# Think Linear Algebra by Allen Downey

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/think-linear-algebra/

3 people recommended Think Linear Algebra by Allen Downey in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 1 of 12 months, in 1 thread. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

3 of the 3 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “Think Linear Algebra”.

**Verdict:** Recommended for learning linear algebra through code, with prose and runnable examples interleaved in Jupyter notebooks. One critic objects that matrix multiplication is introduced before vector addition.

Summary written by Claude from 5 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 4 of those comments still count.

## Why people recommend it

- Interleaved code and prose in notebooks (1 comment in the sample): "This textbook format which interleaves code and prose is the perfect way" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48086145))

## Other linear algebra textbooks people recommend

- [Linear Algebra Done Right by Sheldon Axler](https://hackerapproved.com/p/linear-algebra-done-right/): 34 recommend, 6 mixed, 11 criticize
- [Introduction to Linear Algebra by Gilbert Strang](https://hackerapproved.com/p/introduction-to-linear-algebra/): 8 recommend, 2 mixed, 5 criticize
- [Linear Algebra by Friedberg, Insel and Spence](https://hackerapproved.com/p/linear-algebra/): 7 recommend, 1 mixed, 0 criticize
- [Linear Algebra and Its Applications by David Lay](https://hackerapproved.com/p/linear-algebra-and-its-applications/): 5 recommend, 1 mixed, 0 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Think Linear Algebra by Allen Downey", https://hackerapproved.com/p/think-linear-algebra/ (3 recommend, 1 mixed, 0 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.