Mathematics is the sense you never knew you had | Eddie Woo | TEDxSydney

In this illuminating talk, high school mathematics teacher and YouTube star Eddie Woo shares his passion for mathematics, declaring that "mathematics is a sense, just like sight and touch" and one we can all embrace. Using surprising examples of geometry, he encourages everyone to seek out the patterns around us, for "a whole new way to see the world". A public high school teacher for more than 10 years, Eddie Woo gained international attention when he posted videos of his classroom lessons online, to assist an ill student. His YouTube channel, WooTube, has more than 200,000 subscribers and over 13 million views.

[williamhu]

POV: You're watching this instead of doing math

[tematennis]

what do teachers need? passion, charisma, eloquence and substance. This guy has all of that in spades

[Nerdifull]

This dude single handedly made me want to study math and consider it a passion rather than a chore. Thanks to him in a couple of years I’ll be graduating in CS, something that may seem “average” for most people but for me is my greatest achievements so far.
I sure hope to meet you one day, Eddie!

[vaishnavibendre]

There's something phenomenal about learning a subject from someone who is so very passionate about the subject that they teach.

[gabrielsanchesprado]

I didn't know this legend had a Ted talk, nice

[john]

"There is a mathematical reality woven into the fabric of the universe that you share with winding rivers, towering trees, and raging storms." that is a Shot of Awe if I've ever heard one.

[adhithibalaji]

This talk wasn’t a talk...it is poetry!!! Clearly seen that he loved English and also math!

[divyanshsrivastava]

The last line
"Even in the party of 5000 people I am proud to declare that I love maths..."
Just loved it😍😍😍

[discoveringcatia]

I failed maths in high school and was held back for a year, so I swore to hate it forever and now here comes this man making me want to dig up my maths manuals and start doing exercises for the fun of it. I adore him.

[dugtrioramen]

Was anyone else admiring the pattern in the background the whole time

[jhonnycgomez]

Mathematics is the sense you never knew you had - Eddie Woo

00:13 "I love mathematics"
00:55 "Born to be mathematicians"
03:32 "How to learn mathematics"
05:46 "Mathematics is a sense"
08:43 "..with time and the right guidance"

Thanks Eddie.

[AR-fhqu]

this guy is an insane teacher (insane in the fact that whatever he teaches is easily understandable and keeps students engaged).
a model teacher :)

[apostate]

I failed math in high school, and here I am about to finish my bachelor's degree in CS! Math is great when you have a great teacher like this guy right here!
Amazing talk Eddie!

[kimiko]

i love that people like eddie woo exist, he makes math sound like a friend, i'm going to learn math, whether or not i succeed, i'll be grateful that i overcome the fear and gave myself a chance to know this beautiful science humankind created

[blackpenredpen]

Love every second of this! Thanks Eddie.

[timtjunwong]

I went to church and youth group with Eddie Woo. He was the same at 15 and he's the same now. Always been a passionate, lovely, God-fearing guy.

[hlx]

9:31 I actually teared up hearing this. I’ve always believed to be incapable of learning maths, I’ve always called myself a “none mathematic person”. I shall no longer limit myself with that belief.

[shreyajain]

I literally took mathematics as my optional subject in my High school even after being terrible at it, just to give it a try after watching this video! And in my term 1 result i scored 39/40 and wish to even study it further. You have changed so much of my life Eddie woo, it's crazy.

[williamdowling]

I once heard a similar argument to this.. and it related exactly to the idea that math is an inate sense.

The argument was that most people, especially any athlete that plays ball sports, intuitively knows geometry and calculus, even if they dont know it. And the argument is that when you see a baseball hit off of the bat, your brain immediately starts calculating its initial velocity and throughout the flight of the ball, you are recalculating the same equation over and over again to predict, with a very high degree of accuracy, the place where that ball will land.

And you can do all of these calculations subconsciously, while simultaneously accounting for variables like wind, sun and the fact that your only means of measurement (your eyes) are moving, bouncing as you run, and also taking stock of potential dangers, like other players, the outfield wall, or anything you might trip over.

Now you could apply this to any ball sport, racket sport or racing. Our brain is a phenomenally complex and beautiful computer capabale of astounding things.

[EssentialsOfMath]

So passionate, such a great communicator!