Thread

1. paulpauper · 1791078403 · focus · HN ↗

   unpopular opinion: imho there is no substitute for deep learning and doing problems. Math is unlike other subjects, where you have to actually do it head on; you cannot just passively consume it like listening to a history podcast or watching a video.

   1. traes · 1791078822 · focus · HN ↗

      This is the single most popular opinion about learning math.

      1. lll-o-lll · 1791079221 · focus · HN ↗

         Learning nearly anything? You can’t learn to drive a car from YouTube. Or paint a house, or wash a dish, or code, or … Learning requires doing.

         Who thinks otherwise?

         1. socializer · 1791093578 · focus · HN ↗

            The insane popularity of channels such as 3Blue1Brown suggests that a lot of people do. Learning by watching is many orders more popular than learning by doing. Probably because it makes you feel smart without having to put that knowledge to the test, so it seems like a better way to master new concepts.

            There are many folks on HN who watched a YouTube video or read a Quanta article about some mathematical concept and run with that.

            1. lgeorget · 1791102896 · focus · HN ↗

               Personnally, I watch 3Blue1Brown's videos because I find them very enlightening. They're are also very nice to watch and listen to, the production quality is very high. I don't pretend learning a lot of maths by simply watching them but I like watching them anyway for what they are: videos about maths problems and maths concepts.

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