I was first introduced to Salman Khan after he appeared on the Steven Colbert Report, about a year ago. I remember I put “Salman Khan” into my notes on my iPhone, reminding me to Google him and watch a few of his YouTube videos. Like most things in my phone, I forgot all about him. Until one day, I was working on combining a set of speakers with a new amplifier. To do so I would need to provide an appropriate amplifier with the proper amount of power to feed the speakers.

One of the first things I was taught in college (for music technology) was “Ohm’s Law.” This states that, “the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the potential difference across the two points.” It is the most basic and commonly used equations in electronics. For my math people, simply:

In audio, these equations are normally used to figure out the amount of current moving through circuits. More simply, it gives one the ability to calculate the “load” of power/voltage going through a device (amplifier), enabling one to determine what type of device will be needed.

While I have gone into further detail than necessary to explain this story, it has importance to me in that it was complicated and confusing to me when I was taught it a decade ago. I couldn’t explain Ohm’s Law as well as I might other concepts that I studied. Despite my own shortcomings, this equation is considered fundamental to such an education and my inability to fully understand it struck me as inadequate and embarrassing.

It was at this moment that Mr. Khan’s (now more advanced and well funded) Khan Academy appeared again in Time Magazine, and I decided to take a further look. His video library of well documented academic material overwhelmed me, and I soon found myself revisiting lessons on Math, Science, Humanities, Finance & Economics, in addition to test preparation and numerous talks and interviews from the world’s leaders in their respective fields.

I’m a huge believer in that education is the key to success in life. The Khan Academy is groundbreaking for the future of education in our increasingly interconnected world. I highly suggest taking a look at some of the lesson videos available on the Khan Academy website. Whether you are relearning something that you have forgotten, or you are exploring new subjects, the Khan Academy will give you a university level education, helping us all prepare for a future where knowledge is power.