5 ms·

To be fair, if you're heading into linear algebra, you should have already dealt with vectors and matrices.

sillysaurus3 10y ago
But you're not heading into linear algebra. You're a gamedev, trying to learn to make games. Contrary to what most people want to believe, forcing people to learn linear algebra can be detrimental to this goal. Make it fun, then make it detailed.
esrauch 10y ago
When did you deal with Matrices before taking linear algebra?
- antjanus 10y ago
  uhm, Algebra in high school. That's where I first learned about matrices, dot products, and other basic matrix manipulations. I take it back, I first encountered matrices in 8th grade and then several times in high school. Standard curriculum in the US at least (or at least where I lived).
  - adrusi 10y ago
    Well there's no standard curriculum in the US, but based on my personal experience in Virginia and Maryland, matrix math in Algebra I is common. The problem is that that's never built upon and it seems many math teachers don't have a firm grasp on why matrix math is useful, much less the ability to explain its utility to typical ninth graders. I encountered vectors later in Physics (which was the most popular class to take as the one required science elective in my high school) and in one of the AP Calculus classes (which a large majority never take) Matrices were revisted in Algebra II, with nothing new relative to Algebra I except that solving the matrix equations we were given required using Algebra II-level techniques on scalars. I guess a bit of spaced repetition might mean that more people remember it, but overall most students just forgot about matrices right after the test.
  - esrauch 10y ago
    Interesting. From upstate NY I'm pretty sure I didn't ever see anything about matrices in algebra. We did use vectors and dot products but not matrices, though it was 15 years ago so I could be mistaken.

But you're not heading into linear algebra. You're a gamedev, trying to learn to make games. Contrary to what most people want to believe, forcing people to learn linear algebra can be detrimental to this goal. Make it fun, then make it detailed.

esrauch 10y ago

When did you deal with Matrices before taking linear algebra?

antjanus 10y ago
uhm, Algebra in high school. That's where I first learned about matrices, dot products, and other basic matrix manipulations. I take it back, I first encountered matrices in 8th grade and then several times in high school. Standard curriculum in the US at least (or at least where I lived).
- adrusi 10y ago
  Well there's no standard curriculum in the US, but based on my personal experience in Virginia and Maryland, matrix math in Algebra I is common. The problem is that that's never built upon and it seems many math teachers don't have a firm grasp on why matrix math is useful, much less the ability to explain its utility to typical ninth graders. I encountered vectors later in Physics (which was the most popular class to take as the one required science elective in my high school) and in one of the AP Calculus classes (which a large majority never take) Matrices were revisted in Algebra II, with nothing new relative to Algebra I except that solving the matrix equations we were given required using Algebra II-level techniques on scalars. I guess a bit of spaced repetition might mean that more people remember it, but overall most students just forgot about matrices right after the test.
- esrauch 10y ago
  Interesting. From upstate NY I'm pretty sure I didn't ever see anything about matrices in algebra. We did use vectors and dot products but not matrices, though it was 15 years ago so I could be mistaken.