3Blue1Brown: Essence of Linear Algebra: study plan and how long it takes
The 3Blue1Brown playlist is 16 videos and 3.0 hours long. Here's how long it takes at different paces, a week-by-week schedule built from the real videos, and a planner that turns it into your own daily plan.
16 videos · 3.0 hours · 3Blue1Brown
Essence of Linear Algebra builds geometric intuition for vectors, matrices, determinants and eigenvectors through animation. It's widely recommended before machine learning, graphics or a university linear algebra course.
Each chapter is 4 to 17 minutes, so the whole series is only 3 hours. The trick is not to binge it: the ideas build on each other, and pausing to think between chapters makes them stick.
Who it's for: Students starting linear algebra, and anyone heading into machine learning or graphics who wants an intuitive feel for matrices before the formulas.
How long does it take?
The full playlist is 3.0 hours across 16 videos. Here's roughly how many days that is at different daily watch times and speeds, counting video time only:
| Daily time | At 1x | At 1.5x | At 2x |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 min a day | 7 days | 5 days | 4 days |
| 1 h a day | 4 days | 3 days | 2 days |
| 2 h a day | 2 days | 2 days | 1 days |
Make your own schedule
The playlist link is already filled in. Press Plan, set how much time you have each day and your speed, and you'll get a day-by-day schedule with a finish date and a calendar file. It reads the live playlist, so new videos are included.
Week-by-week schedule
A sample plan at 30 minutes a day and normal speed, using whole videos so none is split across days. That's 2 weeks in total. For a different pace, start date or speed, use the planner above.
Week 1Videos 1–14 · 2h 31m
Day 1 · 20m
- 1Vectors | Chapter 1, Essence of linear algebra10m
- 2Linear combinations, span, and basis vectors | Chapter 2, Essence of linear algebra10m
Day 2 · 26m
- 3Linear transformations and matrices | Chapter 3, Essence of linear algebra11m
- 4Matrix multiplication as composition | Chapter 4, Essence of linear algebra10m
- 5Three-dimensional linear transformations | Chapter 5, Essence of linear algebra5m
Day 3 · 27m
- 6The determinant | Chapter 6, Essence of linear algebra10m
- 7Inverse matrices, column space and null space | Chapter 7, Essence of linear algebra12m
- 8Nonsquare matrices as transformations between dimensions | Chapter 8, Essence of linear algebra4m
Day 4 · 23m
- 9Dot products and duality | Chapter 9, Essence of linear algebra14m
- 10Cross products | Chapter 10, Essence of linear algebra9m
Day 5 · 25m
- 11Cross products in the light of linear transformations | Chapter 11, Essence of linear algebra13m
- 12Cramer's rule, explained geometrically | Chapter 12, Essence of linear algebra12m
Day 6 · 13m
- 13Change of basis | Chapter 13, Essence of linear algebra13m
Day 7 · 17m
- 14Eigenvectors and eigenvalues | Chapter 14, Essence of linear algebra17m
Week 2Videos 15–16 · 30m
Day 8 · 30m
- 15A quick trick for computing eigenvalues | Chapter 15, Essence of linear algebra13m
- 16Abstract vector spaces | Chapter 16, Essence of linear algebra17m
Study plan, phase by phase
Video numbers are positions in the playlist. To schedule just one phase, enter its numbers in the planner's From and To fields.
- 01
Vectors and linear transformations
Videos 1–5 · 46m
Vectors, span and basis, matrices as linear transformations, matrix multiplication as composition, and transformations in three dimensions. The core idea of the whole series is here.
- 02
Determinants, inverses and non-square matrices
Videos 6–8 · 27m
The determinant as area scaling, inverse matrices, column space and null space, and non-square matrices as maps between dimensions.
- 03
Dot products, cross products and Cramer's rule
Videos 9–12 · 48m
Dot products and duality, cross products and their link to linear transformations, and Cramer's rule explained geometrically.
- 04
Change of basis, eigenvectors and vector spaces
Videos 13–16 · 1h
Change of basis, eigenvectors and eigenvalues, a quick trick for computing eigenvalues, and abstract vector spaces.
Tips for finishing
- Plan 30 minutes a day and you'll finish in about a week, with time to rewatch.
- Pause when Grant asks you to predict what happens next. The series is designed around those moments.
- Keep the speed at 1x to 1.25x. The animations carry the explanation, and fast playback skips past them.