I'll only be here for a bit, but ask a math prof, /sci/. One of my students [an undergraduate] did his entire senior honor's thesis in Word, despite me telling him over and over to do it in LaTeX. So I had to pirate Word to make edits. The things I do for these kids!

File: 102 KB, 400x370, 1313806810204.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]

Anonymous Sat Oct 29 00:33:44 2011 No.3968251 [Reply] [Original]

I'll only be here for a bit, but ask a math prof, /sci/.

One of my students [an undergraduate] did his entire senior honor's thesis in Word, despite me telling him over and over to do it in LaTeX. So I had to pirate Word to make edits. The things I do for these kids!

>>	mathfag Sat Oct 29 00:35:44 2011 No.3968256 Whoops, I forgot my trip in this one, but I hope the picture tipped you off. Fun fact, my wife and I have two dachshunds. For Halloween, we are NOT dressing them up as hotdogs.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 00:35:44 2011 No.3968254 >>3968251 How in the fuck does an Honor's Math major Senior not automatically prefer latex over word for anything remotely technical? Please elaborate! What was his topic?

mathfag Sat Oct 29 00:39:44 2011 No.3968267

>>3968254

Not all of our seniors are proficient in LaTeX; it is not required at our uni to write your assignments in LaTeX. We did have a workshop on LaTeX for our honors seniors, but I suppose he missed it.

It's on Navier-Stokes. As far as I can tell, it's just the derivation of the equation and a few applications. Nothing really spectacular, considering he had an entire year to do it. But the prof he worked with is known to be somewhat of a push-over when it comes to assigning work to his students.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 00:46:44 2011 No.3968288 >>3968251 How 'bout OpenOffice?

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 00:49:44 2011 No.3968299 Is there a point in my education when I will look back at all undergraduate math courses and wonder what I ever found difficult with them? - a complex analysis student

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 00:49:44 2011 No.3968300 Gotta be that guy from the "I hate when X" topic. >>3967671 Not dressing your dachshunds as hot dogs for Halloween makes you doubly a twat.

Anonymous Sat Oct 29 00:52:44 2011 No.3968313

mathfag, I am dying to learn more about p-adic analysis. I found a book, "A course in p-adic analysis" but it seems too much over my head. This may just be because p-adic analysis is over my head, but it seems to me that if calc I, II, III, introductory number theory, and such, aren't over my head, then "merely" changing the definition of distance on the number line shouldn't make math crazy difficult. Is there anything you might recommend that might be a little more introductory? (Willing to buy books if I have to.)

If not, well, thanks for any consideration.

Secondly, sorry for the double question, but do you have recommendations on discrete math, specifically discrete calculus (finite differences etc).

Thanks!

mathfag Sat Oct 29 00:53:44 2011 No.3968318

>>3968300

I saw that thread and wanted to comment, but everyone had covered what I hated. And EVERYONE dresses their dachshunds as hot dogs. One of them hates when we put anything on her, so we're leaving her alone, and the other my wife is dressing like a lion.

>>3968299

Yes. In fact, at some point, you will be teaching the classes you found difficult and will become annoyed at students who find it difficult. It's a weird circle.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 00:53:44 2011 No.3968320 How did you do in high school math?

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 00:54:44 2011 No.3968323 You mean you work for a university, and you didn't have easy access to a machine with Microsoft office?

Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:05:44 2011 No.3968360
File: 36 KB, 441x263, ThanksKilling_Killer_Turkey1.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]

>>3968318
Of course, of course. You would agree with that poster, you are the professor after all and right on this situation as an authority. You're not trying to bullshit to give your other argument more stock at all.

mathfag Sat Oct 29 01:06:44 2011 No.3968367

>>3968323

I think you underestimate how cheap universities are.

>>3968313

For discrete math, Rosen is the book-of-choice. I don't know much about discrete differences and that sort of thing, though. For p-adics, the idea is just to introduce a new norm --- and, in particular, there are only two "good" types of norms for the integers. I was trying to look up the book I had for p-adic analysis; it was something like, "Arithmetic on the P-adics" but it doesn't seem to be in print anymore. Nonetheless, I just found this which is sort of neat since it uses mathematica:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=arithmetic%20in%20the%20p-adics&source=web&cd
=2&ved=0CCUQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mathematica-journal.com%2Fissue%2Fv9i2%2Fcontents%2FPa
dic%2FPadic.pdf&ei=f4mrTpmUCKKEsALw4MyYDw&usg=AFQjCNGvSqWhFdIARCtBe_7XsHJq-M-ppw&sig2=_a
9bR3upV0r2Ys9vfLJ3Zg&cad=rja

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:08:44 2011 No.3968372 File: 69 KB, 331x311, lol5.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>3968256 >HE HAS A WIFE EVERYONE POINT AND LAUGH WHAT A FUCKING FAGGOT

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:08:44 2011 No.3968374 Answer this: >>3967753

Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:10:44 2011 No.3968380

Am I wrong when I say that all math will eventually have an application?

I'm under the impression that new research today in mathematics can have consequences and applications in the future, even over a hundred years from now. Am I wrong in thinking that?

What about when I say that math is the way the universe works? Is this not entirely correct, since math is the best way to model the universe (and not *actually* how the universe works)?

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:12:44 2011 No.3968382 How can I deform a cardioid into a pair of pants with a marijuana leaf by the belt buckle?

mathfag Sat Oct 29 01:15:44 2011 No.3968391

>>3968380

I forget who said it (maybe Poincare?) but some mathematician claimed that everything discovered in mathematics will eventually have an application. I have my doubts; especially things which require things which are "greater than infinity" or things which are constructed in infinite dimensions. Nonetheless, I don't think ANYONE thought there'd be a day-to-day application for general relativity and then along comes GPS.

Mathematics, though, is only a language through which one can derive results based on assumed axioms. There is nothing inherently "true" or "false" about any mathematical statement with respect to the universe. Generally, physics is judged by how closely it models reality --- mathematics, on the other hand, is sometimes a tool to manipulate in the science and other times a motivation for looking at phenomena in different lights.

Yes, it is completely possible to talk about Maxwell's equations without calculus. But is it practical? Perhaps not.

>>	Sheikah !NKCqu160yw Sat Oct 29 01:16:44 2011 No.3968392 Have you ever worked with Grobner bases? I've recently started looking into them with regards to cryptology, and it's goddamn ridiculous trying to find a toy example to play with. Don't listen to >>3968372. Having a wife is great.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:16:44 2011 No.3968393 >>3968367 Thanks. Maybe my problem is that I've never gone into an analysis course in the first place.

mathfag Sat Oct 29 01:21:44 2011 No.3968401

>>3968392

If you ever hang around an algebraic geometer, all they will talk about is how great grobner bases are. I'm marginally familiar with them (I worked for a bit with someone who was doing some work in AG) and I know that they are used extensively in programs like Macaulay2 which help mathematicians manipulate structures in commutative algebra easier. They're not really any "better" or "worse" than any other basis for a module, but they're easier to manipulate because of their structure --- that's why we often use them. Also, they have some pretty nice properties which allow us to talk about the structure of certain modules --- see Dummit and Foote for more details on this (I think it's the end of Chapter 9).

But, if you'd like to play around with them, I highly suggest downloading Macaulay2. It's free and the documentation isn't bad. There's even a book that tries to teach you commutative algebra by playing with M2.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:24:44 2011 No.3968409 can u show some pictures of ur dachshunds? maybe some from previous halloweens?

mathfag Sat Oct 29 01:27:44 2011 No.3968421

>>3968409

I made it a rule not to share anything personal on here, but one is a long-haired brown doxie, and the other is a smooth red-haired. They're both shaped like hotdogs, but the longhaired is fatter (and much rounder!) than the other. Their names are Zee and Cain.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:32:44 2011 No.3968432 Are you obese?

>>	mathfag Sat Oct 29 01:36:44 2011 No.3968442 >>3968432 Unfortunately :( I weighed in at 327 this morning. And I'm 5'9".

>>	mathfag Sat Oct 29 01:37:44 2011 No.3968448 >>3968432 I'm an avid cyclist, but, yeah, I'm a bit chunky for my height. It comes with age. Your metabolism starts to get wonky at my age.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:38:44 2011 No.3968450 File: 69 KB, 331x311, lol11.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>3968448 >>3968442

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:46:44 2011 No.3968481 >>3968448 Fig, go to bed. It's late here.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:48:44 2011 No.3968492 >>3968448 No; your metabolism slows a little. This just means you need to eat a bit less. Stop fucking yourself up. 327 5'9 is incredibly overweight. Go lurk /fit/ or something.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:50:44 2011 No.3968494 >>3968448 Oh sure, rationalize your fatness. Why don't you explore the causes for your obesity in a mathematical manner?

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:50:44 2011 No.3968495 Math prof? I want to excel at math but I really skimped during high school. Can you recommend which sections of math I should brush up on the most if I intend to take calculus and onwards?

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:52:44 2011 No.3968502 >>3968495 Not mathfag, but I would guess: arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry. Ideally I'd say all math before calculus, but if you're going to review that much why stop at calculus? See the sticky for references.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:52:44 2011 No.3968505 File: 3 KB, 126x108, 1319431253891s.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>3968448 >>3968442 >over 300 pounds >a bit chunky

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:53:44 2011 No.3968510 >>3968492 Are you trolling? I thought it was impossible to be new to the internet nowadays.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:54:44 2011 No.3968515 Hey can you help me change my life and learn maths. In exchange I'll give you nutritional advice I have a really great source. I'll leave my email if you say yes.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:55:44 2011 No.3968517 >>3968515 Sounds legit.

mathfag Sat Oct 29 01:56:44 2011 No.3968519

>>3968492

Whoo. There's a few more trolls on /sci/ tonight than usual, I guess. I'm nowhere near 300, but I am a bit more than my college weight. Since it got colder, it's harder for me to go out and run, but I'm trying to keep active.

>>3968495

The following cannot be overstated: algebra. You absolutely need it for calculus, and no one is going to tell you how to do it at that level. Get a few Demystified books [algebra I and II] and go through them. If you have trouble, there's a ton of resources online. Do it until you understand it. I can't tell you how many students drop out of calculus half-way not because they don't get the calculus but because they can't do algebraic manipulations.

Actually, to quote a favorite math book of mine, "[College Calculus] contains only two main topics: the derivative and the integral. The rest of the time is spent reviewing algebraic techniques."

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 01:56:44 2011 No.3968521 >Not mathfag, but I would guess: arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry. Ideally I'd say all math before calculus, but if you're going to review that much why stop at calculus? What other math is there before calculus?

mathfag Sat Oct 29 01:59:44 2011 No.3968531

>>3968502

Yes. Although, some schools don't even introduce trig until Calculus 2 (and, yes, I'm aware of how stupid that sounds). You should review sine and cosine and the rest, but don't go TOO in depth. You'll need to know what the major values are, but not so much the translates and so forth.

Geometry will be marginally useful. Special triangles come up frequently, and you may want to review similar triangles. The rest is just area and volume stuff, which you can memorize or look up when you need it.

Anonymous Sat Oct 29 02:05:44 2011 No.3968556

>5'9"
>over 300lbs

You are obscenely obese. That is disgustingly fat. If I was your doctor I would be prescribing meth you are so fat. Your obesity is well beyond critical levels. There are no excuses, you need a lifestyle change stat. See a fucking doctor immediately.

>>	mathfag Sat Oct 29 02:09:44 2011 No.3968565 >>3968556 Dude, just leave me alone. That's none of your business, and I shouldn't have told you guys anyway. I'm thinking of deleting my post or denying I said it. Assholes!

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 02:11:44 2011 No.3968574 >I made it a rule not to share anything personal on here, but see my next post. >I weighed in at 327 this morning. And I'm 5'9". I'm not gonna give you shit for your weight but come on, man.

>>	mathfag Sat Oct 29 02:11:44 2011 No.3968576 My name field says mathfag. Therefore, I am obviously mathfag.

Anonymous Sat Oct 29 02:15:44 2011 No.3968587
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>>3968515

Hah I asked him for that "how to I man up/become an adult/be motivated in learning" advice the last thread he made.

You just gotta do it. It's all on you bro.

>>3968531
>some schools don't even introduce trig until Calculus 2

pic related.

I remember you reading Lockhart's Lament. How would you structure mathematical curriculum in America?

>>	mathfag Sat Oct 29 02:15:44 2011 No.3968589 Oh man, this box of deep fried twinkles I'm eating is delicious. Hang on, I'm going to go dip these in butter.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 02:16:30 2011 No.3968593 >>3968576 No, I am mathfag!

Anonymous Sat Oct 29 02:19:44 2011 No.3968601

OP I'm so sorry for asking if you were obese. I honestly hope this does not deter you from making more threads. I would venture to say no since you seem to be familiar with 4chan (and therefore have thick internet skin).

I just wanted to throw in a random question that isn't about some 300 level or higher math. I'm sorry.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 09:34:44 2011 No.3969530 >>3968367 I work for a poor, small state university. Within 100 yards of my office, there are probably 30 PCs I have access to that have microsoft office, including two in my office. And I'm just a grad student.

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 09:55:44 2011 No.3969605 File: 38 KB, 562x437, HA_HA_HA_OH_WOW.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>3968519 http://www.4chan.org/faq#sectrip Man, get a tip code. This is almost hilarious. CAPTCHA RELATED, "siansol trip"!

>>	Anonymous Sat Oct 29 13:02:44 2011 No.3970288 File: 32 KB, 640x480, charizard.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] im laughing so hard oh god

>>	Teacup !obkpuSWh5M Sat Oct 29 13:10:44 2011 No.3970311 >>3968442 3... 300 and 27? How... How do you... Do you even move? Do you even move mathfag?

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/sci/ - Science & Math