Search
Chris A.'s Photo

Math PhD with 20 years experience tutoring all levels.
Chris A.

5.0 (1,071 ratings)

3,281 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
Hourly Rate: $50
Contact Chris
Response time: 29 minutes

About Chris

Bio

Over the past twenty years, both before and since obtaining my math PhD, I have tutored hundreds of students in all levels and courses, all the way from beginning middle school courses, to advanced college math courses that only math majors take. I have about fifteen years experience teaching at the college level, but tutoring is more fun in several ways. In front of a large classroom, you are forced to say what is somewhat helpful to a number of people, yet it was not EXACTLY what ANYONE...

Over the past twenty years, both before and since obtaining my math PhD, I have tutored hundreds of students in all levels and courses, all the way from beginning middle school courses, to advanced college math courses that only math majors take. I have about fifteen years experience teaching at the college level, but tutoring is more fun in several ways. In front of a large classroom, you are forced to say what is somewhat helpful to a number of people, yet it was not EXACTLY what ANYONE needed to hear. The classroom setting often makes it impossible to address any one student's specific need, since a group average "composite character" must be taught to instead. This can be frustrating.

It is much more fun to see an individual student's exact need, in real time, and respond exactly to that need, not to some average. I have very often, if not most often, found that students who thought they could not understand course material, only could not understand the explanation that was given to this phantom composite character. Their specific need did not happen to coincide with the group average need. The explanation addressed to the average did nothing for them, because the group average question was not THEIR question. In my experience, by far most students CAN understand course material, even if previously struggling, if they simply have their specific individual questions and needs addressed. It is much more rewarding, on a personal level, to be able to provide that.

I have a mathematics PhD, so I am comfortable teaching all math courses and levels. The list of specific courses would be very long, so it is easier to simply say, "All courses and levels." Not all courses I tutor are listed yet, since I am new to Wyzant and have not yet had a chance to take tests for each individual course. But yes, to get the PhD, I assure you that they made me know that. :)

If you need a little (or a lot) of help, feel free to contact me. I will respond to your message promptly, and we can schedule something soon.

Read more

Education

The Ohio State University
Mathematics
The Ohio State University
PhD

Policies

Schedule

Loading...

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Approved Subjects

AMC (Competition math)

AMC (Competition math)

I have a math PhD, a 5.0 Wyzant rating, and over 20 years teaching and tutoring experience. I have tutored many gifted students, from students at special STEM schools to students training for the AMC contests. I myself was on the Ohio State Putnam team in college, scored well enough to be sent a letter from the NSA's Director's Summer Program, and was top few on the university math contests at Ohio State. My profile page contains multiple testimonials from these highly gifted students. Let me help you as I helped them.
Calculus

Calculus

I have a math PhD and have taught and tutored calculus at the high school and university levels for twenty years. I have had hundreds of calculus tutor students over the years. It is the course I have taught and tutored more than any other course. After so long I know exactly what questions students have, where they get confused, which explanations work the best, and so on. But don’t trust me on that. Let me prove it. :)
Differential Equations

Differential Equations

I have a math PhD and twenty years teaching and tutoring experience at the university level. I have had many differential equations students in that time. Differential equations is often the first course students take that is not a “weed out” course. Every single student in the class is good at math, and the course level is set accordingly. Consequently, students often need tutoring who never had trouble with math before. Tutoring a higher level course, with more gifted students, is somewhat different than tutoring lower courses with those not gifted in math. There is a different focus, less on pure rote monotony of drilling, more on the higher level thinking of why one would do X, so that the student then not merely memorizes what to do, but actually knows why, so they can do on their own even when given a non-cookie cutter problem, as is often given in higher courses. Such higher level courses (diff eq, linear algebra, discrete mathematics, etc) are what I enjoy tutoring the most and what I am best at.
Discrete Math

Discrete Math

I have taken both undergraduate and graduate level discrete mathematics courses while earning my undergraduate and doctorate mathematics degrees. I have taught discrete mathematics at the university level and have tutored discrete mathematics many times. My PhD dissertation consisted of mathematical logic and discrete mathematics. I have published peer reviewed research papers in discrete mathematics journals, proved new theorems in discrete mathematics, been a referee for discrete mathematics journals, organized discrete mathematics seminars, and have generally speaking been a part of the discrete mathematics research community.
Finite Math

Finite Math

Finite/discrete mathematics is my area of specialization within math. I have taken both undergraduate and graduate level finite/discrete mathematics courses while earning my undergraduate and doctorate mathematics degrees. I have taught finite/discrete mathematics at the university level and have tutored finite/discrete mathematics at the high school and university levels many times. My PhD dissertation consisted of mathematical logic and finite/discrete mathematics. I have published peer reviewed research papers in finite/discrete mathematics journals, proved new theorems in finite/discrete mathematics, been a referee for finite/discrete mathematics journals, organized finite/discrete mathematics seminars, and have generally speaking been a part of the finite/discrete mathematics research community.
Linear Algebra

Linear Algebra

Different mathematics courses are difficult in different ways. Linear algebra is hard for students in one very specific way: This course will be far more abstract than any mathematics course you have taken thus far. The theorems and methods aren’t any harder than those in calculus, IF one understands what is being talked about in the first place. I would actually say most of the plug and chug is easier than most calculus plug and chug IF one understands what is going on in the first place. But linear algebra is abstract, so that’s a big if. My strength in teaching linear algebra is that I am good at making it seem fairly concrete and simple, not abstract, so that the theorems aren’t so bad after all, or even common sense. I probably help students in this course more than any other course I tutor, because I can usually take a student from having NO IDEA what is going on, to knowing exactly what is going on and doing the problems, since the only problem was they didn’t understand the abstraction, and that’s not actually that hard to solve.
Logic

Logic

I have taken both undergraduate and graduate level mathematical logic courses while earning my undergraduate and doctorate mathematics degrees. I have taught courses on proofs, propositional calculus, and so on (beginning mathematical logic) at the university level and have tutored students in mathematical logic as well. My PhD dissertation consisted of mathematical logic and discrete mathematics. I have proved new theorems and published peer reviewed research papers at the interface of mathematical logic and discrete mathematics. I have given invited seminar talks on these topics to professors at various universities, including speaking to logic seminars. In general, I have been a researcher in mathematics at the interface of mathematical logic and discrete math.
MATLAB

MATLAB

I have a math PhD and over 20 years teaching and tutoring experience. I have over 20 years of programming experience in a variety of languages as well, especially Matlab in recent years. I have tutored numerous differential equations and linear algebra students in Matlab when their course is at least partly numerical analysis or programming based. I have also tutored students in full blown numerical analysis and Matlab courses in which coding numerical algorithms is the entire focus of the course.
Precalculus

Precalculus

I have a math PhD and twenty years teaching and tutoring experience with all levels of mathematics, including teaching and tutoring precalculus many times. I have had hundreds of precalculus students over the past twenty years, so I am very familiar with exactly where students get confused, which explanations help students the most, how to explain each topic most efficiently, and so on. But don’t trust me on that. Let me prove it to you. :)
Real Analysis

Real Analysis

Hi. I have a math Phd and over 20 years teaching and tutoring experience, often including real analysis. My profile page has multiple positive testimonials that specifically mention real analysis. Real analysis is one of the core higher math subjects that almost all math graduate students must take. It is now often taken by physicists and other users of math as well since advanced scientific computing and PDE and data analysis work often require not just formulas and programming, but true theoretical understanding of measure theory, Fourier series, modes of convergence, and so on.
Trigonometry

Trigonometry

I have a math PhD and twenty years teaching and tutoring experience with all levels of math. I have taught and tutored trigonometry many times over the years, and I have had hundreds of trigonometry students. By now I know exactly where students get confused, exactly which explanations work best, the most efficient ways to explain each concept, and so on. But don’t trust me on that. Let me prove it. :)
ACT Math
Algebra 1
Algebra 2
Elementary Math
GED
Geometry
Prealgebra
SAT Math
Chris A.'s Photo

Questions? Contact Chris before you book.

Still have questions?

Contact Chris
Response time: 29 minutes

Ratings and Reviews

Rating

5.0 (1,071 ratings)
5 star
(1,065)
4 star
(4)
3 star
(2)
2 star
(0)
1 star
(0)

Reviews

Incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and explains concepts perfectly

Chris is just an awesome tutor. He helped me get through my advanced linear algebra class and made the concepts amazingly comprehensible (even with my weak grasp of elementary linear algebra). He was very patient and easy to talk to and made sure I understood the basics before we worked on specific problems, which was crucial to my understanding of the subject. He also provided great advice for how to study and how to approach difficult problems. He even showed me how linear algebra related to my major (statistics), which was very cool! I really appreciate linear algebra now and I'm so grateful to Chris for his help. I would definitely recommend him to other students!

Taelyr, 15 lessons with Chris

Extremely knowledgeable and patient tutor

Chris is an exceptional and highly skilled math tutor with years of experience. As a computer science major, I worked with him on Linear Algebra and Statistics for Engineering Majors, and he made a huge difference in my understanding and confidence. His creative teaching style and ability to tailor each session to my specific needs helped me not only keep up with the coursework but actually enjoy learning. With every session, I felt more confident participating in class, and my grades improved significantly. Thanks to his guidance and my hard work, I scored an 88 on my Linear Algebra final — something that once felt out of reach. Chris truly made the material accessible and motivating. I’m incredibly grateful for his support. Thank you, Chris!

Vivianne, 27 lessons with Chris

64 Tutoring Lessons

I’ve had the brilliant idea to start over. In my mid thirties, with two kids and a successful career in nursing I’ve decided to return to school to pursue another bachelor’s degree. This time, in engineering. I share this because it frames the importance of finding the right person for what lies ahead. I needed someone reliable, kind, consistent, and flexible. Someone with the experience to see what I needed and the ability to get me there. Chris is all of those. Not only that, but Chris has years of experience teaching all of the classes I have and will take in Mathematics. He knew, by heart, the ins-and-outs of the general curriculum. I felt as though stumbling upon Chris on Wyzant was one of the best things that could have happened to me. Chris, thank you for your patience, time and willingness to share your knowledge with me. I’m a better student and will be a better engineer for it.

Jeremy, 65 lessons with Chris

Amazing Math Tutor

Chris has helped my two sons get through Algebra 2, AP Precalculus, and AP Calculus BC at one of the most competitive STEM high schools. He patiently explains the concepts and helps them master their applications through consistent practice. He is also extremely reliable and responsible. Over the past three years, Chris has always been on time, accommodates my sons’ test schedules, reschedules promptly, and, most importantly, never cancels at the last minute. More than just a great teacher, Chris is truly a great person. As a parent, I am deeply grateful to Chris for helping my sons survive in school. I would certainly recommend him to other students.

Sun Hee, 178 lessons with Chris

great math tutor

My son loves Chris who has helped him with Calc 3 and now Diff Eq. He says Chris is kind, patient, and a great teacher. It’s been a great experience all around.

Junghua, 14 lessons with Chris

Fantastic Tutor!

Chris tutored both my daughters (a junior taking AP Calculus and freshman taking Algebra 2) and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience! His explanations were clear and concise, he was patient and encouraging and was available when we needed. Both our daughters were feeling confused and unprepared for finals until they tutored with Chris. After the tutoring session, they went into their finals with confidence aced them! Definitely recommend tutoring with Chris.

Joseph, 4 lessons with Chris

excellent tutor

Really helpful for my daughter’s discrete math course, both teaching concepts and problem-solving strategies. He is explaining the right way to think about a problem.

Natasha, 8 lessons with Chris

Feeling more confident

My son has had a couple sessions with Chris and he’s already feeling more confident with Finite math. He told me that Chris explains in a way that it makes sense to him. He will continue to work with Chris and very happy with the results in this sort period of time. Thanks Chris!

Kelly, 4 lessons with Chris

Passionate and knowledgeable!

Great way to keep the student engaged and able to think critically about the solutions to the math problems. My son really enjoyed the geometry session with Chris and look forward to more classes!

Daniele, 6 lessons with Chris

Amazing !

That’s very sweet I was definitely doubting myself thank you Chris ! I think I did okay on my exam!

Annie, 12 lessons with Chris
Hourly Rate: $50
Response time: 29 minutes
Contact Chris