For those who don't feel like taking math courses in a formal setting, making games from scratch is a fun way to learn and apply linear algebra and calculus.

I never really needed determinants in my life until I tried moving a spaceship towards another object. Trying to render realistic computer graphics gets you into some deep topics like FFTs and the physics of light and materials, with some scary-looking math, but I can feel my mind sharpening with each turn of the page in the book.