4 ms·

Do you have a particular CS or math topic that you want to study? Is there a book that you tried, that was too bottom-up? If it's in an applied area, like cal

Do you have a particular CS or math topic that you want to study? Is there a book that you tried, that was too bottom-up? If it's in an applied area, like calculus or statistics, there are usually plenty of books that skip the theory and simply give you recipes to use. If it's a more theoretical area then the theory is presumably why you came, so of course they aren't going to skip it. It's also common to study application-style first, then theory later. So first you take "calculus", then "intro to analysis" which is the same topics as calculus but with the proofs done carefully, and then a more theoretical and abstract approach to analysis. If you start with an abstract textbook, you'll see a bunch of definitions and axioms at the beginning that might make the book feel self-contained like you can start from nothing, but in practice you are supposed to know the basics of the topic before you start such a book. Otherwise you will have a hard time. That might be the difficulty you've encountered.

curious16 4y ago
I am talking about a mixture of both such that both the applied and theoretical parts are well explained. But not in a theory first way. More like this: Here is a tool you can use to perform these many tasks in these many situations. Now that you have seen how it works, let us investigate why it works and where does it come from (maybe with a bit of history). Because stories are always easier to remember.
- throwaway81523 4y ago
  It would still help if you could give a specific example of a topic you want to study that way. I think a book that includes a serious axiomatic approach is unlikely to include a "tool" approach, and vice versa. If you can name a specific topic, people here might be able to recommend specific books. I'd say if you want an applied approach, then just go for that. If you also want an axiomatic approach, do that afterwards, from a different book.

curious16 4y ago

I am talking about a mixture of both such that both the applied and theoretical parts are well explained. But not in a theory first way. More like this: Here is a tool you can use to perform these many tasks in these many situations. Now that you have seen how it works, let us investigate why it works and where does it come from (maybe with a bit of history). Because stories are always easier to remember.

throwaway81523 4y ago
It would still help if you could give a specific example of a topic you want to study that way. I think a book that includes a serious axiomatic approach is unlikely to include a "tool" approach, and vice versa. If you can name a specific topic, people here might be able to recommend specific books. I'd say if you want an applied approach, then just go for that. If you also want an axiomatic approach, do that afterwards, from a different book.