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Lessons by 3blue1brown

3blue1brown.com

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Re: Lessons by 3blue1brown

#21

Post by frankfrank13 »

dingosity wrote: post #7

2b1b does a video on how you raise e to a matrix (hint: raising something to e is converted into another function where it's not nonsensical to do such a thing.) In about 10 minutes he explains something my math methods instructor struggled with over two weeks (4 classes). I was resistant to the view that YouTube could host "decent" instructional content for a long time. That video was one of the first that was CLEAR…

Much the same experience for me, although sans tier-1 lol. He's clearly gifted, for a long time I think wrongly assumed everyone who makes content is not.

Re: Lessons by 3blue1brown

#22

Post by suremarc »

pdpi wrote: post #19
dingosity wrote: post #7

2b1b does a video on how you raise e to a matrix (hint: raising something to e is converted into another function where it's not nonsensical to do such a thing.) In about 10 minutes he explains something my math methods instructor struggled with over two weeks (4 classes). I was resistant to the view that YouTube could host "decent" instructional content for a long time. That video was one of the first that was CLEAR…

My "ten minutes to understand something I never quite got" moment was his video on Fourier Transforms.

I understand Fourier transforms fairly well but his video blew my mind. He has a totally original way of distilling mathematical concepts intuitively.

Re: Lessons by 3blue1brown

#23

Post by robertlagrant »

pdpi wrote: post #19
dingosity wrote: post #7

2b1b does a video on how you raise e to a matrix (hint: raising something to e is converted into another function where it's not nonsensical to do such a thing.) In about 10 minutes he explains something my math methods instructor struggled with over two weeks (4 classes). I was resistant to the view that YouTube could host "decent" instructional content for a long time. That video was one of the first that was CLEAR…

My "ten minutes to understand something I never quite got" moment was his video on Fourier Transforms.

Yes. The visualisations and the narration make it so clear.

Re: Lessons by 3blue1brown

#24

Post by gumby »

dingosity wrote: post #7

2b1b does a video on how you raise e to a matrix (hint: raising something to e is converted into another function where it's not nonsensical to do such a thing.) In about 10 minutes he explains something my math methods instructor struggled with over two weeks (4 classes). I was resistant to the view that YouTube could host "decent" instructional content for a long time. That video was one of the first that was CLEAR…

> CLEARLY superior to the instruction I received at a tier 1 research institution.

It was pretty clear at the R1 institution I attended (MIT) that it is really a huge research lab with a small school attached, and that the educational part, for undergrads at least, was definitely not a priority. The continuing stream of advertising (err, alumni updates) that I’ve received over the subsequent decades don’t seem to contradict this either.

Still glad I went and learned a ton, but it’s not for everyone.

ETA: don’t mean to imply that it might have been good or bad for you, dingosity (how would I know?); just responding in a general way to a singular anecdote/observation in your comment.

Re: Lessons by 3blue1brown

#25

Post by rjh29 »

dingosity wrote: post #7

2b1b does a video on how you raise e to a matrix (hint: raising something to e is converted into another function where it's not nonsensical to do such a thing.) In about 10 minutes he explains something my math methods instructor struggled with over two weeks (4 classes). I was resistant to the view that YouTube could host "decent" instructional content for a long time. That video was one of the first that was CLEAR…

> I was resistant to the view that YouTube could host "decent" instructional content for a long time.

There is SO much good content on there though. I can only guess "the algorithm" was hiding it from you. Sadly we often have to rely on sites like reddit or HN to find these creators.

Re: Lessons by 3blue1brown

#26

Post by adamc »

Love this series; have been watching for a few years now.

I wish we put more resources into educational materials of this level (and with this kind of universal access) as a country.

Re: Lessons by 3blue1brown

#27

Post by FredPret »

djcooley wrote: post #14
mkw5053 wrote: post #12

Just came here to say I love 3blue1brown

I second that. 3b1b is fantastic for developing a more intuitive understanding of mathematics. In my experience, having that intuition makes all the difference.

Mathematics teaching should start with this and end with the actual computation. In high school I thought algebraic calculations was all there is to math.

Re: Lessons by 3blue1brown

#28

Post by Silverback_VII »

armchairhacker wrote: post #9

3b1b is doing everyone a huge favor with these lessons. Teaching is certainly a lot different today. Decreased attention spans, underfunded schools, and ChatGPT make it a lot harder, but online modules and tutorials like these make it a lot easier.

The problem is that you can learn many things, but time is limited. Learning and understanding abstract concepts won't make you more successful, increase your SMV and give you access to better mating opportunities.

What's the use of arcane knowledge about prime numbers if you are not mathematician, and even then, one should question its importance?

Time is often better spent learning about crucial factors of success such as goal-setting and self-discipline. Additionally I would say that learning about social skills like human interaction, power dynamics, and body language is a more productive use of time.

And what about focusing on the tasks that you really need to or want to do?

Note: I often watch those kinds of videos, but I feel bad about it because I know it's procrastination. In my daily life, I almost never use this kind of knowledge.

Re: Lessons by 3blue1brown

#29

Post by JackFr »

coreyp_1 wrote: post #20
jackling wrote: post #2

I'm likely in the minority, but I found 3blue1brown videos difficult to understand and they usually give me a worse intuition about a concept than I previously had. I wonder why that is. Seems like most people I know swear by his videos.

Learning is all about using your current knowledge and understanding to refine and augment those mental models. Be aware that many people don't watch videos to learn, they watch to be entertained. They think that they are learning, but really they are just watching animations. In the end, they can't actually do any of the math. They haven't actually learned anything. In the same vein, that's why TED talks are so popu…

Professor I had for Real Analysis (the second time I took it) was probably the best math professor I've ever had. He had the most extensive mental catalog of the wrong ways people could understand and the failure modes of students. When you would ask a question he was able to help, not just because he understood the material, but because he knew why you didn't.

In my evaluation of him I mentioned this, but added that he was probably wasted on 3rd and 4th year math majors, and should be teaching more intro classes where the quality of instruction was markedly worse.

Re: Lessons by 3blue1brown

#30

Post by rand0mx1 »

coreyp_1 wrote: post #20
jackling wrote: post #2

I'm likely in the minority, but I found 3blue1brown videos difficult to understand and they usually give me a worse intuition about a concept than I previously had. I wonder why that is. Seems like most people I know swear by his videos.

Learning is all about using your current knowledge and understanding to refine and augment those mental models. Be aware that many people don't watch videos to learn, they watch to be entertained. They think that they are learning, but really they are just watching animations. In the end, they can't actually do any of the math. They haven't actually learned anything. In the same vein, that's why TED talks are so popu…

how do you conclude that people watch videos to only get entertained? What fun will be derived from Topics like Fourier Transforms, Taylor's Series, Eigen vectors which already studied by fewer students.
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