Frequent Questions
18,053 questions
26
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Are the 'semi' trivial zeros of $\zeta(s) \pm \zeta(1-s)$ all on the critical line?
The proof that $\Gamma(z)\pm \Gamma(1-z)$ only has zeros for $z \in \mathbb{R}$ or $z= \frac12 +i \mathbb{R}$ has been given here:
Are all zeros of $\Gamma(s) \pm \Gamma(1-s)$ on a line with real ...
- 4,169
26
votes
2
answers
4k
views
3D models of the unfoldings of the hypercube?
There are (apparently) 261 distinct unfoldings of the 4D hypercube, a.k.a., the
tesseract, into 3D.1
These unfoldings (or "nets") are analogous to the 11 unfoldings of
the 3D cube into the plane.2
...
- 151k
24
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Euler characteristic of a manifold and self-intersection
This is probably quite easy, but how do you show that the Euler characteristic of a manifold M (defined for example as the alternating sum of the dimensions of integral cohomology groups) is equal to ...
- 5,530
23
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Can we axiomatize Omnific Integers without the Surreal Number system?
Omnific integers are the counterpart in the Surreal numbers of the integers. The surreal numbers are usually defined using set theory, and then the omnific integers are defined as a particular subset (...
- 4,597
23
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Is there any research on set theory without extensionality axiom?
In practice (say, in computer science), collections with many "labels" ("identities"), or collections which occur in many copies, are more frequently used than sets. Such collections do not satisfy ...
- 889
22
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Rational points on a sphere in $\mathbb{R}^d$
Call a point of $\mathbb{R}^d$ rational if all its $d$ coordinates are rational numbers.
Q1.
Are the rational points dense on the unit sphere $S :\; x_1^2 +\cdots+ x_d^2 = 1$, i.e. does $S$ ...
- 151k
21
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Is the Euler product formula always divergent for 0<Re(s)<1?
It is known that the Euler product formula converges for $\Re(s)>1$
(and there it represents the Riemann zeta function).
My question: Is the Euler product always divergent for
$0 < \Re(s) < ...
- 255
21
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Invariants for the exceptional complex simple Lie algebra $F_4$
This is an edited version of the original question taking into account the comments below by Bruce. The original formulation was imprecise.
Let $\mathfrak{g}$ denote a complex simple Lie algebra of ...
- 33.3k
20
votes
1
answer
587
views
$q$-(and other)-analogs for counting index-$n$ subgroups in terms of Homs to $S_n$?
The following formula of astonishing beauty and power (imho):
$$ \sum_{n \ge 0} \frac{| \mathrm{Hom}(G,S_n) | }{n! } z^n = \exp\left( \sum_{n \ge 1} \frac{|\text{Index}~n~\text{subgroups of}~ G|}nz^...
- 24.9k
20
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Pi1-sentence independent of ZF, ZF+Con(ZF), ZF+Con(ZF)+Con(ZF+Con(ZF)), etc.?
Let
ZF1 = ZF,
ZFk+1 = ZF + the assumption that ZF1,...,ZFk are consistent,
ZFω = ZF + the assumption that ZFk is consistent for every positive integer k,
... and similarly define ZFα ...
- 9,833
20
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Does every set admit a rigid binary relation? (and how is this related to the Axiom of Choice?)
Let us say that a set B admits a rigid binary relation, if there is a binary relation R such that the structure (B,R) has no nontrivial automorphisms.
Under the Axiom of Choice, every set is well-...
- 236k
20
votes
2
answers
2k
views
On a result attributed to W. Ljunggren and T. Nagell
I've read in a number of places that, building on previous work of T. Nagell, W. Ljunggren proved in 1 that the Diophantine equation
$$\frac{x^{n}-1}{x-1} = y^{2}$$
doesn't admit solutions in ...
- 8,842
20
votes
6
answers
4k
views
Erik Westzynthius's cool upper bound argument: update?
Version 2 of this writeup is
available, and includes a newer and simple upper bound thanks to
MathOverflow 88777 as
well as indirect references to future writeups. Details of further work
...
- 13k
19
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Woodin's unpublished proof of the global failure of GCH
An unpublished result of Woodin says the following:
Theorem. Assuming the existence of large cardinals, it is consistent that $\forall \lambda, 2^{\lambda}=\lambda^{++}.$
In the paper "The ...
- 32.2k
19
votes
2
answers
8k
views
The canonical line bundle of a normal variety
I have heard that the canonical divisor can be defined on a normal variety X since the smooth locus has codimension 2. Then, I have heard as well that for ANY algebraic variety such that the canonical ...
- 2,215
19
votes
9
answers
5k
views
Forcing as a tool to prove theorems
It is often mentioned the main use of forcing is to prove independence facts, but it also seems a way to prove theorems. For instance how would one try to prove Erdös-Rado, $\beth_n^{+} \to (\aleph_1)...
- 3,804
18
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Number of unique determinants for an NxN (0,1)-matrix
I'm interested in bounds for the number of unique determinants of NxN (0,1)-matrices. Obviously some of these matrices will be singular and therefore will trivially have zero determinant. While it ...
- 359
17
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What is known about the relationship between Fermat's last theorem and Peano Arithmetic?
As far as I know, whether Fermat's Last Theorem is provable in Peano Arithmetic is an open problem. What is known about this problem?
In particular, what is known about the arithmetic systems $PA + \...
- 6,353
17
votes
5
answers
7k
views
General bound for the number of subgroups of a finite group
I am interested in the following:
Let $G$ be a finite group of order $n$. Is there an explicit function $f$ such that
$|s(G)| \leq f(n)$ for all $G$ and for all natural numbers $n$, where $s(G)$ ...
user13040
16
votes
1
answer
2k
views
totally ordered chain in the powerset with big cardinality
Let $B$ be some set. The problem is to find a set $A\subset\mathcal{P}(B)$ of subsets of $B$ which is totally ordered by inclusion and such that there exists a bijection $A\leftrightarrow \mathcal{P}(...
- 642
15
votes
1
answer
3k
views
V=L and a Well-Ordering of the Reals
A fairly simple question: I've read in multiple sources that Godel proved that if we accept the axiom of constructibility in ZFC, then we can create an explicit formula that well-orders the real ...
- 397
13
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Efficient visibility blockers in Pólya's orchard problem
Pólya's orchard problem asks for which radius $\rho$ of trees at each lattice point within a distance $R$ of the origin block all lines of sight to the exterior of the orchard.
It has been ...
- 151k
12
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Is there a purely group-theoretic reformulation of an equivalence of subgroups?
There is an equivalence relation between inclusion of finite groups coming from the world of subfactors:
Definition: $(H_{1} \subset G_{1}) \sim(H_{2} \subset G_{2})$ if $(R^{G_{1}} \subset R^{H_{1}}...
12
votes
1
answer
979
views
How are Sheffer polynomials related to Lie theory?
Sheffer polynomials $\{P_n(x)\}$ have generating function $P(x,t) = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty}P_n(x)t^n=A(t)e^{xu(t)}$.
This form reminds me of the Lie group–Lie algebra correspondence. Is there any ...
10
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Non-uniqueness of solutions of the heat equation
For the heat equation $(\partial_t-\partial_x^2)f(t,x)=0$ defined on $[0,T)\times(-\infty,\infty)$, to obtain uniqueness of the initial value problem, usually it is required to limit the growth of the ...
- 689
10
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Solution of linear ODE
Let $A=A(t)$ be a smooth one parameter family of $n\times n$-matrices, $n\ge 2$.
It seems that the solution of linear ODE
$$\dot x= Ax$$
can not be written in a closed form using $\int$, $A$, $x(0)$ ...
- 1,785
10
votes
2
answers
803
views
Reference for Wang tile
I am working on projects in solving ground state of generalized Ising models. One recent work involves tiling with basic tiles that filled the whole lattice. For example, we could obtain results:
...
- 867
7
votes
0
answers
521
views
Limit cycles as closed geodesics(2)
Hilbert 16th problem asks for a uniform upper bound $H(n)$ for the number of limit cycles of a polynomial vector field of degree $n$ on the plane. Here is an updated proof of the ...
- 366
7
votes
1
answer
760
views
Difference Sets
Suppose
$$
P \subseteq \{1,2,\dots,N\},\quad |P| = K
$$
We calculate the differences as: $$d=p_i-p_j\mod N,\quad i\ne j$$
Now let $a_d$ denote the number of occurrence of $d$ (for $d = 1, 2, \dots , N ...
- 123
7
votes
0
answers
579
views
Guises of the noncrossing partitions (NCPs)
From "Noncrossing partitions in surprising locations" by Jon McCammond:
Certain mathematical structures make a habit of reoccuring in the most diverse list of settings. Some obvious ...
- 10.5k
6
votes
1
answer
299
views
Does the critical sequence for subalgebras of elementary embeddings with finitely many generators have order type $\omega$?
Suppose that $\lambda$ is a cardinal. Let $\mathcal{E}_{\lambda}$ be the set of all elementary embeddings from $V_{\lambda}$ to $V_{\lambda}$. If $j,k\in\mathcal{E}_{\lambda}$, then define
$j[k]=\...
5
votes
1
answer
672
views
coloring in lattice
This is a mathematical question raised from engineering and physics:
Is there some established mathematical approach in filling a physical lattice with some colored basis (black and white here)? For ...
- 867
5
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Goldbach conjecture and other problems in additive combinatorics
The field is also known as additive number theory. I am interested in sums $z=x + y$ where $x \in S, y\in T$, and both $S, T$ are infinite sets of positive integers. For instance:
$S = T$ is the set ...
- 3,098
4
votes
3
answers
606
views
Why is this bipartite graph a partial cube, if it is?
Since the set $\{\log(p) \mid p \text{ is prime, } p \le n \}$ for a natural number $n$ is $\mathbb{Q}$-linear independent and since:
$$\log(m) = \sum_{p\mid m} v_p(m) \log(p)$$
we can view each $\log(...
- 3,074
3
votes
2
answers
331
views
Existence of connected component with large boundary?
Question 1. Let $\Gamma=(V,E)$ be a connected
graph with $n$ vertices, all of degree $d\geq 4$. Assume every vertex has $d$ distinct neighbors. (We can think of $d$ as being much smaller than $n$, ...
- 20.2k
2
votes
1
answer
467
views
A curvature description for center condition for quadratic vector field
We consider the quadratic vector field $V$ $$\begin{cases} x'=P(x,y)\\ y'=Q(x,y)
\end {cases}\;\;\;\;(V)$$
where $P,Q \in \mathbb{R}[x,y]$ are polynomials of degree $2$ with $P(0,0)=Q(0,0)=...
- 366
230
votes
89
answers
45k
views
Your favorite surprising connections in mathematics
There are certain things in mathematics that have caused me a pleasant surprise -- when some part of mathematics is brought to bear in a fundamental way on another, where the connection between the ...
338
votes
16
answers
159k
views
What's a mathematician to do?
I have to apologize because this is not the normal sort of question for this site, but there have been times in the past where MO was remarkably helpful and kind to undergrads with similar types of ...
208
votes
72
answers
51k
views
What are your favorite instructional counterexamples?
Related: question #879, Most interesting mathematics mistake. But the intent of this question is more pedagogical.
In many branches of mathematics, it seems to me that a good counterexample can be ...
185
votes
11
answers
52k
views
Knuth's intuition that Goldbach might be unprovable
Knuth's intuition that Goldbach's conjecture (every even number greater than 2 can be written as a sum of two primes) might be one of the statements that can neither be proved nor disproved really ...
- 2,745
177
votes
80
answers
66k
views
Best online mathematics videos?
I know of two good mathematics videos available online, namely:
Sphere inside out (part I and part II)
Moebius transformation revealed
Do you know of any other good math videos? Share.
175
votes
8
answers
20k
views
How to escape the inclination to be a universalist or: How to learn to stop worrying and do some research.
As an undergraduate we are trained as mathematicians to be universalists. We are expected to embrace a wide spectrum of mathematics. Both algebra and analysis are presented on equal footing with ...
172
votes
36
answers
35k
views
Proposals for polymath projects
Background
Polymath projects are a form of open Internet collaboration aimed towards a major mathematical goal, usually to settle a major mathematical problem. This is a concept introduced in 2009 by ...
170
votes
47
answers
34k
views
Every mathematician has only a few tricks
In Gian-Carlo Rota's "Ten lessons I wish I had been taught" he has a section, "Every mathematician has only a few tricks", where he asserts that even mathematicians like Hilbert ...
167
votes
9
answers
30k
views
Endless controversy about the correctness of significant papers
In principle, a mathematical paper should be complete and correct. New statements should be supported by appropriate proofs. But this is only theory. Because we often cannot enter into the smallest ...
157
votes
5
answers
28k
views
What makes dependent type theory more suitable than set theory for proof assistants?
In his talk, The Future of Mathematics, Dr. Kevin Buzzard states that Lean is the only existing proof assistant suitable for formalizing all of math. In the Q&A part of the talk (at 1:00:00) he ...
- 1,667
154
votes
26
answers
44k
views
What recent discoveries have amateur mathematicians made?
E.T. Bell called Fermat the Prince of Amateurs. One hundred years ago Ramanujan amazed the mathematical world. In between were many important amateurs and mathematicians off the beaten path, but what ...
153
votes
27
answers
50k
views
A soft introduction to physics for mathematicians who don't know the first thing about physics
There have been similar questions on mathoverflow, but the answers always gave some advanced introduction to the mathematics of quantum field theory, or string theory and so forth. While those may be ...
149
votes
71
answers
21k
views
Nonequivalent definitions in Mathematics
I would like to ask if anyone could share any specific experiences of
discovering nonequivalent definitions in their field of mathematical research.
By that I mean discovering that in different ...
148
votes
4
answers
69k
views
What are "perfectoid spaces"?
This talk is about a theory of "perfectoid spaces", which "compares objects in characteristic p with objects in characteristic 0". What are those spaces, where can one read about them?
Edit: A bit ...
- 10.8k