My partner’s 11yo boy (ie half way through 5th grade) has determined for reasons unknown that he wants to learn logs, and that I’m the guy to teach him. I was pretty good at maths at school but that was over 30 years ago; I don’t suppose I’ve used trig more than a handful of times since, and never logs.
I believe he’d be due to come across this stuff in school in about 1 year’s time. My half-baked plan was to start with basic algebra, bring in Pythagoras, basic trig, then on to logs.
So I wander into a large bookstore to see what’s around these days for advanced primary school kids interested in maths, and all I can see are what amounts to a bunch of comic books. Every one is illustrated with happenin’ dudes on skateboards and spiky hair sayin’ rad things and making stupid jokes. They were transparently trying to engage the enthusiasm of bored kids in a classroom and I suspect that would put him off faster than anything. Also they are all strictly based on the goverment-mandated curriculum, so for instance every book’s chapter on algebra is also on patterns (ie what number is missing from this sequence …) which is of no use to this project, it seems to me.
I was looking for something more straightforward, that just lays down the necessary concepts and techniques that need to be mastered before progressing to the next stage, presumably with some worksheets to make sure the good stuff is bedded down before moving on. Naturally I’ll need to be a chapter or so ahead of him all along
I guess what I’m after is not just a recommendation on an exact book for me to brush up from, but also comment on my approach, and indeed any reallife experiences in this line. Thanks to anyone with help to offer!