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by jstx1 1014 days ago
> The 1+2+3+4+... = -1/12 video still seems a bit of a cheat, though!

Because in that video they do invalid operations.

Compare it to how 3blue1brown handles this - https://youtu.be/sD0NjbwqlYw?si=js8taa28UcevI0Jg&t=1166 - the video is on the Riemann zeta function and my timestamp is on his comment about -1/12 at the end. But trying to explain something in a nuanced way doesn't get the same views as dumbing it down and coming up with a clickbait title (not that 3blue1brown is struggling for views).

I understand that the two channels have somewhat different objectves and approaches but in this case one of them strikes me as much better. The top comment under the 3blue1brown video addresses this too - you don't need to additionally mystify math.
2 comments
OldGuyInTheClub 1014 days ago
Yes, I kept waiting for them to "fess up" at the end but they didn't. Mathologer called them out on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuIIjLr6vUA

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concordDance 1014 days ago
3blue1brown is the better channel imo. More interesting.
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vanderZwan 1013 days ago
They both have completely different purposes, despite both being about maths.

3b1b is a channel with the goal to teach math topics in the clearest way possible.

Numberphile is about interviews with mathematicians telling stories which happen to be "in mathematics".

If you want to get a better understanding of a maths topic you're currently studying, 3b1b is the clear winner. If you want to get people to wonder about the diversity of maths topics out there, Numberphile is the better option.

Not to mention the part where it humanizes mathematicians themselves. Instead of thinking of Neil Sloane in the abstract as "the guy who started OEIS", I now have a picture of a nerdy, sweet grandpa who loves to talk about integer sequences.

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OldGuyInTheClub 1013 days ago
This is spot on. Of all the Numberphile videos I've seen, the interviews with Conway, Graham, and Ribet stand out - as much for the non-mathematical undercurrent as the math itself. Haran built up the credibility to get access to those guys and that's no mean feat.

I've also learned a lot about specific math topics from 3b1b. It takes me a few tries to get through any video since the soundtrack causes me to doze off. Would love it if he would release versions with just his narration.

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jgalt212 1013 days ago
perhaps on 1 v 1 basis, but Brady's total output volume and quality across all his channels is probably unparalleled in the realm of general science outreach and education.
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