Tutor profile: Zoe N.

Why does trigonometry suck so much?

I used to really struggle with trigonometry. It took me years to be confident and comfortable with the subject matter. If you hate trig, you're not alone. For me, the difference between barely scraping by on memorization and succeeding in trigonometry was really understanding the graphs associated with the functions and what they really meant. Memorizing points is important, but if you don't know what the functions look like, it's really hard to 'get' trig.

Why focus on the basics?

A strong foundation is the most important thing in math. If you don't have your times tables memorized, how can you expect to do well in calculus? I make sure all my students have a strong understanding of the basics, because it not only improves their performance; but improves their confidence and enjoyment of math as well. Too many students rely heavily on their calculator, but with a little practice, their brain can become their calculator.

How does making letters represent numbers help me in math?

I find that a lot of students have difficulty making the leap from numbers to unknown numbers represented by letters. You have to realize that Algebra is a very helpful tool in mathematics. The answer to any question can be 'x' before you do the math to solve the equation. 4567/8910 = x, A + B = x. If you know the alphabet, you can technically answer any math question!