GinaPagnato Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 On several occasions I've read that board members have their dc go through a certain amount of chapters in the Intro to Alg book, then stop and work on something else. Later, they pick up again. I don't understand why. Can someone please explain? We're on Chapter 5, and ds is cruising along well. Is part of the book considered Alg 2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 AoPS Intro to Algebra covers the material that typically constitute an algebra 1 course in chapters 1 through 13 (and in more depth, with more challenging problems.In fact, some algebra 1 programs do not even cover the quadratic formula, and many do not cover complex numbers.)). So, if a student completes this portion of the book, he has earned a solid high school credit for algebra 1. The material in the remainder of the book is usually taught in an algebra 2 course. Particularly with very young students, taking a break after chapter 13 and taking a detour into some other math can be a good choice because it allows the student to gain the maturity necessary for the more abstract material to come. But it is perfectly possible for cover the entire book in one go: my DD did so during her 7th grade year, including summer. It will, however, require significantly more time than a typical high school math credit takes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinaPagnato Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 So happy you replied. Thanks! Okay, so I suppose I'll just see how my 7th grade DS fares through the book, and when we get closer to chapter 12/13, I'll make the call. I'd love for him to do the Counting and Probability book, too. However, I'm not sure he should do them simultaneously or his head may explode. Currently we're spending about 2 hours a day on the algebra book. I don't think I can get more math in for him at this rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 My son likes to cover multiple math subjects at the same time. Therefore, we've mixed multiple math books just doing a chapter at a time from one book and then moving on to another. This also gives time for certain harder topics to gel before moving on. The Intro to Algebra is considered by many to cover Algebra I and II, so many take a break in the middle and do geometry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 The Intro to Algebra is considered by many to cover Algebra I and II, so many take a break in the middle and do geometry. But if the geometry is to be AoPS, one should make sure that the student has covered chapter 14 in Intro to Algebra, because graphing parabolas/circles is helpful for the analytical geometry in AoPS Geo! Since the level of the AoPS geometry book is very abstract, I would actually recommend finishing the entire Intro to Algebra text before AoPS Geometry. (A more traditional geometry text should be no problem in the middle.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Since the level of the AoPS geometry book is very abstract, I would actually recommend finishing the entire Intro to Algebra text before AoPS Geometry. (A more traditional geometry text should be no problem in the middle.) Regentrude, does the AoPS Geometry cover proofs like a traditional Geometry, or is it all mostly abstract? Also, dd took the online Prealgebra, but she's doing the Algebra at home - looks like she's going to finish AoPS Intro Algebra over 2 years (6th/7th) - as I didn't think she could handle the pace online. I have thought, however, that maybe she could handle the Geometry online in 8th, as the pace doesn't seem as breakneck (?) and she should be pretty solid after AoPS Algebra? What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Regentrude, does the AoPS Geometry cover proofs like a traditional Geometry, or is it all mostly abstract? There are plenty of proofs in the AoPS Geometry text! (after all, AoPS usually proves or derives all relationships, whenever possible, even in the other texts.) The proofs are, however, not in the two-column format some schools teach. This is not a problem, mathematicians do not use this format either -but I learned on this board that this is what some people expect. I have thought, however, that maybe she could handle the Geometry online in 8th, as the pace doesn't seem as breakneck (?) and she should be pretty solid after AoPS Algebra? What do you think? From looking at the website, I find the geometry online class very fast paced as well: the course takes only 24 weeks. We found the book to be a full year's worth of math (and even omitted one chapter entirely). DD found geometry harder than Intro to Algebra. ETA: On the website, AoPS folks say " This is the most challenging of our Introduction series of classes." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 There are plenty of proofs in the AoPS Geometry text! (after all, AoPS usually proves or derives all relationships, whenever possible, even in the other texts.) The proofs are, however, not in the two-column format some schools teach. This is not a problem, mathematicians do not use this format either -but I learned on this board that this is what some people expect. Of course! Silly me... yes, I was thinking of the 2-column kind, but you're right, AoPS in the general sense is about the proofiest math out there! From looking at the website, I find the geometry online class very fast paced as well: the course takes only 24 weeks. We found the book to be a full year's worth of math (and even omitted one chapter entirely). DD found geometry harder than Intro to Algebra. ETA: On the website, AoPS folks say " This is the most challenging of our Introduction series of classes." Sigh. It was more weeks than the Intro Algebra class, which is only half the book, but many consider a full AlgI class, so... I have another year and the book here to look at ahead of time, so I guess we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it! I was thinking of the online class for Geo because I plan for her to go to ps for high school like her sisters, and I thought it might be nice to have outside confirmation that she'd completed Geometry so it would be easier to place her in Alg II (I don't have a problem with her reviewing the AlgII she'd have gotten from AoPS Intro before moving on to PreCalc...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Also, dd took the online Prealgebra, but she's doing the Algebra at home - looks like she's going to finish AoPS Intro Algebra over 2 years (6th/7th) - as I didn't think she could handle the pace online. I have thought, however, that maybe she could handle the Geometry online in 8th, as the pace doesn't seem as breakneck (?) and she should be pretty solid after AoPS Algebra? What do you think? I have friends who use the AoPS classes and what they do is start whenever they normally start and star working on the material, They continue on like this and generally hope to stay enough ahead to stay with the course. I think the courses don't start until October so if you started in mid-August, you might have a six week lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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