Knowledge map
The knowledge map shows every concept in the course as one graph, laid out like a note vault in Obsidian: about 700 terms from the ebooks and summaries, across all blocks and subjects. Two concepts are linked when they come up together, in the same paragraph, flashcard or quiz question. A concept taught in two subjects is one dot that joins them.
The workspace
- The ribbon on the left has the tools: the concept list, find a concept, the whole graph, the local graph of the open concept, and a random concept.
- The concept list works like a file explorer: blocks and subjects are folders, each concept is a note. Search it, or press / anywhere on the page.
- The graph view is in the middle, and the open concept is on the right, as a note. The 2D / 3D switch above the graph changes the view, and the button beside it shows the map full screen (Esc or the same button leaves it).
- The bar at the bottom counts the concepts and links on show.
Moving around the graph
- Scroll or pinch to zoom, and drag empty space to move around. The buttons in the corner zoom in, zoom out and fit the whole graph.
- Hover a dot to light it and its links; everything else fades. A card next to it says what the concept is in a sentence.
- Drag a dot to move it: its links pull the neighbours after it, and the graph settles again when you let go.
- Click a dot to open that concept.
- Bigger dots come up more often. Labels fade in as you zoom, the biggest concepts first.
The 3D view
Switch to 3D to see the same concepts in space, each subject in its own region, over a floor grid with the X axis in red and the Z axis in blue. You move around it the way you would in Blender, Unity or a game:
| Do this | To |
|---|---|
| Drag | Orbit around the point you're looking at |
| Right-drag or Shift-drag (two fingers on a touch screen) | Pan |
| Scroll or pinch | Zoom in and out |
| W A S D | Fly forward, left, back and right |
| Q E | Fly down and up (hold Shift to go faster) |
| Arrow keys | Orbit |
| Drag a dot | Move that concept in space |
| Click, double-click | Open a concept, fly to it |
| F, H | Frame the open concept, frame everything |
| 1 3 7 | Front, right and top view (with Ctrl: the opposite side) |
| 5, R | Perspective or orthographic, auto-rotate |
The keys work once the graph has focus (click it first). The axis gizmo in the corner shows which way you're facing; click an axis to look along it. The buttons under it do the same as the keys, and Controls lists them.
The open concept
The note on the right starts with Ask Alfond about the concept (when the AI is on): it opens Alfond with a question about how the concept connects to its neighbours, kept short and exam-focused. Next is What it is: a sentence or two saying what the concept is, with a link to read more in the ebook. Below that it shows:
- Properties: its subjects and blocks as tags (a
#bridgetag means it connects subjects), your mastery, how often it's mentioned and how many links it has. - Links: the concepts it connects with, and how they relate where that's known. Click one to open it.
- Practise: its flashcards (opened as just those cards), its quiz questions (as a drill) and the labelled figures that show it.
- Linked mentions: every ebook and summary section about it, grouped by chapter, like Obsidian's backlinks.
The button at the top of the note shows its local graph (only the concept and its neighbours).
Graph settings
The gear in the top corner of the graph opens the settings, in four sections:
- Filters: show only concepts matching some text, one block or one subject; Bridges only keeps the concepts taught in more than one subject; Orphans shows or hides concepts with no links.
- Groups: color the dots by Subject, by your Mastery, or not at all.
- Display: 3D effect (dots drawn as lit spheres, with nearer links stronger in the 3D view; turn it off for flat dots, which draw faster on an older device), the text fade threshold (how soon labels appear), node size and link thickness.
- Forces: the physics. Center force pulls each subject's concepts together, repel force pushes all concepts apart, link force and link distance set how tightly linked concepts hold together.
The settings are kept on this device and sync with your account. The arrow button at the top of the panel restores the defaults.
Color by mastery
With Groups → Mastery, each concept is colored by how well you know it, from the flashcards, labels and quiz questions about it. The stronger the color, the better you know it. Concepts below halfway are ringed in red as needing work, and concepts you haven't studied stay grey. It's a quick way to find what to study next.