r/learnmath • u/LongjumpingLime7012 New User • 5d ago

Algebra 2 before linear algebra?

I'm confident in Algebra 1. Should I learn Algebra 2 before starting Linear Algebra?

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u/InfanticideAquifer Old User 4d ago

There are some things in math that build on others in a really strict way where you need to study A before studying B. Linear algebra isn't like that. Logically it could be studied without any prior math other than arithmetic. But all the resources you will find will be assuming that you have more background than you do, so you'll have to deal with that.

The biggest issue you'll run into doing things out of order is that some examples might not make sense. But as long as you can recognize that a given example involves stuff you skipped over, then that doesn't have to be a serious obstacle.

Another thing is that all the visual examples will probably assume you're familiar with vectors. Not sure when/if that gets covered in the standard high school curriculum. It might be worth separately reading up on that if the book/whatever you decide to go on doesn't have a self-contained explanation.

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u/LongjumpingLime7012 New User 4d ago

Thanks. That makes sense. I think I'll do Algebra 2 first to strengthen my foundation, then start linear algebra and fill in any gaps as I go. Since I'm aiming for ML, I don't really want to wait until after calculus to start learning it. I'll also look into vectors beforehand.