Dear students and fans of Gaussian Math,
For the last two and so years, my creation Gaussian Math has long remained as a free internet source of lessons in various areas of science where mathematics is used ranging from fluid mechanics to polynomial equations. In what I thought was a humble website to spread the love of math through videos and entertaining blog entries, Gaussian Math has now (I believe) achieve world wide recognition. From the fans come stories of a student getting an A by watching my Quantum Mechanics videos the night before the exam, of someone in Argentina telling me how my style of lecturing has taught him a lesson of differential calculus in 10 minutes which would otherwise required 1 hour of his time reading from a textbook, and of a book writer asking me to collaborate with him in his next textbook.
While many math and physics students know about Gaussian Math, what remains unclear is the continuity of the website. I have been receiving much request to put up more math and physics videos but sadly for the last two years I have not fulfilled this request. The answer is simple. I am currently a sophomore in Duke University majoring in, you guessed it, mathematics.
Of course, anyone entering university would say that university is about discovering yourself and after my first years in Duke University, I have discovered this about myself: I am good at mathematics but I am not THAT good. My belief that success in applied math implies success in pure math is now a myth and should I take up the challenge in lecturing topics such as topology, analysis and algebra, topics which you the fans have requested, I need to undergo some training first. Training which would pull me away from the whiteboard and sit me at the desk, with a pen and paper, reading a classic Rudin text* and writing proofs.
Having said that, I want to be message of this letter to be clear. A university education at Duke does not come cheap and due to circumstances relating to what most of us know about the economy and also relating to something more dear to me, my family, it has been difficult for them to pay for my education. Thus, this is a kind request for donations to go to the funding of my next semester.
In all honesty, this comes as a last resort. Never would I want anyone to pay to watch my videos maintaining the standard I have set since the conception of the website – to make the learning of mathematics accessible to anyone who has the desire, patience and curiosity to learn. So please, if you were to ever give, give because you want to and know that your money has gone to furthering my education. And to stay true to my appeal, I will remove the donate button once I have enough money to pay for my next semester.
Finally, I leave by saying Gaussianmath will continue to a free source of education and I will most definitely be back more stronger than ever.
Thank You,
Donny Lee
Found of GaussianMath
Please don’t feel oblige to donate. But if you wish to click on the donate button on the homepage, or if you have a paypal account, send your donation to catalyst@cyberway.com.sg
*Principle of Mathematical Analysis by Walter Rudin otherwise known as the cornerstone undergraduate text in Mathematical Analysis
