Everything Else: Finance, Math, Macro, & Computing

First up: Introduction to Financial Mathematics Formulas in 3 Videos

Computer Related:

Playlist of building an i7-8700K Desktop (2018)

Playlist Building i5-3570K Desktop (Around 2011)

Playlist Building a simpler 3570K Desktop

Macroeconomics?(Eww, yuck)

Animated Phillips Curve  in R

I wrote a program to make an animated, point by point time graph of inflation and unemployment from 1948 to 2013, using the R stats program. *File*

Banking System

Here I go through a silly, but informative example of how a primitive economy's banking system might evolve, so you can see how banks create money when they make loans, and learn some other interesting things about fiat money, commodity money, etc. Inspired by Bert Bowden.  *File*

AD/AS 1

Video 1 of the Aggregate demand/supply model, and fiscal/monetary policy. *File*

AD/AS 2

Video 2 of the Aggregate demand/supply model, and fiscal/monetary policy.

Taylor Rule

Here I introduce the Taylor rule, a rule of thumb for determining the target Fed Funds rate.

Should I refinance my mortgage?

I show you the wrong way and the right way to calculate the benefits of refinancing your mortgage.

Random Mathematical Musings:

Jensen's Inequality

An introductory look at Jensen's Inequality for a non-technical audience.

In honor of my Nephew, Jensen!

How to solve x as exponent

 How to use logs to solve something like 5x=30. 

x as an exponent: more interesting situations

 In response to a mailbag question, I show how to solve problems like 1/(k^x)=c, and k^(x^2 +x)=c using natural logarithms.

Approximate solutions with Newton's method!

Here I show how to use the Newton (Newton-Raphson) method for approximating answers to functions.  I emphasize a graphical interpretation (intuition) of WHY it works,using the familiar X squared function (X^2=10).  In a future video we will approximate answers to solve x to the x power = 10 the same way.  Download the Handout. 

How to Use Newton's Method Part 2: X^x with spreadsheet and graph

 Here is a second part about how to use Newton's method, showing you how to easily get a spreadsheet program to do the work for you to get extremely accurate approximations to solve a function. Download the Spreadsheet.

Derivative of Kx

 I give the derivation and the rule for taking the derivative of say, 10x

Limits of Integration for Joint PDF

How do you determine the limits of integration for a case where the domain is defined by x+y=1, and the PDF if k*x*y.  How can we do this double integral to figure out k?

Bloggy Things:

What is the Human Development Index?

 Here I discuss the concept of "Indexes" in general, and use a regression to figure out the formula used to calculate the United Nations' Human Development Index.

Tribute to Hans Rosling

A wonderful "data educator" has dies in January, 2017. If you aren't familiar with his work, check it out!

The Gold Standard, and why it doesn't make sense for the US

After hearing Ron Paul and Gingrich sell the Gold Standard, here is a primer (in 23 minutes): I give some good data on past hyperinflation from Germany, Yugoslavia, and Zimbabwe.