/sci/ - Science & Math

What exactly is mathematics?

For me it's as mysterious and ungraspable concept as the concept of time. Well, "time" is more of a puzzle as it's part of the fabric of reality.

But maths, what exactly is it? Is it a tool to measure the laws of the universe?

http://www.athenelive.com/stream/42146/?athene

tune in for science

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbh5l0b2-0o

Am I the only one that gets a bit sad about the idea of the speed of light being finite.

Hey /sci/, I've got some questions to throw your way. Understand first and foremost this is not an attack on science. This is a legitimate desire for a discussion regarding issues within the 'natural sciences' (and perhaps outside and in 'our' larger society as well). My question is essentially this:

Why does 'natural science' value theories and answers which are considered simple(r), parsimonious or elegant over theories and answers which are not?

For example, in a situation in which there are two competing theories which both explain a certain phenomena under terms ultimately derived upon by a valid scientific method, typically the one which is accepted by a wider audience is the one which holds similar qualities to those stated above (elegance etc.). Obviously this is likely in part to our cultural predisposition to appreciate and value those traits, but what does this mean for the validity of one scientific theory over another?

Hey /sci/ I just got my Christmas gift early this year, and it's an Iphone 4s. I was wondering if there was any good /sci/-type of apps you guys would reccomend. I would prefer free ones but if they are truly invalueable I wouldnt mind purchasing them

If 0.99..=1

Is 1/(an infinite number of 9s) = 0

Otherwise, wouldn't

0.99.. + 1/99.. = 1

And if 1/99.. is nonzero, then 0.99.. couldn't actually equal 1.

What is a clear and concise way, or a mathematical way, of expressing that if all the elements of a set cannot be unique to the rest, there must be two elements that are the same.

So, does anyone know how I would solve a problem involving a constant acceleration over a huge distance? They give the acceleration and the distance, then ask how long covering the distance would take from a fixed frame and the moving one.

What math classes did you complete by the time you graduated (I'm most interested in hearing from Physics or Comp Sci people)


I'm in my senior year, so far I have:

Calc 1-3
ODE
Linear Algebra
Probability and Statistics I
Discrete
Numerical Analysis

And I'm currently taking Complex Analysis


Technical, I've done all the math required of me. I'd still like to take another math course or two next semester though, since I pretty much have an open semester.

Is Abstract Algebra or Real Analysis useful in graduate level physics?

What about more proof heavy courses, like Numbers&Proofs or Topology?

So I just got my results for first year of my physics degree, turns out I can't do maths for shit.

Help me you clever bastards, I have 2 months of summer doing essentially bugger all how do I learn maths in this time.

In case your interested I got a 54 overall on all the maths modules and a 47 average for exams in the maths modules. British marking system.

So yeah

Does any of this mean anything?
I always wonder in movies whenever there's a math montage if it's just total gibberish.
This is a screenshot from the movie A Serious Man.

10 years from now, what do you /sci/entists see yourself doing?

Bump with science related wallpaper

>>2743798
Here is a simple proof by contradiction:

If we adopted the convention that
(-1)(-1) = -1, the distributive property of multiplication wouldn't work for negative numbers:

(-1)(1 + -1) = (-1)(1) + (-1)(-1)

(-1)(0) = -1 + -1

0 = -2

Unless you know more advanced mathematics, these are the only kinda proofs you might be able to understand.

\thread

What are the pre-reqs for Quantum Mechanics at your school?

Where I go to school, it's Calculus I and II. Some multivariable calculus, operator algebra, and linear algebra is covered as need in the course itself.

However, someone on here yesterday said that their school required functional analysis, differential equations, and differential geometry for the Quantum Mechanics course.

I can see this for graduate level course, but he said this was for the undergrad course.

This concerns me because I'm planning on going to grad school for Quantum mechanics, and I want to know if I got a half-assed experience.

I'm from Kansas and am in highschool.

Right now, I'm doing a project for my freshman science class. It's titled "Computational Models for Benzophenone Photodynamics."

For the project, I'm using various quantum mechanical models like Hartree Fock 3-21G and 6-31G to predict the reaction enthalpy for a reaction involving the excited state dynamics of benzophenone.

My final results will be compared to expiremental values obtained using the thermal lensing processes, in which two laser beams, and excitation N2 laser, and the information gathering He-Ne will be used. As the reaction goes forward and heat is dumped into the solution, it's refractive index will change and information regarding reaction enthalpy obtained.

Furthermore, I'd like to model the dynamics of the thermal lensing process using differential equations.

But I guess it's just a Kansas thing. Our high schools here are really far advanced because we don't waste time teaching faith based science like evolution or climate change.

Picture related, it's my freshman Kansas science class.

Eurofag here.

I decided to study a year overseas, in the US. (Physics and Philosophy)

Can anyone recommend me universities for that?

Next Semester I got:

Thermodynamics
Quantum Mechanics
Atomic Physics

What do I have to expect?

Any auscifags going to Melbourne uni AAD thing tomorrow?

>>2245367
>if you have a system with 2^n possible states, you'd need n qubits or 2^(n+1) floating-point numbers to simulate it.
Does that account for entangled and super-positioned states?

For now let's assume I'm only asking for the raw amount of information without compression.

>>2234389
I could just as easily take physics to support math = reality. In fact at this time, I do take physics to support the hypothesis.

http://arxiv.org/abs/0704.0646
http://www.simulation-argument.com/
http://www.cogito.org/articles/ArticleDetail.aspx?ContentID=17941
http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/breaking/2010/10/20/fermilab-scientists-to-test-hypothesis-of-hologr
aphic-universe/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holographic_principle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_physics

>>2154992
Argument from ignorance, friend. Want to try again?

Currency isn't and hasn't been a necessity to human culture for most of the existence of human kind. It hasn't even been a convenience.

http://www.psychohistory.com/htm/money.html

As for a universal culture, money can have no greater meaning than being a fiction like monopoly money. If you demand we acknowledge currency, we will demand you acknowledge society is a game we are playing by implicit consensus. If it is a game, we can change the rules of the game. We can play something else. Whether you want to join us is the only substantial decision in that case.

When asking whether we can build a star, "it would cost too much money" is not a valid refutation. Engineering problems and scientific problems are not solved with money.

Valid refutations are things like by thermodynamics it would be prohibitively costly in labor and materials given current technology.