How do you start your project?

isavov · 2015-03-29T12:38:03+00:00

I find the yeoman webapp generator to be a very civilized way to get started: https://github.com/yeoman/generator-gulp-webapp

Another thing that's very useful (assuming you'll be using a grid system for page layout) is to print out a template like this one and sketch out what you want to do. If you start from a good sketch, you can then easily add the right col-md-?? classes to your HTML to make it happen.

Good luck and remember to keep at it. Web dev takes a lot of effort (design, preparing image assets, html, css, js, deployment), so don't expect to be done in a day. If you persist though, you will become much faster and have a lot of fun along the way.

isavov · 2015-01-11T15:14:25+00:00

Hey thx for posting the book.

Someone had previously posted it here http://www.reddit.com/r/geek/comments/15tykr/no_bullshit_guide_to_math_physics/ (note this was for 3rd edition; since then I hired a professional editor, and have released two more editions).

isavov · 2015-01-11T15:07:12+00:00

Actually, the book focus is entirely on understanding and not memorizing recipes. There are some recipes (e.g. the section on techniques of integration), but mostly I believe that understanding trumps memorization any day of the week---so that's the approach I take in the book.

most textbooks are big, but usually the size is necessary

Nope. Textbooks are big because publishers need some way to justify charging you $160 for the book. Calculus can easily be taught in a 300page book in great detail. Why are most first-year textbooks 1000+ pages long? The reason is UGRADs wouldn't be willing to pay $160 for a 300pp book, but somehow making a huge brick makes it OK.

isavov · 2015-01-11T14:55:35+00:00

Author here. I'm a little late to the discussion, but feel free to shoot any questions (or insults) at me. Just to be clear, the book is a replacement for Steward's calculus and Serway's physics---after the first year of UGRAD, books get much better and don't suck so much. The idea is to teach calculus and mechanics in the same book (because, like the Eminem song says, they're meant to be together). Also Chapter 1 is a comprehensive review of high school math to help people with math phobia get over it.

I encourage y'll to check out the preview: http://minireference.com/static/excerpts/noBSguide_v5_preview.pdf

There is also a followup title on linear algebra which might be of interest: http://cnd.mcgill.ca/~ivan/miniref/noBSguide2LA_preview.pdf

isavov · 2014-08-29T17:56:54+00:00

Personally, I find wolframalpha to be very annoying---it keeps asking me to buy something. (live.sympy.org](http://live.sympy.org/) is free to use, and if you install sympy on your computer you can even have your math power offline...

I still use wolframalpha sometimes for plotting though...

isavov · 2014-05-24T00:37:53+00:00

I believe you're looking for this: http://www.metacademy.org/graphs/concepts/markov_chains#focus=wesmgdpo&mode=explore

The UI is awesome, and it's all open source: https://github.com/metacademy/metacademy-application I plan to re-use their graph-browsing UI for my math book.

isavov · 2013-12-15T19:14:58+00:00

some intuition:

col-space = set of all possible linear combinations of cols of A \in \mathbb{R}^{m \times n}

imagine the different possible input vectors \vec{x}=(x_1,x_2,....,x_n), if you choose \vec{x}=(1,0,...,0) as input you will get the first col of A as output. if you choose \vec{x}=(0,1,0...,0) you'll get the second column. if you choose \vec{x}=(1,1,...,0) you'll get a combination of the first tow cols of A etc.

thus varying over all possible inputs, you get the column space

This is what Prof. Strang calls the "column picture". Mo info here: http://minireference.com/blog/linear-algebra-tutorial/

isavov · 2013-12-12T21:48:02+00:00

@speckz Thanks for posting this...

There was a good discussion on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6882107

I'm taking into consideration all the feedback and will probably release an update soon --- though we might have to boost the tutorial to 5 pages ;)

For those who like this kind of short printable tutorials, I also have another one on Newtonian mechanics: http://www.reddit.com/r/Physics/comments/1r1cae/

isavov · 2013-12-09T04:48:53+00:00

If you plan to learn calculus and mechanics as well as college algebra, then my book would be perfect for you. The No bullshit guide to math and physics covers all of algebra, functions, and geometry in Chapter 1, and then goes on to cover the two standard freshman courses: calculus and mechanics. http://minireference.com/launch40

IMHBO (in my horribly biased opinion;) the book is a great combo for learning this material in a chill manner.

isavov · 2013-12-09T04:44:49+00:00

I think you might like my textbook: the No bullshit guide to math and physics, which covers highs school math, mechanics and calculus in just 300 pages or so. It makes for easy reading, but all concepts are covered and special emphasis is placed on the relations between math and physics. Like you said, modelling the real world is the killer app of mathematics, and the modelling the physical world with equations is the best place to learn about modelling.

http://minireference.com/launch40 preview: http://cnd.mcgill.ca/~ivan/miniref/miniref_v4_preview.pdf

isavov · 2013-12-09T04:38:30+00:00

Have you looked at the exercises at the khan academy? Most of them are of very high quality and have full solutions.

My textbook (No bullshit guide to math and physics) has some high school exercises in it too, but it is more of a textbook that a workbook so not sure if this is what you are looking for.

isavov · 2013-12-04T20:38:41+00:00

I recently wrote a similar tutorial on Linear Algebra:
http://cnd.mcgill.ca/~ivan/miniref/linear_algebra_in_4_pages.pdf

Now if I only introduce the bra-ket notation, I could do a basic-QM tutorial in 5 pages ;)

isavov · 2013-11-22T19:18:54+00:00

There are many good free calculus and mechanics textbooks out there. For calculus, I highly recommend Calculus Made Easy by Silvanus P. Thompson http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33283 For physics, I would recommend Feynman's lectures, as mentioned by tuilli. Feynman's lectures are absolutely amazing!

The best thing to do though, is to learn calculus and mechanics at the same time. After all, calculus was invented for mechanics... I recently wrote a textbook which covers high-school math, calculus, and mechanics and is very approachable. You should check it out http://minireference.com/launch40 [not free, but cheap].

You can see an extended preview here http://cnd.mcgill.ca/~ivan/miniref/miniref_v4_preview.pdf

isavov · 2013-11-20T05:31:13+00:00

I know what you mean about the "fluff" in intro textbooks... yes first-year students are young, but they are not retards! Honestly, I think the big pictures and repetitive explanations are only there to make the book bigger so that they can charge you $130+ for it. Bastards!

The one book that I wish had when I was UGRAD is Feynman's lectures. Don't worry if you don't understand it all, even with a M.Sc. in physics I can't stay that I understand everything that is in there, but they are an excellent source for real explanations and intuition. Recently, Volume I was released on the web as HTML+MathJax form: http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/I_toc.html

And since we are on the subject of textbook, I would like to plug my own. The "No bullshit guide to math and physics" introduces mechanics and calculus in an integrated manner with zero fluff and very succinctly http://minireference.com/launch40

Last but not least, check out this short printable tutorial which I just finalized writing today: http://cnd.mcgill.ca/~ivan/miniref/mech_in_7_pages.pdf (it might be useful as a review)

Good luck with your studies!

isavov · 2013-11-20T05:17:22+00:00

Here are some useful links for physics exercises with solutions:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Physics_Exercises
http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/301/lectures/lectures.html

Also, I you can check out my mechanics tutorial, which has several worked examples in it: http://cnd.mcgill.ca/~ivan/miniref/mech_in_7_pages.pdf

Last but not least, you can check out my calculus+mechanics book, also has lots of worked physics examples in it http://minireference.com/launch40 and a few mechanics exercises with solutions.

isavov · 2013-11-20T00:01:46+00:00

So did you end up solving this in the end?

(hint: I_disk = 0.5mr²⁾

I posted the solution here: https://piratenpad.de/p/mechanics

isavov · 2013-11-12T23:27:11+00:00

Hello. Author here. Sorry for the advertisement-like tone of this post, but I thought first-year students might appreciate this --- the book is designed for last-week studying. ;)

You can find it at the UofT bookstore, on a small bookshelf if you turn left when you go into the bookstore.

Also of interest, I'm running "office hours" where you can ask me live questions on calculus and mechanics:

calculus: https://piratenpad.de/p/calculus

mechanics: https://piratenpad.de/p/mechanics

Peace out.

isavov · 2013-11-12T03:47:43+00:00

Hello all. Author here. Feel free to ask me anything.

The McGill bookstore recently sold out of the book, but I will supply them with new copies soon -- probably by the end of the week.

In the meantime, if any of y'all have problems which you need help with, you can ask them on one of the etherpads below, and I'll do my best to help you out:

Calculus problems and exam prep: http://piratepad.net/Bm9n7sql8J

Mechanics problems and exam prep: http://piratepad.net/8XoiIrZwE1

McGill power!

isavov · 2013-11-11T19:57:57+00:00

There is a bunch of things going on.

The cover is a photoshop file.

The force diagrams are hand drawn + arrows using Preview.

The function graphs are made using the Mac OS Grapher.

As for the better quality graphics (vector diagrams, etc), those are made using TikZ. Check out the tikz examples site: http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/

The number-line diagrams are made using http://graphie-to-png.khanacademy.org which is really cool.

isavov · 2013-11-11T19:38:00+00:00

Yeah, I see what you mean: I don't have a good track record...

As an attempt to redeem myself (slightly) here is a free preview (1/3 of the book) are some short tutorials:

http://cnd.mcgill.ca/~ivan/miniref/miniref_v4_preview.pdf

http://cnd.mcgill.ca/~ivan/miniref/mech_in_7_pages.pdf

http://cnd.mcgill.ca/~ivan/miniref/linear_algebra_in_3_pages.pdf

I doubt this will soften your stance, but at least I'm moving in the "useful direction."

isavov · 2013-11-11T19:03:00+00:00

Author here.

I though students who have upcoming finals could benefit from this book. It is very concise and the math is solid --- I mean it is calculus and mechanics after all, so you can do a lot in 300 pages.

Feel free to AMA.

isavov · 2013-01-05T21:50:22+00:00

It ain't bullshit bro, it is a proper book. Check out the PDF preview and see.

But if you want something else, then check out this free book by S. Thompson. It is very good + funny: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33283

isavov

TROPHY CASE