hiAndrewQuinn
2 days ago
I can basically confirm all of those. The delta-epsilon definition of a limit was what really kick-started my interest in mathematics, but it was also so brutal to wrap my head around.
I would say the concept of a group is another one for a lot of people. Abstract algebra is sometimes the first time you take a math class in undergrad where all references to numbers are very far away, and you have to accept that the definition of a group contains vast and untold multitudes beyond its straightforward definition. When it "clicked" for me, however, everything else in that class started flowing much better.
Gauge invariance in mathematical physics might be another good one, but that's a lot more niche in who actually learns it. Lyapunov stability from dynamical systems is something I'd point out as actually the opposite of this - it makes a lot of sense very quickly and helps make light of quite a few things you see in the dynamical systems course material leading up to it.