
How I use Anki to learn mathematics - Tomte
http://lesswrong.com/r/discussion/lw/o8e/how_i_use_anki_to_learn_mathematics/
======
conistonwater
> _Definitions are not hard, there is just too many of them._

Perhaps I'm missing the point, but I'm _really_ skeptical that rote
memorization of definitions is a sensible solution to this problem.

> _For example, I recall that Epi and Mono are generalization of injective and
> of surjective. Or of surjective and injective. I can 't remember which is
> which._

Specifically with respect to Epi and Mono, perhaps it would help to know that
_epi_ is from Greek meaning "upon" and _mono_ is from Greek meaning "alone"
(my dictionary tells me so), which immediately resolves the injective-
surjective confusion example: Epi is surjective, Mono is injective.

~~~
throwaway729
Memory is crucial. I got _much_ better at learning mathematics when I started
memorizing the statements and proofs of key theorems.

You _also_ need the understanding, of course. The largest mistake in
mathematics education is to think that memorizing a rote process is the same
as learning mathematics (see: US high schools). The second largest mistake in
mathematics education is to swing too hard in the other direction.

~~~
cle
Absolutely. Being able to instantly recall concepts, definitions, syntax, etc.
is incredibly empowering when solving problems, regardless of the subject
(mathematics, programming, writing, etc.).

Nobody would suggest that you try to learn a new language without memorizing
words, phrases, idioms, etc. Communication is the foundation of any field of
interest, so why do we think we can get away with "learning" them without
memorizing the sub-language of the field?

Just as memorization is only part of process of learning a new language, so it
is for learning in other areas.

~~~
Buttons840
If all you have is some rote memorization about mathmatics you can use those
memorized items to study in your own head. So while you shower or drive you
can think about the math you've memorized and develope a deeper understanding.

As you say, memorization can be a useful part of a deeper understanding.

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wwweston
Some previous discussion of how key a role memorization plays in learning
math:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8402859](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8402859)

[http://nautil.us/issue/17/big-bangs/how-i-rewired-my-
brain-t...](http://nautil.us/issue/17/big-bangs/how-i-rewired-my-brain-to-
become-fluent-in-math-rd)

(Interestingly, Nautilus repeated the article from 2014 just a few months ago:
[http://nautil.us/issue/40/learning/how-i-rewired-my-brain-
to...](http://nautil.us/issue/40/learning/how-i-rewired-my-brain-to-become-
fluent-in-math-rp) ).

------
divbit
I did a phd. in math and used anki heavily- but ONLY to study for exams. Anki
is great for things like memorizing precise statements of theorems, or
remembering some trick. Anki is not great for learning the intuition needed to
solve hard problems (imo). I also use it to study written chinese characters,
and it has been immensely helpful with that (although this is a harder task
than I ever expected as just something I do in my spare 5 minutes a day!)

~~~
AlexCoventry
Yes, there is no substitute for developing intuition by doing exercises.

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patrickdavey
I love anki and have been using it for years.

One thing I definitely recommend is _not_ importing someone elses deck of a
gazillion cards. It's completely overwhelming. Create your own prompts (you'll
learn better that way anyway) and slowly slowly increase it.

I use it for language practice and also to remember a vim and bash commands
that I can never remember.

I've also started using it to remember friends partners & kids names, as I can
never ever remember them (except now I can ;) A bit cheaty, but hey, whatever
works.

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reacweb
I have a very bad memory and I am convinced that was the reason I was good in
mathematics. IMHO there is very few to rote memorize. When you learn
demonstrations, there are so many links with definitions that you eventually
know all definitions by heart. When you are asked to prove a theorem, no
teacher will complain if your (correct) demonstration is not the one that was
given by the teacher.

I do not know how mathematics is teached in anglosaxon countries, but for me
(in France), rote memorization of definitions is the consequence of practicing
demonstrations, not a first step.

~~~
reacweb
My comment does not contradict in any way the article: the problems of
mathematics searchers are very different than the ones of students. I just
disagree with many of the comments about this article: for me mathematics does
not require a good memory. Perhaps a bad memory means the brain store more
high level data instead of raw data and that may be useful for higher level of
abstraction ???

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registered99
I liked seeing your reasoning and method for creating decks. I purchased Anki
and have tried using it several times over the years, but haven't found a way
to get myself to stick to it. You're right, using other people's decks was
mostly boring, and I tried using it instead of reading books.

Having a guideline of how to stick to a process might help.

~~~
keithnz
purchased? I just had a look at the homepage and it says it's open source?

~~~
zeta0134
I thought it was possible he purchased a mobile port? But even then, I checked
the Google Play store and iTunes, and the official version from the Anki Open
Source Team is free in both cases.

EDIT: No, I'm just bad at looking at the iTunes website, looks like the iOS
version is $24.99.

[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ankimobile-
flashcards/id3734...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ankimobile-
flashcards/id373493387?mt=8)

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Rainymood
If anyone has found a TeX template to print ~8 LaTeX flashcards on a single a4
sheet please let me know. I did find a template for 3 flashcards on one a4 but
haven't had the time yet to change the template to accommodate 8 of them. Any
other suggestions to quickly create flashcards are also very welcomed.

~~~
profsnuggles
The flashcards class works fine for me.
[https://www.ctan.org/pkg/flashcards](https://www.ctan.org/pkg/flashcards) I
specified a custom layout that I use to print on cardstock and then cut out
the cards on a paper trimmer.

    
    
        \NeedsTeXFormat{LaTeX2e}[1996/12/01]                                                                   
        \ProvidesFile{letterCardstock.cfg}                                                                     
        \newcommand{\cardpapermode}{landscape}                                                                 
        \newcommand{\cardpaper}{letterpaper}                                                                   
        \newcommand{\cardrows}{2}                                                                              
        \newcommand{\cardcolumns}{2}                                                                           
        \setlength{\cardheight}{3in}                                                                           
        \setlength{\cardwidth}{5.0in}                                                                          
        \setlength{\topoffset}{1.25in}                                                                         
        \setlength{\oddoffset}{0.5in}                                                                          
        \setlength{\evenoffset}{0.5in}

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webwanderings
Is Anki useful in learning to program? Does anyone know of any examples?

~~~
ue_
It doesn't seem like the sort of thing that would be useful for programming.
I'm under the impression that the best way to become familiar with a language
is to just use it. It wouldn't really occur to me to have a flashcard saying
"define a function prototype that accepts 2 integers and returns a pointer to
char".

Languages (vocab but also some grammar patterns), law cases, and other "fact"
things is what I've used Anki for.

If instead you were thinking of using it to memorise algorithms, you'd get too
caught up in the content of the flashcard while trying to learn it rather than
the process of the algorithm itself. I think, anyway. I've never tried it :)

~~~
crucialfelix
I often forget some commonly used function definitions, especially when python
and javascript have different arguments. I use
[http://devdocs.io/](http://devdocs.io/) which is very quick, but I would
probably save a lot of annoyance and avoid these pauses if I just memorized
them.

[http://devdocs.io/javascript/global_objects/array/join](http://devdocs.io/javascript/global_objects/array/join)

[http://devdocs.io/python~2.7/library/stdtypes#str.join](http://devdocs.io/python~2.7/library/stdtypes#str.join)

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BeetleB
I used a similar program (same algorithm, I believe), when I was taking my
first abstract algebra course.

It really didn't help, unfortunately.

