Ask HN: What's the best textbook or video lectures on a topic you've come seen? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What's the best textbook or video lectures on a topic you've come seen?

22 pointsoptbuild9 comments

What made it so special? It can be of any topic.

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Discrete Mathematics By Oscar Levin

https://discrete.openmathbooks.org/dmoi3.html

No bullshit guide to discrete math. I have never seen any regular math textbook can explain stuff better than this.

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Quantum Computing for Everyone By Chris Bernhardt

https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262539531/quantum-computing-for...

The easiest to follow quantum computing introductory textbook.

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Matters and Interaction By Ruth Chabay, Bruce Sherwood

https://matterandinteractions.org/

The best introductory physics textbook ever. Every concept is consistent throughout the whole book. For example they introduce momentum simultaneously with relativity. They let you know classical physics is just appropriation in the first chapter. They introduce p=mv before f=ma. Which shows that this is not just another copycat book.

Intro to Database Systems by Andy Pavlo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeYBdghaIjc&list=PLSE8ODhjZX...

MIT 6.824 Distributed Systems by Robert Morris - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQP8WApzIQQ&list=PLrw6a1wE39...

Designing Data-Intensive Applications (DDIA) - https://dataintensive.net/

Crafting Interpreters - https://craftinginterpreters.com/

> What made it so special

these break down really complex topics and make the concepts approachable. As a noob, I learned a lot from these.

Are there any introductory programming or CS courses that you have in mind for someone starting out?

Harvard's CS50 is excellent. You can find it here: https://cs50.harvard.edu/x/2023/

Try https://www.plai.org/ the new edition of 'Programming Languages: Application and Interpretation'. You can start doing it with just a basic background or try this: https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/~plragde/flaneries/FICS/ both those (plai, fics) were finished last year.

Shorter than a book, and not 30+ hours of watching lectures.

I went in deep after discovering this playlist on the theory of litterature, doing the recommended reading and thoroughly enjoying the journey. Had to drop it midway or some years back but I really do want to get back to this topic. Maybe now is the time!

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD00D35CBC75941BD

The CS50x Memory Lecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKTfNv2T0FE

David Malan is an incredible teacher but the way he describes the whole concept of memory in C especially pointers are on a next level. One of the greatest CS video of all time imo.

The art of doing science and engineering.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2FF649D0C4407B30

Richard Hamming coaches you on an R&D career and life

Something perhaps less well known:

Bartosz Milewski on Category Theory

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbgaMIhjbmEnaH_LTkxLI7FMa...

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