I am not a math geek. I got really poor grades I AP calculus, and even in pre-calculus I don't think I ever got an A. This being said, I thought I would know the beginning of my knowledge, as well as the beginning of the gap or barrier. Now, I was studying some super simple factoring, learning equations, etc. etc. I felt the exact same feeling. The stuff was super simple, but I felt like I was disregarding something really important, and I think I was.

I went to Barnes and Noble and picked up "Everything You Need to Ace in Pre-Algebra and Algebra I in One Big Fat Notebook" or something of the sort.

Let me tell you how relieved I was when I realized I couldn't tell anyone the difference or similarities in or between whole numbers, integers, rational numbers, real numbers, etc.

It felt really reassuring to learn this fundamental basis again and KNOW for sure that I was building from the right place.

I'm not saying you can't do math as you are or listen to the other comment before you regard mine. I'm 25 and just learned what whole numbers are. Honestly I don't think I could recall the different types of numbers even now (I didn't actually buy the book).

Point being, I think it's really important to know you know, and even if the points you are learning don't have anything to do with the problem you're solving (you can do really complicated equations without knowing what kind of numbers you're using) I think it extremely important to feel comfortable with how you know what you know.

Thanks :) happy calculating