Think Linear Algebra
Think Linear Algebra by Allen Downeyby Allen Downey
Shares rank 5 of 7 linear algebra textbooks by recommenders
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.
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.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 1 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: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 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
Interleaved code and prose in notebooks
“Explaining the concepts in a Jupyter notebook that you can change/experiment with.”
Comment from 10 May 2026 in “Think Linear Algebra” “This textbook format which interleaves code and prose is the perfect way”
Comment from 10 May 2026 in “Think Linear Algebra”
Other linear algebra textbooks people recommend
The four most recommended other linear algebra textbooks, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linear Algebra Done Rightby Sheldon Axler | 41 | 12 | 77% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Introduction to Linear Algebraby Gilbert Strang | 11 | 5 | 69% | 4 | — | Approved |
| Linear Algebraby Friedberg, Insel and Spence | 8 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Linear Algebra and Its Applicationsby David Lay | 6 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Think Linear Algebraby Allen DowneyThis page | 5 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
All 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“we can start with libraries that implement the core algorithms of linear algebra, and wait until later to see how they work”
“This looks a bit more involved but lovely I think I'll try it.”
“Explaining the concepts in a Jupyter notebook that you can change/experiment with.”
“This textbook format which interleaves code and prose is the perfect way”
“Matrix multiplication introduced before vector addition”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.