I always wished I had more time to take math and physics in college. Now I have the chance to fill in the gaps in my understanding. Currently on the docket:
- Linear Algebra from MIT. I took Linear Algebra in college, but didn't come away with nearly as strong an intuition about it as I wanted to. For example, the first time I read the Wikipedia page on eigenvectors I was totally floored, because it has this picture that visually illustrates what an eigenvector is. I learned how to calculate eigenvectors, but didn't understand what they actually represent. This MIT course is taught by Gilbert Strang, who appears to be very good at explaining high-level concepts and cultivating intuition.
- Differential Equations from MIT. I've never taken differential equations, and have almost no idea what they are or what they're used for, except that they're somehow closely tied to many physical phenomena. I'm interested because they seem to have some relation to the ultimate prize, which is:
- The Fourier Transform and Its Applications. I've desperately wanted to be able to write programs that analyze the frequency content of sound since I was in high school. I'm currently working through the book Understanding Digital Signal Processing, which is very good, but I want a chance to hear it explained in video lectures also.
- Computational Science and Engineering I. I don't understand entirely what this class is about, but it seems to be engineering-oriented and also covers Fourier Series.