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Wikipedia provides one of the more prominent resources on the Web for factual information about contemporary mathematics, with over 20,000 articles on mathematical topics. It is natural that many readers use Wikipedia for the purpose of [[Autodidacticism|self-study]] in mathematics and its applications. Some readers will be simultaneously studying mathematics in a more formal way, while others will rely on Wikipedia alone. There are certain points that need to be
==General points==
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* Wikipedia is organized as [[hypertext]], meaning that the information you require may not be on one page, but spread over many pages.
* In technical subjects, the material may also be technical: '''Wikipedia has no restriction on the depth of coverage.''' The lead section of each article is supposed to give a summary accessible to the [[WP:TECHNICAL|general reader]].
* Wikipedia is a work in progress. Some of our articles are highly polished, while others are in a rougher state. The Wikipedia model relies on volunteers to edit articles, and you
==Particular points==
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* To find additional related topics, look under the "See also" header or use the article's categories listed at the bottom.
The best advice for retaining definitions of mathematical terms
==Omissions from the encyclopedia==
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When it comes to more advanced topics, mathematics is developed, and largely hangs together, by means of the large body of quite formal ''[[Mathematical proof|proofs]]'' that exist in the mathematical literature. Wikipedia does not attempt to condense all of these proofs into encyclopedic form, for reasons that are discussed at length in [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Mathematics/Proofs|another essay]]. Wikipedia assembles the facts uncovered by mathematical investigation, and the definitions underlying the abstract theories. In common with other mathematical encyclopedias, it omits most proofs.
Although learning mathematics involves memorization of the sort of factual knowledge that Wikipedia provides, memorization is not enough to master the field. To become a mathematician, you must acquire the skills of creating proofs and doing calculations for yourself, to internalize the material
==Caveats==
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Remember that any source may contain errors, so do not put too much trust into a single account. Verify proofs and calculations yourself. Because anyone can edit Wikipedia, you can correct any errors you find; this can be a very powerful learning experience.
There are some mathematical concepts for which different authors use different definitions. For example, some authors count zero as a [[natural number]] while others do not. These differences can affect the way that mathematical theorems are stated. Therefore, double-check the definitions in each article to see whether they match those to which you are accustomed
==Ways to use Wikipedia==
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*Explore the [[:Category:Mathematics|category system]].
*The [[Portal:Mathematics|mathematics portal]] is a good "way in" to mathematics articles on Wikipedia.
If you are in doubt, ask at the [[Wikipedia:Reference desk/Mathematics|mathematics reference desk]]. No one on Wikipedia is going to [[Wikipedia:Do your own homework|do your math homework]] for you
==Sister projects==
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