All Questions
495 questions
13
votes
17
answers
3k
views
Short Course Suggestions For High School Students
I am planning to teach a course for talented high school students at a summer camp and I need suggestions for possible topics. The students usually have different backgrounds but most of them are ...
CommunityBot
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13
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Classroom platonism
I'd like to know whether any form a certain hypothesis about the
learning of higher mathematics has entered the mathematical or
educational literature. I'll frame the hypothesis here but not defend
...
CommunityBot
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22
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Anything special (historical?) about surface $x\cdot y\cdot z\ +\ x+y+z=0$?
QUESTION
I wanted to introduce and develop the complex logarithm from scratch. As the result I've arrived a couple of months ago at the following identity after which the road to complex logarithm is ...
- 151k
49
votes
14
answers
21k
views
Applications of the Cayley-Hamilton theorem
The Cayley-Hamilton theorem is usually presented in standard undergraduate courses in linear algebra as an important result. Recall that it says that any square matrix is a "root" of its own ...
CommunityBot
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13
votes
7
answers
35k
views
Real analysis has no applications?
I'm teaching an undergrad course in real analysis this Fall and we are using the text "Real Mathematical Analysis" by Charles Pugh. On the back it states that real analysis involves no "applications ...
45
votes
14
answers
13k
views
Examples of undergraduate mathematics separation from what mathematicians should know
I'm looking for examples of four kinds of things:
Material that is usually covered in standard undergraduate mathematics courses and/or in first-year graduate work (or tested in qualifying ...
- 6,541
12
votes
12
answers
2k
views
What are fun elementary subjects in probability?
I have to read several lectures on probability or applications of probability for high school students (of high level). There is no necessary part I must lecture, that is, my aim is just advertisement....
- 39.9k
-1
votes
1
answer
771
views
Are manifolds typically taught to undergraduates outside mathematics (and possibly theoretical physics) tracks? [closed]
I'm writing my dissertation on symplectic structure-preserving algorithms for Hamiltonian systems simulation, and I'm trying to figure out how much exposition is necessary for it to be readable by ...
- 44.7k
27
votes
10
answers
4k
views
What (fun) results in graph theory should undergraduates learn?
I have the task of creating a 3rd year undergraduate course in graph theory (in the UK). Essentially the students will have seen minimal discrete math/combinatorics before this course. Since graph ...
CommunityBot
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2
votes
3
answers
9k
views
How can I combine my interests for pure mathematics and computer science in college? [closed]
I’m a high school senior who's gone through quite the self-introspection the past few months while applying for college, and I have a bit of a dilemma. All my life, I've loved & excelled at ...
- 169
6
votes
0
answers
622
views
How necessary is the knowledge of Lebesgue integral for non-analysts? [closed]
Recently I have learned that at some math department the introductory course to Lebesgue integration not obligatory. Thus in another course on introduction to Hilbert spaces the $L^2(0,1)$ space is ...
- 21.8k
6
votes
2
answers
588
views
Applications of isotropic quadratic forms
I will soon be teaching an introductory course on bilinear algebra and quadratic forms. I will likely spend most of the time and effort on positive definite quadratic forms and euclidean spaces. These ...
- 79.9k
13
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Teaching polarisation formula
When teaching about Hilbert spaces, one begins with a polarisation formula, which allows us to reconstruct the scalar product from the norm:
$$\langle u,v\rangle=\frac14(\|u+v\|^2-\|u-v\|^2+\imath\|u+\...
CommunityBot
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7
votes
1
answer
243
views
Five cubes, Hadamard and Shklyarskiy
Here is my(=bad) translation of from the paper about Shklyarskiy by Golovina:
... in 1937/38 Dodik presented to school students a complete proof of Abel's theorem about equations of degree 5. He ...
- 22.8k
5
votes
0
answers
2k
views
A course on modern algebraic geometry from "The Stacks Project"
I hope this question is viable for this site. I'm sincerely sorry, if you think it isn't.
For a lot of time, "EGA" by Alexander Grothendieck and Jean Dieudonne was "the" reference on the basics of ...
- 59
1
vote
1
answer
116
views
Expectation of changing the gift choice [closed]
Suppose we are given two boxes, with one of gift valued $n$ dollars and the other one valued twice as much. We can pick a box, and after open it we have the choice of switching to another box. Shall ...
- 4,529
55
votes
16
answers
16k
views
Why do we need random variables?
In this MathStackExchange post the question in the title was asked without much outcome, I feel.
Edit: As Douglas Zare kindly observes, there is one more answer in MathStackExchange now.
I am not ...
CommunityBot
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10
votes
1
answer
1k
views
A proof without derivatives that a real polynomial of degree $n$ has at most $n-1$ local extrema
This question is about math education and is not research level, so do not hesitate to delete it if it feels inappropriate.
I already asked it here a year ago:
https://math.stackexchange.com/...
CommunityBot
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96
votes
5
answers
8k
views
Is there a database for tracking the dependencies of mathematical theorems?
Given a proof for a result, one could denote the proof as a node on a graph, and then draw arrows to the node from axioms and previous results that the proof uses, and then draw arrows from the node ...
- 4,713
33
votes
20
answers
5k
views
Do names given to math concepts have a role in common mistakes by students?
Perhaps this question overlaps with similar ones, ... but I want to focus on a particular possible cause of confusion. I notice that students are often confused by the concepts of "infinite" and "...
- 6,541
12
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Is there a way to embed Clifford algebras into the corresponding tensor algebra?
$\newcommand{\talg}{\mathcal{T}(V)}$$\newcommand{\clalg}{\mathcal{Cl}_q(V)}$$\newcommand{\qalg}{\mathcal{I}_q(V)}$Is there a way to embed Clifford algebras into the corresponding tensor algebra?
There ...
CommunityBot
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16
votes
9
answers
4k
views
How to motivate the skein relations?
I am teaching an advanced undergraduate class on topology. We are doing introductory knot theory at the moment. One of my students asked how do we know to use this skein relation to compute all these ...
- 118k
3
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Cambridge Mathematical Tripos papers from late 19th century
Are the scanned images of Cambridge Mathematical Tripos papers from late 19th century available anywhere on Internet?
- 188k
3
votes
2
answers
598
views
Math and social commitment [closed]
I am a master's student and am looking for ways that link a certain social commitment with serious math. Since I have not found such an overview yet and in order to raise public awareness of such ...
- 8,529
35
votes
14
answers
4k
views
Where have you used computer programming in your career as an (applied/pure) mathematician?
For background: I'm working on a book to help mathematicians learn how to program. However, I need to see some examples from people in the field that have done different kinds of things than I have.
...
CommunityBot
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1
vote
1
answer
387
views
proof without words for logarithms [closed]
Does anyone know of any PROOF WITHOUT WORDS for logarithmic functions?
The only one I've seen in calculus based and I need one for high school math kids in MATH 1,2,3.
Any suggestions would be ...
- 16.5k
9
votes
4
answers
10k
views
Applications of Euler-Cauchy ODEs
The Euler-Cauchy ODE (2nd order, homogeneous version) is:
$$
x^2 y'' + a x y' + b y = 0
$$
Looking in various books on ODEs and a random walk on a web search (i.e. I didn't click on every link, but ...
- 3,574
12
votes
10
answers
16k
views
Learning Algebra & Group Theory on my own [closed]
I'm learning Algebra & Group Theory, casually, on my own. Professionally, I'm a computer consultant, with a growing interest in the mathematical and theoretical aspects. I've been amazed with ...
CommunityBot
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49
votes
5
answers
4k
views
How do you mentor undergraduate research?
Lets say you had an undergraduate who wanted to do some advanced work and some research, possibly for a thesis, or things like that.
There are two slightly more specific groups of questions I have ...
CommunityBot
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52
votes
9
answers
26k
views
Is Galois theory necessary (in a basic graduate algebra course)?
By definition, a basic graduate algebra course in a U.S. (or similar) university with
a Ph.D. program in mathematics lasts part or all of an academic year and is taken
by first (sometimes second) ...
16
votes
10
answers
6k
views
Undergraduate Topology
I am developing an introductory topology course for undergraduates, and I am wondering what topics to cover. At my institution, real analysis is not a prerequisite for the course, so it is more than ...
CommunityBot
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22
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Technical issue in the approach to Lie groups taken in a book
I'm teaching Lie groups and Lie Algebras out of Brian C. Hall's book (Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, and Representations: An Elementary Introduction, Springer), which I've enjoyed using. I'm confused about ...
CommunityBot
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37
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Community experiences writing Lamport's structured proofs
About two years ago, I came across this paper by Lamport
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/lamport/pubs/lamport-how-to-write.pdf
on writing proofs hierarchically. It changed how I wrote ...
CommunityBot
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0
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Everyday, real-life applications of mathematical concepts, and human intuition vs mathematical analysis [closed]
I'm working on an educational project about the applications of reasonably 'lofty', high-ish-level mathematical concepts in the real world. I've already scoured these links (1) (2) (3) after ...
CommunityBot
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9
votes
1
answer
617
views
Problems which use S₄ → S₃
I need examples of problems which use, directly or indirectly, the homomorphism $S_4\to S_3$ in the solution (its kernel is $\mathbb{Z}_2\oplus\mathbb{Z}_2$).
Obvious candidates:
Lagrange resolvent (...
- 1,590
3
votes
2
answers
432
views
A logarithmic cotangent inequality
I must be a terrible googling searcher but I cannot find a reference to the following inequality:
$$ \forall_{\phi\in(0;\frac \pi 4)}\ \ln(\cot(\phi)))\, <\, \cot(2\!\cdot\!\phi) $$
I have just ...
- 7,500
8
votes
0
answers
416
views
Pedagogical question on Lie groups vs. matrix Lie groups
There are two common approaches taken in introductory texts on Lie groups: studying all Lie groups, or focusing only on matrix Lie groups. The main advantage of the latter approach is that one can ...
- 28.1k
21
votes
10
answers
6k
views
Not especially famous, long-open problems which higher mathematics beginners can understand
This is a pair to
Not especially famous, long-open problems which anyone can understand
So this time I'm asking for open questions so easy to state for students of subjects such as undergraduate ...
CommunityBot
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52
votes
22
answers
19k
views
Interesting Calculus Questions/Exercises
I am in the process of redesigning the calculus course that I have taught five or six times. What I would like to know is if anyone has some really good examples or exercises that I could either do ...
- 39.9k
12
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Reference for a nice proof of "undetermined coefficients"
I'm teaching an honors differential equations class and have been using linear algebra heavily. I thought it would be interesting to include a proof of the method of undetermined coefficients along ...
- 45.7k
9
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Math History Question about the exponential function
While tutoring a student recently, I have come across the situation of explain logarithms by first introducing functions of the form $$f(x)= a^x$$ where $a \ge 0,x\in \mathbb{R}$. My student then ...
- 1,481
74
votes
14
answers
9k
views
How to write popular mathematics well? [closed]
Recently, some classmates and I were lamenting the fact that our classmates in other disciplines had almost no conception of what we did, despite the large mathematics population at Waterloo. Instead ...
CommunityBot
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11
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Good examples of random variables whose image is not a measurable set?
Are their simple/natural examples of real-valued Borel-measurable random variables whose image is not a Borel set? Something that occurs "naturally"?
I am teaching Doob's lemma (for two real-valued ...
- 41.1k
11
votes
8
answers
4k
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Leibnizian calculus textbook
Where can I find a calculus textbook that emphasizes differentials?
Is there such a book that I could realistically require my calculus students to use?
I want a textbook that supports me when I tell ...
- 291
57
votes
34
answers
13k
views
Are there any books that take a 'theorems as problems' approach?
Are there any books that present theorems as problems? To be more specific, a book on elementary group theory might have written: "Theorem: Each group has exactly one identity" and then show a proof ...
- 109k
35
votes
19
answers
9k
views
Interesting applications (in pure mathematics) of first-year calculus
What interesting applications are there for theorems or other results studied in first-year calculus courses?
A good example for such an application would be using a calculus theorem to prove a ...
CommunityBot
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4
votes
1
answer
173
views
Numerical equality testing
I am working on developing an online homework system.
One thing I would like to have is something which compares a student's answer (like $2\sin(x)\cos(x)$) with the intended answer (maybe $\sin(2x)$)...
- 151k
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What is the best *general triangle*?
During courses on geometry it is sometimes necessary to draw a triangle on the blackboard that can easily be recognized as a general triangle. It must not be rectangular and must not have two or more ...
CommunityBot
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4
votes
1
answer
441
views
How to teach generalizing the induction hypothesis? [closed]
I just finished teaching a class on using proof assistants (in this case, Agda) to write provably correct programs. Reflecting on how it went, the biggest difficulty I noticed the students having was ...
- 82.7k
16
votes
12
answers
10k
views
How seriously should a graduate student take teaching evaluations? [closed]
Pretty much the question in the title. If a grad student gets bad reviews as a TA, how much does that hurt them later? How much do good reviews help? What if the situation is more complex? (For ...
- 50.6k