behind them and it becomes easy to build up the methods on your own.

How to do Square Root 11 over 9?

Radical Expressions

I am only a sophomore at an average taught high school. I am very good in every subject and every subject comes extremelly easy to me (Biology, Spanish, Typing, English, History). There is something odd about your English prose. Are you a native speaker? If so, I think your confidence in your English may be hiding something - and that may affect your ability to do algebra.

If you have not spent time at grammatical and rhetorical analysis - diagramming sentences, formal study of rhetoric and argument, etc - ask your English teacher about it.

Compare your writing here with the writing of the better mathematicians here (not me). Of course you are young, but - - -

>>> gives me more troubles than anything and that is Algebra II. >>

well there you go, you are just a magnetic head with no mind.

One day you will run out of tape.

There is something odd about your English prose. Are you a native speaker? If so, I think your confidence in your English may be hiding something - and that may affect your ability to do algebra.

If you have not spent time at grammatical and rhetorical analysis - diagramming sentences, formal study of rhetoric and argument, etc - ask your English teacher about it.

Compare your writing here with the writing of the better mathematicians here (not me). Of course you are young, but - - -

You are comparing my math skills to my english skills? Interesting, any help provided I will apreciate greatly.

Thanks,

Mozart.

Pick up a book on real analysis and your life will be changed forever.