I’m afraid you haven’t delved into any advanced topics. That’s actually about the easiest part, and could be mastered by ten year olds (certainly myself when I was ten).
I’m afraid you haven’t delved into any advanced topics. That’s actually about the easiest part, and could be mastered by ten year olds (certainly myself when I was ten).
so it's not that the basics are intellectually difficult as much as practically difficult (unfamiliar, disorienting) for many students. many "transition" books talk about the difficulty in adjusting from talent being redefined from perfectionist "plug and chug" (APs, SATs) to reasoning and creativity.
btw, i'm impressed that you could master college-level proofs at 10. i have a kid about that age who is pretty good at logical reasoning, but i'm not sure what topic (at that level) he could do a rigorous proof about; maybe numbers, as in landau? can you say more about the materials you used?
Reading and presenting rigorous proofs in elementary number theory, Euclidean geometry, etc. is easy for gifted ten year olds and definitely manageable for a lot of fifteen year olds. You asked about material — it doesn’t actually matter, and I don’t recall specifics; any entry level treatment of elementary number theory should do (really beautiful subject with a very low barrier of entry). For kids who have eyes on IMO, it’s very common to be throwing around perfectly rigorous proofs at young ages.