About Polymath
A daily learning loop. Built for depth, not dopamine.
Polymath teaches dozens of real-world domains from absolute basics to mastery, wrapped in an honest game loop. No login, no tracking, no manipulative streak bait. Open it, learn one concept, close it, come back tomorrow.
Principles
Four ideas the whole app is shaped around.
No dark patterns
XP is awarded only for real learning actions: opening a concept, writing a reflection, completing a mission, answering with calibrated confidence. Never for time on screen or empty taps.
Per-claim epistemic honesty
Every concept declares whether it is settled, debated, or one framework. Every domain ships a steelman counter-view. Resources carry verify and lastVerified flags so stale links are obvious.
Test first, not read first
Opening a concept shows a prediction prompt before the explanation. The small struggle to recall is what builds memory. Open book reading feels productive and rarely sticks.
Real ranked resources
Books, courses, podcasts, articles, and tools are ranked best-first for a scratch starter. No invented titles, no hallucinated URLs. Where a link is uncertain, it stays empty and flagged.
How learning happens here
Six steps, repeated daily. Each one is a small thing on its own.
- 1
Pick a domain
From the catalogue or via the goal-led onboarding. Each domain is a self-contained ladder from absolute basics to mastery.
- 2
Open one concept
A two minute action. Predict, reveal, reflect. Concepts open one at a time, with a Beginner or Expert toggle.
- 3
Check yourself
Concept quizzes use misconception-mapped wrong answers, so picking incorrectly teaches you the exact false belief to fix.
- 4
Apply it
A basic, easy, and advanced task ladder per concept. Advanced unlocks only after passing the check.
- 5
Space the review
Flashcards from every domain you have touched feed an FSRS scheduler. Cards resurface just as you would forget them.
- 6
Watch the lattice
Cross-domain synthesis links surface on each domain and as a network on the Skill Map. The polymath payoff is the connections.
The honest game loop
- XP only for real learning actions. Never for time spent.
- Streak with one auto-applied grace day. One missed day shouldn't nuke a long streak.
- No FOMO notifications, no push, no infinite scroll, no guilt copy.
- Anti-overuse nudge after about 45 minutes. Breaks help memory consolidate.
- 21 achievements with auto-evaluation. No fake milestones, no synthetic urgency.
- 7 mastery tiers per domain with distinct gradients. Real progression based on actual completion.
What is in the box
15
Core domains
10
Tabs per domain
15
SVG diagram kinds
7
Mastery tiers
21
Achievements
411
Daily quotes
4
Curated Paths
FSRS
Spaced repetition
Methodology
Every concept walks through the same flow: definition, prereqs, prediction, reveal, reflect, check, apply.
Retrieval first
A prediction prompt appears before the explanation. Even a wrong guess primes the encoding of the correct answer.
Calibrated confidence
Quiz answers ask how sure you are before revealing. Confident-and-wrong, the most expensive failure mode, is surfaced.
Misconception mapped
Wrong quiz options carry the specific false belief that explains why a learner would pick them, and the precise fix.
Safety and disclaimers
Four areas where we are explicit about what this app is and is not.
Finance, Investing, Crypto
Education only, not financial advice. Past performance is not future returns.
Health, Nutrition, Fitness, Sleep
Educational, not medical advice. For symptoms or conditions, consult a qualified clinician.
Law
Universal concepts only. Laws vary by country. For real stakes consult a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction.
Mental Health
Supportive and de-stigmatising. Not a substitute for professional care. Reach out to a qualified professional or local helpline if you are struggling.
Detailed Legal Disclaimer
Polymath is an educational catalog and gamified learning environment. No content in the Finance, Investing, Law, Health, or Nutrition domains constitutes professional, financial, investment, legal, or medical advice.
Indian users should note that financial/investment references are for educational purposes and do not constitute SEBI-registered investment advisory services. Law references include transition notes to the 2024 codes; pending matters may run concurrently. Health/nutrition information is not medical advice; consult a licensed practitioner before altering health regimens.
Trademark Policy
All third-party trademarks (including Apple, Vanguard, Zerodha, and McDonald's) are registered trademarks of their respective owners. Their nominative use here is purely for educational analysis and does not imply sponsorship or endorsement.
Under the hood
- Next.js 15 App Router with React 19 and TypeScript strict
- Tailwind CSS with CSS-variable theming (dark, light, forced-colors)
- Dexie on IndexedDB with localStorage fallback, versioned migrations
- ts-fsrs scheduler (the algorithm modern Anki uses)
- Zod schema validated at build, so a missing field fails the build loudly
- Lazy-loaded domains, dynamic imports per domain
- 15 inline SVG diagram generators, currentColor and CSS vars, no external images
- canvas-confetti gated on prefers-reduced-motion
Privacy
No login, no accounts, no analytics, no cookies for tracking, no third-party scripts. Your progress lives in IndexedDB in your browser, with a localStorage fallback. The only network request the app needs is the initial page load from Vercel's CDN. The site does not phone home.
- No personal data is collected, transmitted, or stored on any server.
- Your XP, streaks, reflections, bookmarks, and flashcard schedules all live locally.
- The Save / Load and Settings pages let you export a portable JSON file or a base64 code, both 100% client-side.
- Wipe in Settings clears the local store. Uninstalling the browser or clearing site data removes everything.
- A service worker is registered in production. It only caches build assets and the pages you have already visited so the app keeps working offline. It does not upload anything anywhere.
Frequently asked
Is this another flashcard app?
No. Flashcards are one of seven tools per domain. Real frameworks, real authorities, real ranked resources, missions in the world, and an honest game loop sit alongside spaced repetition.
Do I need an account?
No. Progress is stored locally in your browser using IndexedDB with a localStorage fallback. To move progress to another device, copy your save code or download a JSON from Settings.
Does it work offline?
Once loaded, yes. The app is a static Next.js export with no required server APIs. A PWA manifest is shipped so you can install it to your home screen.
How honest are the resources?
Resource names are real. Where we are not certain about a URL or price, it is flagged verify:true with the link blank. lastVerified dates are shown in the UI so you can tell what is stale.
What is the philosophy on biases?
Where a popular claim is contested (Mehrabian 7-38-55, the 10,000 hour rule, Walker's sleep claims, Love Languages, Byron Sharp vs classic positioning), we carry the caveat alongside the claim instead of pretending it is settled.
Why is some content localised to India?
HOME_COUNTRY is set to India for finance, legal, and health hooks. The universal concepts apply everywhere; specific portals, regulators, and rules use Indian defaults.
Can I export my data?
Yes. Settings has a base64 save code, a JSON download, and a JSON upload. Resetting progress keeps your theme and sound preferences. Wiping clears everything.
Two minutes a day. Real learning.
Open a domain. Pick one concept. Predict, reveal, reflect. That is the loop. Everything else, achievements, spaced repetition, the dashboard, turns on as you go.