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Pure mathematics: videos Hacker News recommends
Pure mathematics: algebra, group theory, number theory, topology, analysis, geometry, calculus, linear algebra, Euler, prime numbers, Riemann hypothesis, mathematical proofs, famous theorems. Below: every video in this topic that at least three HN users linked with real commentary, in at least three different months (49 explainers, 21 lectures, 10 talks), best-scored first, with the comments on each video page.
- 17 HN recommenders 18 months 2018–2026HN's go-to recommendation for learning linear algebra intuition, repeatedly credited with making concepts click and complementing textbooks.
- 16 HN recommenders 15 months 2018–2025HN's default recommendation for understanding the Fourier transform intuitively; many say it was the explanation that made it click.
- 11 HN recommenders 12 months 2011–2020It is HN's default recommendation for learning linear algebra, praised for Strang's teaching and for building real understanding useful in machine learning.
- 13 HN recommenders 10 months 2010–2025W wonderingmind42 · lectureA perennial HN recommendation for building intuition about exponential growth, cited whenever endless growth, energy or population come up.
- 10 HN recommenders 9 months 2017–2025A staple recommendation for anyone learning math, praised for visual intuition that makes memorized formulas make sense.
- 8 HN recommenders 10 months 2020–2022B Bivector · lectureHN commenters repeatedly point people to it as the most accessible, developer-friendly introduction to geometric algebra and its use in graphics and physics.
- 11 HN recommenders 9 months 2016–2026B Bartosz Milewski · lectureHN commenters repeatedly name it as the friendliest entry point to category theory for working programmers.
- 11 HN recommenders 7 months 2016–2018HN repeatedly recommends the series as the best intuition-first, visual introduction to linear algebra and a benchmark for clear math explanation.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2020–2024S sudgylacmoe · explainerHN calls it the best video on geometric algebra, one that makes the subject click in about 40 minutes.
- 8 HN recommenders 7 months 2017–2025HN fans list it among their favorite 3Blue1Brown videos for showing how mathematical problem solving actually unfolds.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2017–2025HN commenters rate the series as some of the best visual teaching on complex numbers and recommend it for building intuition.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2019–2024HN repeatedly points people to it as the clearest visual intuition for determinants, often saying it finally made the concept click.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2017–2024It is the standard pointer for a clear, visual explanation of what fractals are, and for correcting the idea that fractal means self-similar.
- 6 HN recommenders 7 months 2015–2024Recommended as an accurate, entertaining on-ramp to set theory and infinity, worth pausing and rewatching.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2017–2025HN recommends it as the go-to intuitive visualization of high-dimensional geometry, relevant to machine learning, optimization and sphere packing.
- 9 HN recommenders 7 months 2019–2025Recommended as the clearest mathematician's perspective on formal proof assistants and why mathematics should be formalized.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2016–2025HN repeatedly names it the best, most intuitive explanation of eigenvalues, and a gateway to the whole linear algebra series.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2019–2025HN recommends it as an accessible explanation of number categories and why almost all numbers are unknowable.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2014–2024HN commenters recommend it for hearing Graham himself and for its clear introduction to up-arrow notation and enormous numbers.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2018–2023HN commenters recommend it as the best visual explanation of quaternions and a good way to visualize higher dimensions.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2014–2024I Insights into Mathematics · courseRecommended as an easy-to-follow math history course that gives perspective on the subject.
- 9 HN recommenders 5 months 2023–2025HN treats it as the best entry point to geometric algebra and an intuitive route to understanding quaternions.
- 3 HN recommenders 6 months 2016–2024Recommended as a careful, honest treatment of the -1/12 claim, often preferred over flashier videos.
- 3 HN recommenders 5 months 2018–2022Strongly recommended for anyone working with vectors for its clear take on how they should be treated in types.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2016–2023L lXlSalemlXl · lectureHN commenters cite it as a mind-changing introduction to exponential growth, though some note his peak oil predictions did not pan out.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2016–2024Recommended as a favorite Grant Sanderson video and a visual introduction to p-adic numbers and sums like 1+2+4+...
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2017–2023HN praises its visualizations, its handling of the -1/12 result, and its ending, and often prefers it to other explanations of the topic.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2017–2020Fans name it as a favorite 3Blue1Brown video, praising its detective-story treatment of the inscribed square and rectangle problem.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2017–2025M Michel van Biezen · courseHN repeatedly recommends this series as a clear, step-by-step way to really understand Kalman filtering.
- 7 HN recommenders 5 months 2019–2024Frequently recommended as the clearest explanation of prime spirals and the Ulam spiral.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2013–2021HN treats it as one of the best intros to the math of 3D graphics and a staple answer to how to learn graphics programming.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2016–2022HN recommends it as the most accessible introduction to what lies beyond infinity.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2019–2021H Hiroob · lectureTreated as the classic lecture on why people misjudge exponential growth, and pulled out in threads on compound growth, epidemics, crypto and resource limits.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2023HN commenters call it a favourite Veritasium video, praised for how a simple equation reveals surprisingly complex patterns.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2017–2025HN recommends Herb Gross as an unusually clear teacher whose explanations make calculus click for people who struggled elsewhere.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2018–2022D Domain of Science · explainerRecommended to people asking how to self-learn math as a quick bird's-eye overview of the field.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2025HN points to it as a funny, convincing take on number bases whenever dozenal or base 6 comes up.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2025Recommended as the visual explanation that makes Fourier series and transforms click, even for laypeople.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2016–2023HN points to it in notation debates as a clean visual demonstration that exponents, logs and roots are three views of one relationship.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2026HN calls it illuminating for explaining why phi is the most irrational number, relevant to hashing, spirals and phyllotaxis.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2024H HarveyMuddCollegeEDU · lectureHN people recommend Su's lectures for building real analysis intuition, citing his phenomenal teaching style.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2017–2024Recommended as the best visual introduction to Hilbert curves, which come up in indexing, image layout and dimensionality mapping.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023Strongly recommended as a mind-bending, approachable explanation of aperiodic patterns, even enjoyable with kids.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2022–2024HN commenters link it whenever the question of how the Earth's size was first measured comes up, calling it a wonderful explanation.
- 7 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2023HN recommends it as a well-visualized, story-driven history of complex numbers, suitable for beginners; some quibble with its framing of algebra and geometry.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2023Cited as the more accessible companion to the paper, and as the most interesting treatment of AD via compiling to categories.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2021HN commenters point to it as a quick, visual way to understand Euler's identity.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2022Recommended as an enjoyable, accessible talk for building intuition about higher dimensions.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2018HN recommends it as the simplest, most approachable introduction to quaternions, useful for people working in games and robotics.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2019Praised as a beautiful, understandable proof and a favorite among 3Blue1Brown videos.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2013–2024Recommended as the mind-melting intro to unimaginably large numbers.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2023HN points to it as the in-depth rebuttal to the Numberphile video that explains why the 'proof' is wrong yet the result is meaningful.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2017–2023HN recommends it as the clearest explanation of the patterns behind modular multiplication diagrams and times table art.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023HN recommends it as a short, accessible layperson explanation of the real-versus-complex quantum theory debate.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2025HN recommends it as the clearest intuitive introduction to thinking about a fourth dimension.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2025O Owen Maitzen · explainerHN recommends it as an accessible, well-visualized entry point to Hackenbush, surreal numbers and their link to Nim.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2026T Timothy Gowers · lectureHN commenters recommend it to see how a top mathematician approaches an unfamiliar problem through experiments and curiosity.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2019Recommended whenever the Mandelbrot set comes up, as a neat and surprising result.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2024Recommended as a mind-opening, visual explanation of why Euler's formula is true.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2024Recommended as the source for counterintuitive high-dimensional geometry and described as an eye opener.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2020I Introduction to Cryptography by Christof Paar · lectureRecommended as a moderately formal, clear introduction to finite fields, useful beyond AES.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2026Recommended as a clear, visual explanation of continued fractions and why phi is hardest to approximate by fractions.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023Pointed to when non-Euclidean geometry or games in hyperbolic space come up, along with the creator's well-liked devlog.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2018HN users recommend it as a good discrete math course for programmers, praising Leighton's relatable stories that motivate new concepts.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2019Recommended as a thought-provoking lecture from a Fields medalist on the foundations of mathematics and formal proof verification.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2021Cited in floating-point threads as the main introduction to posits and unums as an alternative to IEEE floats.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2024Pointed to as a fun, light introduction to topology and to answer the human-holes question.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2022L Lambda World · talkHN recommends it as an accessible, gentle introduction that makes category theory feel approachable and shows its analogy-making power.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023Q Qualia Research Institute · lectureHN commenters point to it as an interesting lecture related to psychedelics, brain geometry and hyperbolic space, with a good intro to hyperbolic geometry.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2017Recommended as a more approachable introduction to category theory than the more formal lecture series people often start with.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023Praised for its visualizations and pedagogy in threads about physics and differential geometry.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2011–2022HN recommends Boyd's lectures as a fantastic, often funny follow-up to linear algebra and as a step in machine learning study paths.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2023HN uses it as the standard reference for the -1/12 meme, with commenters split between enjoying it and calling it a cheat.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2022Recommended as an accessible explanation of how Rubik's cube solving relates to group theory.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019HN refers to it for Weinstein's views on advanced math and physics and academia's problems, though some find him a bit kooky.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2019HN recommends it as a concise, quick explanation of the OEIS pattern when threads touch the integer sequence encyclopedia.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2025Recommended whenever the counterintuitive geometry of high-dimensional spheres comes up, including in vector embedding discussions.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2022The reference people reach for when debating how math differs from physics.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2022Recommended in hexagon-grid threads as a fun but informative overview, and sometimes dropped as a light joke.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2021C Closer To Truth · interviewHN commenters recommend it as a thoughtful and nuanced take on the philosophy of mathematics.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2024HN points to it whenever highly divisible numbers matter, such as sharding, base 12, time units and music.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2015–2022HN likes it for Cliff Stoll's infectious passion for topology, and it gets linked in threads about him and about Mobius strips.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2023HN recommends it as the explanation that makes complex exponentials click, especially for understanding the Fourier transform.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2020Cited as the origin of the prime-number portrait trend and as an example of drawings made with primes.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2023Mentioned as a favorite 3Blue1Brown video and a related watch in threads about deep mathematical structure.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2026Pointed to as a well-done introduction to constructive mathematics when it comes up in logic and proof assistant threads.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2023Cited as an accessible explanation of why some simple shapes lack neat exact formulas.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2016–2022F FooCafe · talkIt is cited as an authoritative take on category theory for programmers and API design.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2024HN cites it as a view of Simons as a humble, pragmatic person, with the caveat that the host's questions are weak.
- 2 HN recommenders 1 months 2015–2023HN cites it when discussing how math should be learned and taught, and why physics isn't built from axioms.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2023Linked in threads on sums of cubes and Diophantine equations as an accessible introduction.
- cited 3× 0 months 2018–2021B Benjatastic · comedy videoUsed as a joke reference to illustrate frustration with confusing mathematical jargon.
- cited 3× 0 months 2022–2024W William Byrd · talkCited for Sussman's argument that programs make ideas precise in a way standard math notation does not.
- cited 5× 0 months 2018–2021T Tom Henderson · lectureCited mainly as the available video of Weinstein's gauge-theory-of-economics ideas, sometimes skeptically.
- cited 6× 0 months 2024–2026Linked when someone needs a quick accessible source for the claim that every voting method has flaws.
- cited 3× 0 months 2021–2025S ssgelm · explainerLinked as a classic visualization when sphere eversion or counterintuitive mathematics comes up.
- cited 3× 0 months 2019–2022H Henry Segerman · demoCited as the go-to example of hyperbolic geometry made intuitive through VR.
Questions
What is the most recommended pure mathematics video on Hacker News?
Vectors | Chapter 1, Essence of linear algebra by 3Blue1Brown: HN's go-to recommendation for learning linear algebra intuition, repeatedly credited with making concepts click and complementing textbooks.
How is this pure mathematics list ranked?
By HackerTube's score: the number of distinct months in which an HN comment recommended the video, plus half a point for every month with a strong recommendation. One viral thread counts less than steady recommendations over years.
Where do the videos come from?
From every Hacker News comment between 2007 and 2026 that linked a YouTube video, labeled by an AI model as a recommendation, a citation, a joke or a criticism. The list is published by HackerTube under ODC-By 1.0; this edition adds indexable pages and the comment context.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.