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. tgv · 1791105661 · focus · HN ↗

               > Learning by watching is many orders more popular than learning by doing.

               But you hardly learn anything from it. You forget. And you don't know how to apply the bits that stick. You only remember some of the words and concepts. You may repeat them to other people. For 99% (or more) of the viewers, that's enough, because there's never a need to apply probability theory or differential calculus. So it is entertainment. Intellectual, more interesting than most other content, sometimes stimulating, but still entertainment. The 1% that does want to apply that knowledge, really needs to practice, though.

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