Re: Just...................whatever [6]

by azriel Thu Mar 17, 2016 8:57 am

Like it

by Ringdrotten Thu Mar 17, 2016 11:11 am

Bluebottle wrote:Hullo there, Ringo. How is the studying.. err.. troll hunting going?

I'm on a week's vacation from troll hunting actually. More like rehab, really - excessive troll hunting can lead to excessive beer consumption, I recommend staying away from this line of work Laughing

by Bluebottle Thu Mar 17, 2016 11:49 am

Ah, same here. Except for the vacation part.

by Mrs Figg Thu Mar 17, 2016 2:39 pm

Bluebottle wrote:

by Mrs Figg Thu Mar 17, 2016 7:11 pm

no idea what this is but it looks cool.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/mar/15/british-mathematician-andrew-wiles-abel-prize-fermats-last-theorem-proof

by Mrs Figg Thu Mar 17, 2016 7:12 pm

I hope this is true. Razz

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/17/middleeast/nefertiti-tomb-radar/

by azriel Thu Mar 17, 2016 7:21 pm

That sort of thing is SO fascinating !!!

by azriel Thu Mar 17, 2016 7:25 pm

by Mrs Figg Thu Mar 17, 2016 7:29 pm

woah! that's scary affraid

by halfwise Thu Mar 17, 2016 7:35 pm

Can't possibly be as dangerous and malevolent as he looks.....can he? Sofa

"When we find Nefertiti, I think it will be more important than the discovery of King Tutankhamun himself," said El Damati.

Damn straight.

by David H Thu Mar 17, 2016 8:47 pm

Mrs Figg wrote:no idea what this is but it looks cool.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/mar/15/british-mathematician-andrew-wiles-abel-prize-fermats-last-theorem-proof

It is cool, but I won't try to explain. Fermat's Last Theorem was written the margin of one of Fermat's math books, with a note saying in effect "I've discovered a cool proof of this, but there's not room in this margin." And there it stood unproved for over 350 years. It was tantalizing and everybody had to have a go at it at some point. Much of what we now call "number theory" (prime numbers and such stuff) was at some point developed for or tested on Fermat's theorem.

When I was in grad school in the 80's the Tanyama conjecture had just been linked to Fermat's theorem, and there was a buzz of excitement that Fermat's theorem might at long last be proved in our lifetime----or it might be just one more quixotic quest. ( I would have loved to have had even a tiny part in the final solution, but honestly, I wasn't that good Shrugging

)

I wish there was a way I could watch the documentary in the link from that article, just for old time's sake.

by Pettytyrant101 Thu Mar 17, 2016 9:05 pm

{{Best I can do Dave- but to avoid copyright they have not only put the screen in a smaller box but speed it up so everyone sounds a bit chipmunky- get someone to dl it for you and watch it back in vlc player using a slower playback speed is my recommendation}}}

by David H Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:09 am

{{{Thanks Petty! cheers

I'll be going by a wifi source tomorrow evening so I'll give it a try.}}}

by halfwise Fri Mar 18, 2016 3:10 am

I got the same feeling when reading a book about the proof recently: there has GOT to be a more direct approach. I mean, it's all about whether or not the Pythagorean theorem is unique or not, and you can't get much more basic than that. Why should such obtuse mathematics be needed to prove that?

by David H Fri Mar 18, 2016 3:58 am

halfwise wrote:I got the same feeling when reading a book about the proof recently: there has GOT to be a more direct approach. I mean, it's all about whether or not the Pythagorean theorem is unique or not, and you can't get much more basic than that. Why should such obtuse mathematics be needed to prove that?

Because for higher order polynomials, prime factorization is NOT unique. Order 2 turns out to be a very special case in that there's only one way to factor a^n+b^n into prime factors for n=2. If I remember right, Gauss was the guy who really put his finger on this, and he created some wonderfully inventive ways to try to work around the problem, giving us algebraic topology in the process, but never THE proof.

Edit: The Four Colour Theorem is another one of those that seems like it ought to have a simple, elegant solution. But it took over a century to prove, and the final proof required 100's of cases to be crunched by a computer. I still have hopes that some 12 year old wunderkind will have a flash of insight and give us the one-page proof that allows all us lesser mortals to see the world in a different way. That's always the dream...

by leelee Fri Mar 18, 2016 8:29 am

Every thing seems so sad somehow.

by halfwise Fri Mar 18, 2016 12:05 pm

Aww....what's up Leelee?

by Bluebottle Sat Mar 19, 2016 2:15 am

This is about 40 min, and I know I would probably not watch 40 min of someone I know nothing about talking anything much at all, but it's really insightful and there's an important messages there, I think, about copyright and the society we are living in and will live in in the future. Smile

by azriel Sat Mar 19, 2016 9:16 am

Isnt snow beautiful ? Smile

there really isnt anything else like it. Its the light it gives off I like best. Its so pure & unspoiled as tho it was the 1st snow of time.

by azriel Sat Mar 19, 2016 12:34 pm

Just...................whatever [6] - Page 20 By%20the%20shore%20of%20Bermagui%20there%20is%20a%20horse%20that%20drinks%20from%20the%20sea._zpsnzjf0jgn

By the shore of Bermagui
Is a horse that drinks from the sea

by David H Sat Mar 19, 2016 4:16 pm

azriel wrote:
Is a horse that drinks from the sea

Of course it is! cheers

The mane is what really makes it.

by David H Sat Mar 19, 2016 4:33 pm

Pettytyrant101 wrote:{{Best I can do Dave- but to avoid copyright they have not only put the screen in a smaller box but speed it up so everyone sounds a bit chipmunky- get someone to dl it for you and watch it back in vlc player using a slower playback speed is my recommendation}}}

{{{I watched it last night (squeaky voices and all). I'd actually seen this film many years ago when it was on PBS under the NOVA banner (possibly edited slightly differently). I've tried to find this documentary several times, with no luck till now. I've never seen anything else that has explained to the general public the "agony and the ecstasy" that drives mathematicians half as well as this film. Mathematics is an art, and when the muses sing you must listen! }}}

{{{{{Andrew Wiles, if you're reading this, congratulations! You really deserved this! cheers

}}}}}

by azriel Sun Mar 20, 2016 8:57 pm

Just...................whatever [6] - Page 20 Sugar%20trees%20in%20baltimore_zpsqvzwv136

Sugar trees in Baltimore Smile

by Bluebottle Tue Mar 22, 2016 10:50 pm

That's nice. Smile

Winter goes by too fast. Sad