Question about Publishing?

sutupidmath

Hi all,

If you worked on an individual research project (in Math), but don't feel like it is good enough to be submitted for publication to a journal, but instead you submited parts of your project (i.e. in the form of challenging problems) to the Problem Solving Column of some journals, and they were accepted and published in one of their issues. I was wondering then how much better would this make your graduate school application look like, if any?

Or is it even worth mentioning in the application at all?

Thanks!

fss

It doesn't sound like you've actually done anything. Therefore, I don't see how it would be worth mentioning.

sutupidmath

I appreciate your input. What is your experience on this matter, if you don't mind me asking?

I was not claiming that I have done anything great, for if I thought so I wouldn't be posting here on this matter.

However, I might be flattering myself, but I think that saying that it is absolutely nothing is unrealistic, too, for the following reasons of which you might be aware too, so pardone my ignorance:

1) Not every problem that is proposed by anyone to these journals will appear in any of its volumes. Each proposed problem is evaluated by the editors of the section, and it can be rejected or approved for appearance. The editors have to think that it is interesting enough to be published.
2)The proposed problem, certainly, cannot be an existing problem. That is, it cannot be a textbook problem or a problem that has appeared previously anywhere let it be in printing or online. In other words, it has to be original to a significant extent (at least this is my understanding of it, based on what I've read and heard).

bcrowell

I suspect that almost all mathematicians have some fondness for recreational mathematics. This also helps to show that you have the ability to think creatively about math rather than just solving set textbook problems by set methods. I would certainly mention it, while making it clear that you aren't trying to claim it as a "real" publication.

sutupidmath

This was basically the reason why I decided to ask for peoples' opinions here. That is, I was wondering whether mentioning it would sound like trying to hard to sort of 'sell' myself, if you know what I mean. I have no intention whatsoever to make it sound like a 'real' publication, that would be very foolish of me.

I was more like wondering whether it would add anything positive to my CV, rather than hurting it by giving the impression that i am trying to make out of it sth bigger than it is.

Thanks.

Ryker

Although I'm no maths grad school admissions officer, my advice is to include it, as I really don't see how it could hurt. As bcromwell suggested, at least it's going to tell them you've been doing something, but on the other hand I don't think this is going to tip the scales too much.