User John Stillwell

25 votes

What great mathematics are we missing out on because of language barriers?

answered Apr 11, 2010 at 23:17

25 votes

Accepted

Turning pants inside-out (or backwards) while tied together

answered Apr 19, 2010 at 0:57

24 votes

What are some famous rejections of correct mathematics?

answered Feb 6, 2010 at 22:38

24 votes

What are some examples of ingenious, unexpected constructions?

answered Mar 12, 2012 at 3:50

23 votes

Autobiographies of mathematicians

answered Jul 19, 2012 at 0:41

23 votes

What Are Some Naturally-Occurring High-Degree Polynomials?

answered Jun 7, 2010 at 8:45

21 votes

Why didn't Vladimir Arnold get the Fields Medal in 1974?

answered Jun 15, 2010 at 4:41

20 votes

Knuth's intuition that Goldbach might be unprovable

answered Jun 11, 2010 at 1:16

19 votes

Accepted

Historically first uses of mathematical induction

answered May 10, 2010 at 23:40

19 votes

Why worry about the axiom of choice?

answered Apr 29, 2010 at 4:45

18 votes

What are some mathematical concepts that were (pretty much) created from scratch and do not owe a debt to previous work?

answered Apr 16, 2010 at 22:27

18 votes

Why can't there be a general theory of nonlinear PDE?

answered Feb 15, 2010 at 2:28

18 votes

Math History books

answered May 6, 2010 at 0:03

18 votes

Mathematicians failing to solve problems despite having all methods required

answered Oct 3, 2011 at 5:07

17 votes

Accepted

Dehn's algorithm for word problem for surface groups

answered Jul 17, 2013 at 6:09

17 votes

What was the relative importance of FLT vs. higher reciprocity laws in Kummer's invention of algebraic number theory?

answered Aug 7, 2010 at 3:50

17 votes

Famous mathematical quotes

answered Mar 22, 2010 at 4:04

16 votes

Examples of mathematics motivated by technological considerations

answered Mar 10, 2010 at 9:38

16 votes

Why are topological ideas so important in arithmetic?

answered May 27, 2010 at 1:02

16 votes

Who was the first to propose a formal definition of infinity?

answered Aug 3, 2023 at 4:40

15 votes

Historical (personal) examples of teaching-based research

answered Apr 1, 2015 at 22:03

15 votes

Failures that lead eventually to new mathematics

answered Oct 7, 2011 at 19:29

15 votes

Accepted

Neusis constructions

answered Jul 15, 2010 at 3:41

15 votes

Why can't proofs have infinitely many steps?

answered Aug 29, 2010 at 19:52

15 votes

Do names given to math concepts have a role in common mistakes by students?

answered Jun 18, 2010 at 12:11

15 votes

Theorems with unexpected conclusions

answered Mar 13, 2010 at 22:12

15 votes

Fermat numbers and the infinitude of primes

answered Apr 23, 2010 at 10:39

14 votes

Interesting results in algebraic geometry accessible to 3rd year undergraduates

answered Apr 1, 2010 at 23:37

14 votes

Does the Axiom of Choice (or any other "optional" set theory axiom) have real-world consequences?

answered Jun 8, 2010 at 5:23

13 votes

Accepted

Why were Abelian functions so important in the 19th century?

answered May 31, 2010 at 11:51

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130 Answers

What great mathematics are we missing out on because of language barriers?

Turning pants inside-out (or backwards) while tied together

What are some famous rejections of correct mathematics?

What are some examples of ingenious, unexpected constructions?

Autobiographies of mathematicians

What Are Some Naturally-Occurring High-Degree Polynomials?

Why didn't Vladimir Arnold get the Fields Medal in 1974?

Knuth's intuition that Goldbach might be unprovable

Historically first uses of mathematical induction

Why worry about the axiom of choice?

What are some mathematical concepts that were (pretty much) created from scratch and do not owe a debt to previous work?

Why can't there be a general theory of nonlinear PDE?

Math History books

Mathematicians failing to solve problems despite having all methods required

Dehn's algorithm for word problem for surface groups

What was the relative importance of FLT vs. higher reciprocity laws in Kummer's invention of algebraic number theory?

Famous mathematical quotes

Examples of mathematics motivated by technological considerations

Why are topological ideas so important in arithmetic?

Who was the first to propose a formal definition of infinity?

Historical (personal) examples of teaching-based research

Failures that lead eventually to new mathematics

Neusis constructions

Why can't proofs have infinitely many steps?

Do names given to math concepts have a role in common mistakes by students?

Theorems with unexpected conclusions

Fermat numbers and the infinitude of primes

Interesting results in algebraic geometry accessible to 3rd year undergraduates

Does the Axiom of Choice (or any other "optional" set theory axiom) have real-world consequences?

Why were Abelian functions so important in the 19th century?