Open Thread, August 2010-- part 2

NancyLebovitz

This thread is for the discussion of Less Wrong topics that have not appeared in recent posts. If a discussion gets unwieldy, celebrate by turning it into a top-level post.

I'm considering starting a Math QA Thread at the toplevel, due to recent discussions about the lack of widespread math understanding on LW. What do you say?

I have been wanting something like this on LW for quite awhile, but wasn't sure it was on topic. With your linked post in mind, however, I think this is a good idea, and I, for one, would be an active participant.

3XiXiDu16y

Here is all the math you need to know to understand most of LW (correct me if I'm wrong): * The Khan Academy (For the basics.) * A Guide to Bayes’ Theorem – A few links (Just this might do too.) I'm working through all of it right now. Not very far yet though. You might want to add computer science and basic programming knowledge too.

3NancyLebovitz16y

I'm not sure that people necessarily know what questions they need to ask, or even that they need to ask. A math Q&A seems like a good idea, but it would be a better idea if there were some "the math you need for LW" posts first. There was a very nice piece here (possibly a quote) on how to think about math problems-- no more that a few paragraphs long. It was about how to break things down and the sorts of persistence needed. Anyone remember it?

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Open Thread, August 2010-- part 2

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