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3Blue1Brown
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3Blue1Brown is an educational YouTube channel created and run by Grant Sanderson.[3] The channel focuses on teaching higher mathematics from a visual perspective, and on the process of discovery and inquiry-based learning in mathematics, which Sanderson calls "inventing math".[4]
Key Information
Grant Sanderson
[edit]Early life and education
[edit]Sanderson graduated from Stanford University in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics.[5] He worked for Khan Academy from 2015 to 2016 as part of their content fellowship program, producing videos and articles about multivariable calculus, after which he started focusing his full attention on 3Blue1Brown.[5]
Career
[edit]In 2020, Grant Sanderson became one of the creators and lecturers of the MIT course Introduction to Computational Thinking, together with Alan Edelman, David Sanders, James Schloss, and Benoit Forget.[6] The course uses the Julia programming language and Grant Sanderson's animations to explain various topics: convolutions, image processing, COVID-19 data visualization, epidemic modelling, ray tracing, introduction to climate modelling, ocean modelling, and the algorithms that lie behind these topics.[7]
In January 2020, Sanderson delivered a talk in An Evening with Grant Sanderson, hosted by the Stanford Speakers Bureau.[8] Sanderson offered his perspective on engaging with math: instead of prioritizing usefulness, he emphasizes emotion, wonder and imagination. He aims to "bring life to math" with visuals, graphics, and animations.[9] In August 2021, Sanderson was one of several featured speakers at SIGGRAPH 2021.[10]
In February 2022, Sanderson determined that the best starting word in the game Wordle was CRANE using information theory.[11] Later, he stated that the code he wrote to determine the best starting word had a bug in it, and the actual best starting word that gives the lowest average score is SALET.[12]
In November 2022, Sanderson delivered a keynote speech, "What can algorithms teach us about education?", at the 17th Dutch National Informatics Congress CelerIT hosted by Stichting Nationaal Informatica Congres (SNiC).[13] Sanderson offered his perspective on how mathematics education should evolve in the future and related his findings with the way neural networks learn, he emphasizes the need for students to grasp concepts and understand them.
Origin
[edit]3Blue1Brown started as a personal programming project in early 2015. In an episode of the podcast Showmakers, Sanderson explained that he wanted to practice his coding skills and decided to make a graphics library in Python, which eventually became the open-source project Manim (Mathematical Animation Engine).[14] To have a goal for the project, he decided to create a video with the library and upload it to YouTube. On March 4, 2015, he uploaded his first video. He started publishing more videos and improving the graphics tool.[15]
Videos, podcasts and other media
[edit]3Blue1Brown videos are themed around visualizing math, including pure math such as number theory and topology as well as more applied topics in computer science and physics. The visuals are predominantly generated by Manim, a Python animation library written by Sanderson, though occasionally visuals are drawn from other software such as macOS's Grapher application.[14]
The channel's videos have been featured in Popular Mechanics,[16][17][18] ABC News,[19] and Quanta Magazine.[20] Sanderson has appeared on numerous notable podcasts, including Numberphile,[21] Lex Fridman, the Art of Problem Solving,[22] Siraj Raval,[23] and Showmakers.[24][25]
Manim
[edit]| Manim | |
|---|---|
| Original author | Grant Sanderson |
| Written in | Python |
| Operating system | Linux, macOS, Windows |
| Type | Animation engine |
| License | MIT License |
| Website | www |
| Repository | github |
Manim (short for Mathematical Animation Engine) is a cross-platform, free and open-source animation engine released under the MIT License. It was initially developed by Grant Sanderson in early 2015. Manim is a Python library for creating precise, programmatic animations of mathematical concepts. It allows users to define graphical scenes with mathematical objects, transformations, text, etc., and render them into videos. It is especially known for being the tool behind many of the visuals used in the 3Blue1Brown video series.
There is also a fork maintained by the community that differs from Sanderson's version and includes improvements.[26]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Grant Sanderson The Hope Diamond, December 12, 2018
- ^ "FAQ/Contact". 3Blue1Brown. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "About". 3Blue1Brown. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ 3blue1brown (August 13, 2015), "What does it feel like to invent math?", YouTube, retrieved November 28, 2022
- ^ a b "About the author". 3Blue1Brown. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ "18.S191 Introduction to Computational Thinking". MIT. Fall 2020. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024.
- ^ "Course Materials | Introduction to Computational Thinking | Mathematics". MIT OpenCourseWare. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ Wei, Patricia (January 24, 2020), "3Blue1Brown creator Grant Sanderson '15 talks engaging with math using stories and visuals", The Stanford Daily, archived from the original on March 12, 2024
- ^ Kapadia, Huzefa (April 23, 2018), "EP 159: 3Blue1Brown on How to Show the Natural Beauty of Mathematics", Scalar Learning, archived from the original on September 22, 2020, retrieved February 7, 2020
- ^ "Featured Speakers". SIGGRAPH 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Goslin, Austen (February 7, 2022). "Wordle's best starting word found by YouTuber using math". Polygon. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023.
- ^ Molina, Brett (February 8, 2022). "These are the best starting words to use to play Wordle, according to a math expert". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023.
- ^ "What can algorithms teach us about education?". celerit.nl. November 30, 2022. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022.
- ^ a b "FAQ/Contact". 3Blue1Brown. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "Grant Sanderson - 3Blue1Brown - Math Education & Programming Animation Software". Showmaker's. January 12, 2018. Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ "How Cryptocurrencies Really Work". Popular Mechanics. July 10, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- ^ "A Nitty-Gritty Explanation of How Neural Networks Really Work". Popular Mechanics. October 6, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- ^ Weiner, Sophie (August 13, 2017). "Here's a Cool Way to Visualize Higher Dimensions". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "Mathematicians say preventative measures could have huge impact on coronavirus spread". ABC News. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ Sanderson, Grant (January 21, 2020). "How Pi Connects Colliding Blocks to a Quantum Search Algorithm". Quanta Magazine. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "The Hope Diamond (with 3blue1brown)", Numberphile Podcast, December 12, 2018, retrieved August 22, 2019 – via YouTube
- ^ "Becoming a Renowned YouTube Educator, with Grant Sanderson" (podcast). AfterMath. Art of Problem Solving. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- ^ "3Blue1Brown & Mathematics". Siraj Raval Podcast #3. August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Episode 14: 3Blue1Brown - Math Education & Programming Animation Software" (podcast). Showmakers. January 12, 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ "3Blue1Brown and the Beauty of Mathematics", Artificial Intelligence: AI Podcast, January 7, 2020, retrieved January 19, 2020 – via YouTube
- ^ "ManimCommunity/manim: A community-maintained Python framework for creating mathematical animations". GitHub. May 19, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- Hershberger, Scott (2022). "The World of YouTube Math Communication". Notices of the American Mathematical Society. 69 (10): 1789–1793. doi:10.1090/noti2559. S2CID 252934359.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- manim on GitHub
- Grant Sanderson's podcast with Dwarkesh Patel
- Grant Sanderson's first podcast with Lex Fridman
- Grant Sanderson's second podcast with Lex Fridman
3Blue1Brown
View on GrokipediaGrant Sanderson
Early life and education
Grant Sanderson was raised in the Park City, Utah area. His early interest in mathematics was sparked by his father, who introduced him to the subject through engaging games and puzzles designed to teach concepts in a fun way.[10] During high school at Park City High School, where he graduated in 2011, Sanderson was active in student leadership, including organizing demonstrations against controversial groups visiting the area.[11] Sanderson pursued undergraduate studies in mathematics and computer science at Stanford University, earning a B.S. in mathematics in 2015. His coursework and experiences there deepened his appreciation for mathematical concepts, particularly through interdisciplinary approaches combining math and computing.[12][3] While wrapping up his time at Stanford, Sanderson began experimenting with programmatic animations as side projects, laying the groundwork for his later work in mathematical visualization.[13]Career
Following his graduation from Stanford University with a B.S. in mathematics in 2015, having also studied computer science, Grant Sanderson joined Khan Academy as part of their content fellowship program, where he produced educational videos, articles, and exercises focused on multivariable calculus from 2015 to 2016.[13] During this period, he began developing the 3Blue1Brown YouTube channel as a side project, initially creating animated videos to visualize mathematical concepts while wrapping up his studies and early professional work.[13] By the end of 2016, Sanderson transitioned to full-time content creation for 3Blue1Brown, leaving his role at Khan Academy to dedicate himself to the channel.[13] To sustain this endeavor, he launched a Patreon campaign in 2017, which provides funding through supporter memberships and enables sponsor-free video production.[14] He also founded 3Blue1Brown as a formal entity to manage its operations and collaborations with educational platforms, including ongoing partnerships with Khan Academy starting around 2018 for series like "Math for Fun and Glory."[15] In recent years, up to 2025, Sanderson has taken on advisory roles with mathematics organizations, such as serving on the Advisory Council of the National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath).[16] He has maintained a focus on content creation and outreach without returning to traditional employment, while engaging in speaking opportunities at academic institutions and events, including delivering the commencement address at Harvey Mudd College in 2024 and the Stanford Mathematics Department ceremony in 2023.[5][17]Channel Origin and Development
Founding and initial growth
3Blue1Brown was founded by Grant Sanderson in March 2015 while he was completing his undergraduate studies in mathematics and computer science at Stanford University. The channel launched as a personal side project, with Sanderson uploading his first video, titled "e to the pi i, a nontraditional take (old version)," on March 4, 2015. This initial content explored Euler's formula through a visual and narrative approach, setting the tone for the channel's emphasis on animated explanations of mathematical concepts.[18][13] The name "3Blue1Brown" originates from the heterochromia in Sanderson's right eye, which features three-quarters blue and one-quarter brown coloration, reflecting a playful nod to his personal appearance. Sanderson's primary motivations for starting the channel stemmed from his passion for mathematical storytelling and a desire to make complex topics more accessible through dynamic visualizations, contrasting with the static nature of traditional textbooks and lectures. As a self-taught programmer with a background in technology, he invested his personal time to develop custom Python scripts for creating these animations, initially without any commercial intent or external funding.[3][13] In its early phase, the channel saw gradual audience buildup through organic sharing among math enthusiasts and educators. A pivotal moment came in 2016 with the release of the "Essence of Linear Algebra" video series, which provided intuitive geometric interpretations of linear algebra concepts and garnered widespread acclaim for its clarity and innovation. This series contributed to viral growth, propelling the channel to over 1.5 million subscribers by early 2019. The custom animation tools Sanderson pioneered during this period laid the groundwork for the open-source Manim library, which became integral to the channel's signature visual style.[3][6]Evolution and milestones
Following its initial launch, the 3Blue1Brown YouTube channel saw rapid expansion, reaching 5 million subscribers by late 2020 amid growing popularity of its visual mathematics explainers. As of November 2025, the subscriber count had climbed to over 7.85 million, with cumulative views surpassing 697 million, reflecting sustained audience engagement through high-quality productions.[19][20] Key operational milestones marked this period of scaling. In 2017, the official website 3blue1brown.com was launched, providing a centralized platform for video playlists, interactive essays, and supplementary resources to complement the YouTube content. The following year, 2018, brought a formal partnership with Brilliant.org, an online learning platform, which integrated sponsored segments in videos to connect viewers with interactive problem-solving courses. A temporary hiatus occurred in 2019, during which creator Grant Sanderson focused on developing the open-source Manim animation library, enabling more efficient production of complex visualizations—evolving from earlier custom scripts to this robust tool.[4][21][22] From 2020 to 2025, the channel adapted to global events and technological advances. In early 2020, Sanderson released a series on COVID-19 epidemic modeling, including videos on exponential growth and SIR simulations that garnered millions of views and aided public understanding of pandemic dynamics. Production scaled in 2021 with the transition to a full-time team, allowing for more frequent and ambitious projects. By 2024, international accessibility improved through community-contributed subtitles in multiple languages, broadening reach to non-English-speaking audiences. A notable highlight came in February 2025 with a two-part collaboration featuring mathematician Terence Tao, exploring the cosmic distance ladder and its historical development in measuring astronomical scales.[23][24][25][26][27]Content and Media
Video series and topics
3Blue1Brown's video content is organized into thematic series that emphasize visual intuition for mathematical concepts, typically spanning 10 to 20 minutes per video and featuring hand-drawn-style animations to build understanding without heavy reliance on formal proofs.[4][2] The channel's core series include "Essence of Linear Algebra," released in 2016 as a 15-video playlist exploring foundational topics such as vectors, matrices, linear transformations, eigenvalues, and the change of basis matrix, with derivations like the transformation matrix satisfying visualized geometrically.[6][28] The series covers the following key concepts:- Vectors (as arrows and as lists of numbers)
- Linear combinations
- Span (the generated space)
- Bases and dimension
- Linear transformations
- Matrices as representations of transformations
- Matrix multiplication as composition of transformations
- Determinant (as volumetric scaling factor)
- Inverse of matrices
- Column space and null space
- Dot products and duality
- Eigenvalues and eigenvectors
- Change of basis
- Diagonalization
- Abstract vector spaces