PhotoReading texts in mathematics and related subjects can help, especially with priming the mind for that kind of thinking. The problem that arises, at least as far as I see in many American texts in mathematics, is that there is a brief proof given, maybe a derivation, and then a number of exercises. What you would be looking for in a mathematics text that you were going to use for Direct Learning, I think, is one which goes into great depth regarding the structure of the branch of mathematics that you are trying to learn, coupled with a number of worked out examples. A decent author in this regards is Courant.
My personal opinion regarding mathematics and Direct Learning is that some of the basic hooks for mathematical skills can be absorbed through Direct Learning and PhotoReading, but there is still required an investment of time and energy in actual problem solving in order to attain mastery. Mathematics is not memorization of equations and facts - it is a restructuring of the problem solving approach, and perfectly brilliant minds have devoted years to working problems that, at first blush, appeared trivial. Without practice, I don't think you'll learn the maths.
quote:
Originally posted by jmc98:
What if you want to PhotoRead a maths textbook in the full sense, using the various activation techniques, because you need to be able to recall equations and the like, and yet at the same time would like to try applying Direct Learning to the book to build up your intuitive maths skills? As I understand it, if you want to use a text for direct learning, you aren't supposed to activate it. Is it possible to do both with the same book?
