Terence Tao explains 6 essential mathematical concepts
Ranked 5 of 8 educational videos by recommenders
People recommend this video for explaining complex mathematical reasoning clearly and accessibly, without condescension, as free foundational content that makes math easier to follow.
People recommend this video for explaining complex mathematical reasoning clearly and accessibly, without condescension, as free foundational content that makes math easier to follow.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Clear explanations of complex math
“Tao manages to convey complex ideas without making me feel like he is condescending to me.”
Comment from 31 Aug 2026 in “Terence Tao explains 6 essential mathematical concepts [video]” “This video actually explains math reasoning on a high level.”
Comment from 1 Sep 2026 in “Terence Tao explains 6 essential mathematical concepts [video]” “it finally clicked. Probably another masterclass in clarity”
Comment from 1 Sep 2026 in “Terence Tao explains 6 essential mathematical concepts [video]” Makes math feel understandable
“It makes me feel like it's possible for me to understand the math that I'm currently trying to understand.”
Comment from 31 Aug 2026 in “Terence Tao explains 6 essential mathematical concepts [video]” “it finally clicked. Probably another masterclass in clarity”
Comment from 1 Sep 2026 in “Terence Tao explains 6 essential mathematical concepts [video]” Free, widely available foundational content
“Great video, we're lucky to have this kind of content so easily and widely available.”
Comment from 1 Sep 2026 in “Terence Tao explains 6 essential mathematical concepts [video]” “this is great foundational content!”
Comment from 31 Aug 2026 in “Terence Tao explains 6 essential mathematical concepts [video]”
Other educational videos people recommend
The four most recommended other educational videos, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrej Karpathy YouTube videos | 24 | 3 | 89% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Handmade Hero by Casey Muratori | 24 | 10 | 71% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Essence of Linear Algebra by 3Blue1Brown | 16 | 1 | 94% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Ask an Astronaut | 9 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
| Terence Tao explains 6 essential mathematical conceptsThis page | 7 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“This video actually explains math reasoning on a high level.”
“Great video, we're lucky to have this kind of content so easily and widely available.”
“it finally clicked. Probably another masterclass in clarity”
“Very good resource. However, I fail to understand how a monkey writing the Hamlet is akin to a brute-force problem”
“Tao manages to convey complex ideas without making me feel like he is condescending to me.”
“It makes me feel like it's possible for me to understand the math that I'm currently trying to understand.”
“this is great foundational content!”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.