Ask HN: Best resources to gain math intuition? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Best resources to gain math intuition?

#51

Post by rramadass » Tue, Aug 27, 2019, 4:50 AM UTC

gameswithgo wrote: post #16

this might be useful to read for some general high level ideas on how to proceed: http://m.nautil.us/issue/17/big-bangs/how-i-rewired-my-brain...

Great Article! Thank You!

Re: Ask HN: Best resources to gain math intuition?

#52

Post by killjoywashere » Tue, Aug 27, 2019, 4:57 AM UTC

I have an employee who just randomly takes courses at the local uni. He's done a basic chip fab course, a stats course, etc.

Re: Ask HN: Best resources to gain math intuition?

#53

Post by justanotherjoe » Tue, Aug 27, 2019, 5:09 AM UTC

I'm also very curious about this. There seems to be a big gulf separating genuinely math savvy people and people with mediocre understanding of math, despite the resources being available to both. I'm curious if there is a/are common denominator(s) between the math-savvy people, like a habit or a loop that I slept out on.

Re: Ask HN: Best resources to gain math intuition?

#54

Post by keerthiko » Tue, Aug 27, 2019, 5:16 AM UTC

kalid wrote: post #4

Plug, but I have a blog for exactly this. As an EE/physics student you may appreciate this one on Euler's Formula: https://betterexplained.com/articles/intuitive-understanding...

I often quote/link your article on the Adjective Fallacy [0], about once a month since I first saw it nearly ~4 years ago! Thanks for a great resource.

[0] https://betterexplained.com/articles/adjective-fallacy/

Re: Ask HN: Best resources to gain math intuition?

#55

Post by kalid » Tue, Aug 27, 2019, 5:17 AM UTC

vmurthy wrote: post #50

kalid wrote: post #4

Plug, but I have a blog for exactly this. As an EE/physics student you may appreciate this one on Euler's Formula: https://betterexplained.com/articles/intuitive-understanding...

Kalid , Your post on the magic of “e” still remains etched in my memory. Kudos to what you are doing :-). Nice book, too!

Thanks, appreciate it!

Re: Ask HN: Best resources to gain math intuition?

#56

Post by kalid » Tue, Aug 27, 2019, 5:21 AM UTC

pjm331 wrote: post #26

kalid wrote: post #4

Plug, but I have a blog for exactly this. As an EE/physics student you may appreciate this one on Euler's Formula: https://betterexplained.com/articles/intuitive-understanding...

Thanks I’ve enjoyed your work especially the one on imaginary numbers

Thanks, one of my favorite aha! moments :).

Re: Ask HN: Best resources to gain math intuition?

#57

Post by kalid » Tue, Aug 27, 2019, 5:22 AM UTC

keerthiko wrote: post #54

kalid wrote: post #4

Plug, but I have a blog for exactly this. As an EE/physics student you may appreciate this one on Euler's Formula: https://betterexplained.com/articles/intuitive-understanding...

I often quote/link your article on the Adjective Fallacy [0], about once a month since I first saw it nearly ~4 years ago! Thanks for a great resource. [0] https://betterexplained.com/articles/adjective-fallacy/

Wow, that's awesome to hear! One of my fears is having to keep blogging continuously, but luckily math is pretty evergreen, so my intermittent writing schedule doesn't punish me too much.

Re: Ask HN: Best resources to gain math intuition?

#58

Post by codeisawesome » Tue, Aug 27, 2019, 5:31 AM UTC

halayli wrote: post #37

I feel you need to rethink your goal. it's like you're trying to finding missing chapters from an undefined book. Try to be around problems that requires a high degree of math skills to solve. let the problems drive you. intuition is usually built by spending hundreds of hours thinking, eating, and drinking the problems you're truly interested in to arrive to a solution. If you spend enough time doing this, you'll kn…

I love how OP’s question and this answer apply to Algorithms problems, and Distributed Systems problems, too (two things I want to get better at)

Re: Ask HN: Best resources to gain math intuition?

#59

Post by croh » Tue, Aug 27, 2019, 5:36 AM UTC

To get math intuition, you need some memorization along with practice. In school, you focus lot on remembering things for exams, that pays off later. As you grow, it becomes difficult to remember mindlessly.

1. Do exercises from competitive-exam books written for secondary school children.

2. Try to solve as many as possible exam papers in stipulated time.

This will help you to build intuition. Intuition comes only after doing something for long time (unless you are born-genius). Memorization plays very important role in learning maths, language, music instruments. On second note, don't fear to change resources if you're not comfortable. What I mean is - in childhood if you like teacher, you excel in subject. So you have to find material which match your temperament. Wish you best luck !

Re: Ask HN: Best resources to gain math intuition?

#60

Post by tagh » Tue, Aug 27, 2019, 5:37 AM UTC

halayli wrote: post #37

I feel you need to rethink your goal. it's like you're trying to finding missing chapters from an undefined book. Try to be around problems that requires a high degree of math skills to solve. let the problems drive you. intuition is usually built by spending hundreds of hours thinking, eating, and drinking the problems you're truly interested in to arrive to a solution. If you spend enough time doing this, you'll kn…

I agree with this post. You mentioned that Physics made gaps in your knowledge apparent, can you articulate roughly what these gaps were, or which field of maths they belong to?