How To Read Mathematics Books

A novel should be read fluently but math books cannot.

How to read mathematics books.

The way you read a math textbook is different from the traditional way students are taught to read textbooks in high school or college. A math book requires a different type of reading than a novel or a short story. If you do not understand a word you are supposed to keep on reading. Students are taught to read quickly or skim the material.

You can t read a math book the way you read other books. Every sentence in a math book is full of information and logically linked to the surrounding sentences. It takes a special approach to read math not just pass your eyes over it. If you are reading a novel and are somewhat distracted you can still get the idea of the story.

You may need as long as half an hour to get through one page but you will understand it when you re done. The flow of a math book is not like the flow of a novel. Miikka asked me how i read a maths textbook the other day and i didn t have a better answer than badly i ve mostly tried to read textbooks linearly cover to cover and this doesn t actually work i sometimes end up understanding the material but it s usually not until long after i ve finished or given up on the book. How to read a math textbook the way you read a math textbook is different from the traditional way students are taught to read textbooks in high school or college.

Students are taught to read quickly or skim the material. Instructors of other courses want students to. If you do not understand a word you are supposed to keep on reading. This is an effective learning technique when you write down definitions theorems and explanations in your own words you are more likely to understand and remember them.

You should read the sentences carefully and think about their meaning.