How do I teach myself science and math in a fun way?

[udasitharani]

I dropped out after high school. As a result, I've not received the education in science and math. But I am fascinated by the world around us. I really want to learn these subjects but in an interactive and fun way, following my curiosity, instead of the traditional boring curriculum. Any recommendations for resources? Books are preferred.

[austin-cheney]

If you are interested in self education, especially science, I recommend diving full force into horticulture and philosophy. Both subjects are deep and yet immediately accessibility by both reading and interacting with the world around you.

For horticulture I recommend using phone apps with your camera to explore the open areas around you and reading about the plants you discover. This will get you started so that you know what to look for and then in a local library you will know what more specific books to request by research topic.

For philosophy I recommend starting with the classics. Most of this is public domain and online. Examples: Aristotle, Plato, Mills, Descartes, Kant, Adam Smith. Then I recommend moving onto modern philosophy, such as philosophy of language, religion, and ethics. You could even find compilation books of philosophy by subject which then provide a single starting point of excellent research sources plus bibliography at the back that directly references more things to read about.

Start reading. Then once you have gotten through some of this material you will become better aware of other subjects and materials to research and how to find them.

[h2odragon]

Learn to make your own fireworks. Much fun to be had there, nothing super daunting in terms of knowledge work, but a good excuse to do a lot of the basics.

Especially looking at old recipes will cross a number of disciplines, including maths, chemistry, linguistics and library science.

[ahazred8ta]

Read and study The Flying Circus of Physics - 700 thought experiments. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flying_Circus_of_Physics

[meristohm]

The Number Devil is a fun entry to the wonders of math.

OpenStax has textbooks available for no money. At least as reference, maybe not fun?

If you have access to a public lending library, consider asking a librarian for help with this, too.

[mikemitchelldev]

I'm trying to learn programming and I find it best to be very focussed on a narrow problem rather than trying to cover everything.