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Preface | MIT Calculus Revisited: Single Variable Calculus

MIT OpenCourseWare · lecture · Watch on YouTube

University lectures & coursesPure mathematics

What it is

The preface to Herb Gross's MIT OpenCourseWare 'Calculus Revisited: Single Variable Calculus', an older black-and-white lecture series. It introduces his approach to teaching calculus from the basics.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN recommends Herb Gross as an unusually clear teacher whose explanations make calculus click for people who struggled elsewhere.

  • 4 people recommended it
  • 4 different months
  • 2 strong recommendations
  • first 2017, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “Watch the first lecture by yourself [1] and you will immediately realise how good are these.”

    Old black-and-white lectures covering basics and derivations by hand

    avinassh, 2018-10 · Strong recommendation · in “Calculus Made Easy (1910)”

  2. “The way he explains things just clicked, after numerous failed attempts to learn from other sources.”

    Herb Gross's explanations made calculus finally click

    mtreis86, 2022-11 · Strong recommendation · in “Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?”

  3. “Clearly this is a man who loves his subject and loves introducing it to others.”

    Herb Gross's calculus course, taught by someone who loves the subject

    lunchladydoris, 2017-04 · Recommendation · in “Calculus Made Easy (1914) [pdf]”

  4. “If you struggle with calculus, I found Herb Gross to be partucularly good”

    Herb Gross is particularly good for struggling with calculus

    jackdoe, 2025-08 · Recommendation · in “Death and What Comes Next (2002)”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: calculus, herb gross, mit ocw, derivatives, integration, limits

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