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Orthogonal vectors with entries from $\{-1,0,1\}$

Let $\mathbf{1}$ be the all-ones vector, and suppose $\mathbf{1}, \mathbf{v_1}, \mathbf{v_2}, \ldots, \mathbf{v_{n-1}} \in \{-1,0,1\}^n$ are mutually orthogonal non-zero vectors. Does it follow that $...
Nathaniel Johnston's user avatar
35 votes
0 answers
1k views

Is there a rigid analytic geometry proof of the functional equation for the Riemann zeta function?

The adèles $\mathbb A$ arise naturally when considering the Berkovich space $\mathcal M(\mathbb Z)$ of the integers. Namely, they are the stalk $\mathbb A = (j_\ast j^{-1} \mathcal O_\mathbb Z)_p$ ...
Tim Campion's user avatar
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35 votes
0 answers
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Grothendieck's "List of classes of structures"

In Lawvere's article Comments on the Development of Topos Theory, the author writes: Similarly, Grothendieck and others unerringly recognized which kinds of mathematical structures are 'preserved ...
Arrow's user avatar
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34 votes
0 answers
692 views

Metrics on the 3-sphere with knotted geodesics

According to answers to this question every metrics on $S^3$ admits a simple closed geodesic. Given a knot (or link) $K$, it's also quite simple to build a metric on $S^3$ such that $K$ is a geodesic (...
Marco Golla's user avatar
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33 votes
0 answers
2k views

History of the Proj construction in algebraic geometry

Projective geometry was introduced by fifteenth century Renaissance painters (like Alberti, da Vinci and Dürer) in the guise of perspective theory, although one could argue that Pappus was already ...
Georges Elencwajg's user avatar
33 votes
0 answers
2k views

Do there exist exotic 4-tori?

More precisely: are there known manifolds which are homeomorphic, but not diffeomorphic to the standard 4-torus? Are there any nice invariants distinguishing such manifolds? Related: if such a ...
Jan Jitse Venselaar's user avatar
33 votes
0 answers
2k views

Is there a (discrete) monoid M injecting into its group completion G for which BM is not homotopy equivalent to BG?

For a (discrete) monoid $M$, the classifying space $BM$ is the geometric realization of the nerve of the one object category whose hom-set is $M$. (This definition gives the usual classfiying space ...
Omar Antolín-Camarena's user avatar
33 votes
0 answers
2k views

Defining $\mathbb{Z}$ in $\mathbb{Q}$

It was proved by Poonen that $\mathbb{Z}$ is definable in the structure $(\mathbb{Q}, +, \cdot, 0, 1)$ using $\forall \exists$ formula. Koenigsmann has shown that $\mathbb{Z}$ is in fact definable by ...
user avatar
33 votes
0 answers
2k views

Peano Arithmetic and the Field of Rationals

In 1949 Julia Robinson showed the undecidability of the first order theory of the field of rationals by demonstrating that the set of natural numbers $\Bbb{N}$ is first order definable in $(\Bbb{Q}, +,...
Ali Enayat's user avatar
33 votes
0 answers
1k views

Subalgebras of von Neumann algebras

In the late 70s, Cuntz and Behncke had a paper H. Behncke and J. Cuntz, Local Completeness of Operator Algebras, Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society, Vol. 62, No. 1 (Jan., 1977), pp. 95-...
Andreas Thom's user avatar
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32 votes
0 answers
1k views

Cubic function $\mathbb{Z}^2 \to \mathbb{Z}$ cannot be injective

It is easy to show, with an explicit construction, that a homogeneous cubic function $f: \mathbb{Z}^2 \to \mathbb{Z}$ is not injective. I am seeking a proof of the same result without the condition ...
Greg Egan's user avatar
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32 votes
0 answers
2k views

The easily bored sequence

If we want to compare the repetitiveness of two finite words, it looks reasonable, first of all, to consider more repetitive the word repeating more times one of its factors, and secondarily to ...
Alessandro Della Corte's user avatar
32 votes
0 answers
624 views

Existence of orthogonal basis of symmetric $n\times n$ matrices, where each matrix is unitary?

For a positive integer $n$, let $S_n$ denote the set of $n\times n$ symmetric matrices over $\mathbb{C}$. As a complex vector space, this set has dimension $\mathrm{dim}(S_n)=\binom{n+1}{2}$. The ...
Mark Girard's user avatar
32 votes
0 answers
3k views

Vertex coloring inherited from perfect matchings (motivated by quantum physics)

Added (19.01.2021): Dustin Mixon wrote a blog post about the question where he reformulated and generalized the question. Added (25.12.2020): I made a youtube video to explain the question in detail. ...
Mario Krenn's user avatar
32 votes
0 answers
1k views

Is there any positive integer sequence $c_{n+1}=\frac{c_n(c_n+n+d)}n$?

In a recent answer Max Alekseyev provided two recurrences of the form mentioned in the title which stay integer for a long time. However, they eventually fail. QUESTION Is there any (added: ...
Ilya Bogdanov's user avatar
32 votes
0 answers
906 views

Isometric embeddings of finite subsets of $\ell_2$ into infinite-dimensional Banach spaces

Question: Does there exist a finite subset $F$ of $\ell_2$ and an infinite-dimensional Banach space $X$ such that $F$ does not admit an isometric embedding into $X$? There are some results of the ...
Mikhail Ostrovskii's user avatar
32 votes
0 answers
1k views

Minimal number of intersections in a convex $n$-gon?

For a convex polygon $P$, draw all the diagonals of $P$ and consider the intersection points made by those diagonals. Let $f(n)$ be the minimal number of such intersections where $P$ ranges over all ...
Dongryul Kim's user avatar
  • 1,429
32 votes
0 answers
2k views

Next steps on formal proof of classification of finite simple groups

While people are steaming ahead on finessing the proof of the classification of finite simple groups (CFSG), we have a formal proof in Coq of one of the first major components: the Feit-Thompson odd-...
David Roberts's user avatar
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32 votes
0 answers
2k views

Is there software to compute the cohomology of an affine variety?

I have some affine varieties whose cohomology (topological, with $\mathbb{C}$ coefficients) I would like to know. They are very nice, they are all of the form $\mathbb{A}^n \setminus \{ f=0 \}$ for ...
David E Speyer's user avatar
32 votes
0 answers
958 views

Is there a Mathieu groupoid M_31?

I have read something which said that the large amount of common structure between the simple groups $SL(3,3)$ and $M_{11}$ indicated to Conway the possibility that the Mathieu groupoid $M_{13}$ might ...
DavidLHarden's user avatar
  • 3,575
32 votes
0 answers
2k views

Microlocal geometry - A theorem of Verdier

(1) In "Geometrie Microlocale", Verdier states the following theorem. Theorem: Let $E$ be a vector space and $F$ a constructible complex on $E$. Then for $\ell$ a linear form on $E$, we have a ...
AFK's user avatar
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32 votes
0 answers
2k views

A Combinatorial Abstraction for The "Polynomial Hirsch Conjecture"

Consider $t$ disjoint families of subsets of {1,2,…,n}, ${\cal F}_1,{\cal F_2},\dots {\cal F_t}$ . Suppose that (*) For every $i \lt j \lt k$ and every $R \in {\cal F}_i$, and $T \in {\cal F}_k$, ...
Gil Kalai's user avatar
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32 votes
0 answers
2k views

$f\circ f=g$ revisited

This may be related to solving $f(f(x))=g(x)$. Let $C(\mathbb{R})$ be the linear space of all continuous functions from $\mathbb{R}$ to $\mathbb{R}$, and let $\mathcal{S}:=\{g\in C(\mathbb{R}) ; \...
Ady's user avatar
  • 4,030
31 votes
0 answers
834 views

The central insight in the proof of the existence of a class of Kervaire invariant one in dimension 126

I understand from a helpful earlier MO question that the techniques leading to the celebrated resolution of the Kervaire invariant one problem in the other candidate dimensions yield no insight on ...
jdc's user avatar
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31 votes
0 answers
2k views

A question related to the Hofstadter–Conway \$10000 sequence

The Hofstadter–Conway \$10000 sequence is defined by the nested recurrence relation $$c(n) = c(c(n-1)) + c(n-c(n-1))$$ with $c(1) = c(2) = 1$. This sequence is A004001 and it is well-known that this ...
Alkan's user avatar
  • 681
31 votes
0 answers
893 views

Is this representation of Go (game) irreducible?

This post is freely inspired by the basic rules of Go (game), usually played on a $19 \times 19$ grid graph. Consider the $\mathbb{Z}^2$ grid. We can assign to each vertex a state "black" ($b$), "...
Sebastien Palcoux's user avatar
31 votes
0 answers
2k views

Do there exist infinite-dimensional Banach spaces in which every bounded linear operator attains its norm?

Let $X$ be a Banach space, $L(X)$ the space of all bounded linear operators on $X$. We say that $A ∈ L(X)$ attains its norm if there exists $x ∈ X$ such that $\|x\| = 1$ and $\|Ax\| = \|A\|$. The ...
Mikhail Ostrovskii's user avatar
31 votes
0 answers
1k views

"Three great cocycles" in Complex Analysis as cohomology generators

In his lecture notes, C. McMullen discusses "the three great cocycles" in Complex Analysis: the derivative $$f\mapsto\log f',$$ the non-linearity $$f\mapsto (\log f')'dz$$ and the Schwarzian ...
Kostya_I's user avatar
  • 8,642
31 votes
0 answers
1k views

When are two C*-algebras isomorphic as Banach spaces?

We may consider each $C^*$-algebra as a Banach space (by forgetting the multiplication and adjoint). I wonder how drastic this step is, i.e., which properties of the $C^*$-algebra are reflected by its ...
Hannes Thiel's user avatar
  • 3,305
31 votes
2 answers
2k views

Tiling of the plane with manholes

Some shapes, such as the disk or the Releaux triangle can be used as manholes, that is, it is a curve of constant width. (The width between two parallel tangents to the curve are independent of the ...
Per Alexandersson's user avatar
30 votes
0 answers
790 views

Interpretation of "1089-number trick" in terms of symmetric group action on cohomology group?

I tried posting the following on math.stackexchange, but no answers. I can of course delete if inappropriate. The "1089 number trick" (see e.g. here) says that if you take a three-digit ...
mnmse475's user avatar
  • 301
30 votes
0 answers
869 views

Three real polynomials

Theorem. Let $f,g$ be two real polynomials, and suppose that their Wronskian $W(f,g)=f'g-fg'$ has only real roots. Then on any interval $I\subset\mathbf{R}$ containing no roots of $W$ every non-...
Alexandre Eremenko's user avatar
30 votes
0 answers
667 views

Do two integral matrices generate a free group?

Is it decidable whether two given elements of ${\rm GL}(n,{\mathbb Z})$ generate a free group of rank 2? This is a simple question that I have been asking people for the past couple of years, but ...
Derek Holt's user avatar
  • 36.4k
30 votes
0 answers
893 views

On the definition of regular (non-noetherian, commutative) rings

All rings are commutative with unit. A ring $R$ is called regular if it satisfies (Reg) Every finitely generated ideal of $R$ has finite projective dimension. Clearly this gives the usual ...
Laurent Moret-Bailly's user avatar
30 votes
0 answers
730 views

Cohomology of symmetric groups and the integers mod 12

When $n \ge 4$, the third homology group $H_3(S_n,\mathbb{Z})$ of the symmetric group $S_n$ contains $\mathbb{Z}_{12}$ as a summand. Using the universal coefficient theorem we get $\mathbb{Z}_{12}$ ...
John Baez's user avatar
  • 21.3k
30 votes
0 answers
989 views

Follow-up to Steinberg's problem (12) in his 1966 ICM talk?

Steinberg's lecture at the 1966 ICM in Moscow here surveyed his work on regular elements of semisimple algebraic groups, while also formulating a number of then-open questions as "problems" (...
Jim Humphreys's user avatar
30 votes
0 answers
3k views

Greatly expanded new edition of a Bourbaki chapter on algebra?

Recently I discovered by accident that Bourbaki issued in 2012 a radically expanded version of their 1958 Chapter 8 Modules et anneaux semi-simples (like other chapters, initially in French) within ...
Jim Humphreys's user avatar
30 votes
0 answers
736 views

Is there an Ehrhart polynomial for Gaussian integers

Let $N$ be a positive integer and let $P \subset \mathbb{C}$ be a polygon whose vertices are of the form $(a_1+b_1 i)/N$, $(a_2+b_2 i)/N$, ..., $(a_r+b_r i)/N$, with $a_j + b_j i$ being various ...
David E Speyer's user avatar
30 votes
0 answers
2k views

Why do Clifford algebras determine $KO$ (and $K$-)-theory?

In the paper "Clifford modules" by Atiyah-Bott-Shapiro, they construct a family of Clifford algebras $C_k$ over the real numbers, so that $C_k$ is the algebra associated to a negative definite form on ...
Akhil Mathew's user avatar
  • 25.3k
30 votes
0 answers
2k views

What do dessins tell us about the absolute Galois group?

I have sometimes seen it asserted that one manifestiation of how complicated the absolute Galois group $\mathrm{Gal}(\overline{\mathbf{Q}}/\mathbf{Q})$ is is that one can not "pin down" any single ...
Dan Petersen's user avatar
  • 39.2k
30 votes
1 answer
2k views

When is a compact topological 4-manifold a CW complex?

Freedman's $E_8$-manifold is nontriangulable, as proved on page (xvi) of the Akbulut-McCarthy 1990 Princeton Mathematical Notes "Casson's invariant for oriented homology 3-spheres". Kirby showed that ...
Andrew Ranicki's user avatar
29 votes
0 answers
891 views

Todd class as an Euler class

Let $X$ be a relatively nice scheme or topological space. In various physics papers I've come accross, the Todd class $\text{Td}(T_X)$ is viewed as the Euler class of the normal bundle to $X\to LX$. ...
Pulcinella's user avatar
  • 5,506
29 votes
0 answers
2k views

Did Grothendieck overestimate topoi?

I was reading the Russian translation of Recoltes et Semailles and in the footnote where Grothendieck lists his 12 contributions (including schemes) we find the following lines: Из этих тем ...
29 votes
0 answers
1k views

A modern perspective on the relationship between Drinfeld modules and shtukas

Shtukas were defined by Drinfeld as a generalization of Drinfeld modules. While the relationship between the definitions of Drinfeld modules and shtukas is not obvious, one does have a natural ...
Will Sawin's user avatar
  • 135k
29 votes
0 answers
1k views

Is there a field $F$ which is isomorphic to $F(X,Y)$ but not to $F(X)$?

Is there a field $F$ such that $F \cong F(X,Y)$ as fields, but $F \not \cong F(X)$ as fields? I know only an example of a field $F$ such that $F$ isomorphic to $F(x,y)$ : this is something like $F=k(...
Watson's user avatar
  • 1,702
29 votes
0 answers
1k views

Linking formulas by Euler, Pólya, Nekrasov-Okounkov

Consider the formal product $$F(t,x,z):=\prod_{j=0}^{\infty}(1-tx^j)^{z-1}.$$ (a) If $z=2$ then on the one hand we get Euler's $$F(t,x,2)=\sum_{n\geq0}\frac{(-1)^nx^{\binom{n}2}}{(x;x)_n}t^n,$$ on the ...
T. Amdeberhan's user avatar
29 votes
0 answers
977 views

Non-linear expanders?

Recall that a family of graphs (indexed by an infinite set, such as the primes, say) is called an expander family if there is a $\delta>0$ such that, on every graph in the family, the discrete ...
H A Helfgott's user avatar
  • 19.3k
29 votes
0 answers
3k views

The Work of Pierre Deligne

In this biography of Pierre Deligne, there is a quote of Jacques Tits which says that "quite a few of his best ideas have never been written!". What are some of his best ideas that you have heard of ...
29 votes
0 answers
3k views

Why do polytopes pop up in Lagrange inversion?

I'd be interested in hearing people's viewpoints on this. Looking for an intuitive perspective. See Wikipedia for descriptions of polytopes and the Lagrange inversion theorem/formula (LIF) for ...
29 votes
0 answers
739 views

Why do H_4 and M_4 have the same virtual Euler characteristic?

Here's a funny coincidence: The virtual (or "orbifold") Euler characteristic of $\mathcal M_g$ is known by the work of Harer and Zagier: one has $\chi(\mathcal M_g) = \zeta(1-2g)/(2-2g)$. Now ...
Dan Petersen's user avatar
  • 39.2k

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