3Blue1Brown is one of the best math educators on YouTube. As a matter of fact, I would say he's the best I know of at the moment. I'm currently working my way through his series on diff-eq.
So... typically this is the part where there might be some kind of
sponsor message. But one thing I want to do with the channel moving
ahead is to stop doing sponsored content, and instead make things just
about the direct relationship with the audience.
I mean that not only in the sense of the funding model, with direct
support through Patreon, but also in the sense that I think these
videos can better accomplish their goal if each one feels like it's
just about you and me sharing in a love of math, with no other motive,
especially in the cases where viewers are students.
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He's really a good person. I'm glad that now he is able to do this full-time by just the support from his patreon.
Not only does he have a penchant for finding geometric analogues for mathematical ideas that are neat and beautiful, his animations clarify and increase my understanding of those concepts.
Was just going to ask this. Wish there were more of these tools all around, because I bet a lot of experts have developed intuitive pictures of their own that would be good to convey directly. A big barrier to mathematics is the abstraction cost of the language. In many cases mathematical expressions are fine, but not always in mathematical physics.
How are his videos on linear algebra? Could they serve as a complete resource to learn linear algebra or would you want something alongside/more material?
His videos on linear algebra are excellent, but they are not a complete resource. If you want a comprehensive resource, search for the LA course by "maththebeautiful" on YouTube. Also check out Gilbert Strang's MIT lectures.
Indeed, the MIT lectures by Prof Strang and the MathTheBeautiful videos by Prof Grinfeld provide perfect pairings to go with the enhanced visual intuition you acquire on 3Blue1Brown.
NB: MathTheBeautiful [1] is by MIT alum Pavel Grinfeld [2]. He approaches Linear Algebra from a geometric perspective as well, but with more emphasis on the mechanics of solving equations. He has a ton of videos organized into several courses, ranging from in-depth Intro to Linear Algebra courses to more advanced courses on PDEs and Tensor Calculus. Highly recommended.
search for the LA course by "maththebeautiful" on YouTube. Also check out Gilbert Strang's MIT lectures.
I just realized there's a deep connection among your recommendations...Gilbert Strang was Greenfield's PhD advisor: https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/29345. Pavel has a clear and precise teaching style like Strang, and I've heard him reference Prof's Strang's courses before but didn't make the connection. Good trees produce good fruit. The small world graph and the truth of that never ceases to amaze. Good trees, good stuff.
They are absolutely amazing for the intuition but lack the mechanics, both of which are essential for linear algebra. The calculations are necessary, but without the intuition they will seem meaningless and the nuances will be difficult to remember.
I would pair with Gilbert Strang MIT open courseware and Khan Academy. The 3 together made linear algebra probably the most useful mathematics class Ive taken.
I loved his videos on linear algebra. Were far more intuitive than anything I studied in engineering. In particular, the way he describes what a determinant is, and what value it has, is excellent. I'm proud to be a Patreon supporter of 3Blue1Brown.
