r/MathHelp • • 16h ago

Rounding to 3 significant digits

1 Upvotes

Please help! 16.549 rounded to 3 sig figs —— is it 16.5 or 16.6? Are we rounding all numbers from right to left into each other until we reach 3 sig figs, or are we rounding just the 4th fig into the 3rd? AI bot says 16.5 but it feels wrong to me. Need human intelligence here. Thanks


r/MathHelp • • 17h ago

Math/sat advice for someone taken out of school at a young age

2 Upvotes

I’m 20 and was taken out of traditional schooling in 6th grade for medical reasons. I’m currently rebuilding my academics, especially math, through an intensive remedial course during my gap year. After that, I plan to start community college and eventually apply to transfer to a strong university.
I’m planning to take the SAT in about two years, and my goal is 1500+. I know that’s ambitious given my starting point, but I’m committed to putting in the work.
How would you recommend preparing over that time? Should I focus entirely on my foundations for now, or introduce SAT-specific practice along the way? I’d especially love to hear from anyone who started with significant math gaps and eventually scored well. What helped you most?


r/MathHelp • • 19h ago

How do you deal with word problems?

2 Upvotes

Hey guys, I am a freshman in college rn studying computer science and I admit that I havent been bright when it came to math, I didnt excel in anything thatvwas taught and I just assumed that I was no longer a math person like I was before.

But ever since I found out that I had calculus and higher math courses that I will be taking in 2nd year I got to work by teaching myself at the start of June (which was still summer break) and I decided to teach myself pre-algebra. I utilized Khan Academy as my roadmap and other resources to explain topics Khan couldnt. I started with the defintions of prime and composite in June and this week I just learned how to graph quadratic functions and now I am moving on to Algebra 2.

But one area that I truly have been weak in since pre-algebra was always word problems, when I look at it I just have no clue what to do, I do what everybody tells, I write out the values, what happens in time according to the problem, and seperate the reading from the solving but I just get stuck which leads me to frustration and mental breakdowns which always ruined the day and night for me.

Ever since those bad episodes, I have had an instinct to avoid or not to focus much on them which I know is bad so does anybody here have any tips for me? A lot of it would really help.


r/MathHelp • • 8h ago

Fourier transforms example app giving inconsistent results

1 Upvotes

I've been following this guide and transcribing the example code to a game engine.
https://betterexplained.com/articles/an-interactive-guide-to-the-fourier-transform/
However, in the example application, I've noticed I get inconsistent results when trying to give a cycle series as an input.

For example, Cycles: 3 2 1 --> Times: 6 1.5 1.5
But..., Times: 6 1.5 1.5 --> Cycles: 3 1.5 1.5

Both the time graph and cycle graph also change depending on where I originally put in the input.

Is this expected? I don't have a strong grasp of the underlying math, so I'd appreciate any guidance.

Direct link to example app: https://betterexplained.com/examples/fourier/


r/MathHelp • • 16h ago

Which topic to study next?

0 Upvotes

Heyooo i’m not sure if this is the right subreddit as i am not a big reddit user so apologies if it’s not but i have a question.

Context is i am entering uni next year and am brushing up on my math. I’ll be doing Intro to calculus and intro to physics as a bridging.

I have covered the essentials to a basic degree(Real number, basic sentenial logic, rational and irrational numbers, inequalities etc),

Then in a more thorough and rigorous degree for high school standards linear and simultaneous equations, linear relations, indices and surds, basic trig(Pythag, sohcahtoh etc). Am currently working through quadratics(factorisation, graphing, calculations relation to parabolas etc) and essentially i am not entirely sure where to go next.

I have precalculus by James stewart which covers functions, parametrics, vectors, systems of equations, conics, sequences aswell as trigonometric functions.

I am a 21 year old CAD draftsman and use parametric equations at work, unsure if that’s the same thing as the parametric outlined in precalculus.

Essentially i wanna know from people who’re further down this math path than i; Is precalculus the most logical next step? i want to ensure i am not skipping anything.

I have it in my head that a good foundation is a good idea for progressing in math.

Note: I have done no statistics and will be doing an engineering degree.