What is Mathematician: Definition and 141 Discussions

A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.

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  1. Steve Zissou

    Ramanujan: Did he actually exist?

    Just for fun - Did Ramanujan actually exist, or was he just an alter-ego of Hardy? What do you think?
  2. U

    Can a mathematician solve high school physics tasks without physics knowledge?

    I find lots of my friends that are excellent at math but dont know physics , cant solve physics tasks. I think for physics is not enough to know math, you must understand concepts. Sometimes is harder tool(math), sometimes is harder concept. Here is video where Oxford mathematician solve...
  3. Eveeeeeelynzzz

    Programs In need of advice: How do I become a mathematician?

    I’m currently a senior in high school. All of my applications are finished and I am now in the waiting zone. At the same time I started to wonder what my future will be and frankly I was quite inspired by the discussion in 2006 about what does it take to become a mathematician. I was pretty...
  4. jedishrfu

    B The Greatest Imaginary Mathematician of the 20th Century

    https://scroll.in/article/946194/nicolas-bourbaki-one-of-the-greatest-mathematicians-of-20th-century-never-really-existed
  5. Astronuc

    The Mysterious Disappearance of a Revolutionary Mathematician

    Alexander Grothendieck was revered for revealing connections between seemingly unrelated realms. Then he dropped out of society. By Rivka Galchen, May 9, 2022 https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/05/16/the-mysterious-disappearance-of-a-revolutionary-mathematician I've seen the name of...
  6. S

    Not a trained mathematician, but this seems to work consistently

    To calculate the sum of numbers between to set integers, at any separation, without adding individually. End set number times ( ½ End set number divided by Separation increment) plus ½ End Set number E ( ½E / S ) + ½E = SUM For example: • To calculate all whole numbers 1 – 100 (i.e...
  7. A

    Do scientists have a social life?

    As an aspiring physicist , it worries me to see most of the physicists and mathematicians leading a rather reclusive lifestyle.(which they tend to enjoy and I have no problem with that). I'm very social by nature; I enjoy going to parties, playing sports, going for a vacation and sometimes...
  8. A

    Do all great scientists possess a genius level IQ ?

    I've wanted to become a mathematical physicist for as long as I can remember. Hailing from a rather small place in India , I usually found myself smarter than the people around me .This gave me confidence that I'm going to make a great physicist one day . But now as a 12th grader who has moved...
  9. A

    Programs Should I become a physicist or a mathematician?

    I am a person who likes to think deep and can't keep himself from delving deeper into concepts. Even though math is the subject in which I outshine my counterparts, it is physics that I find more fascinating. Also I feel that physics gives math a sense of direction to work upon. But I am a...
  10. robphy

    RIP Mathematician Isadore Singer

    https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/science/isadore-singer-dead.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isadore_Singer https://math.mit.edu/directory/profile.php?pid=249 https://infinite.mit.edu/video/isadore-m-singer t=35m11s for an attempt to explain the theorem...
  11. M

    Exactly what is considered to be a mathematician?

    Suppose there are three people. 1) Obtained a Ph.D. in mathematics and is a mathematics professor at MIT. 2) Obtained a Bachelor's degree in mathematics, found/discovered/invented simpler/easier/shortcut ways of doing certain math problems and publishes those math papers. 3) Proved...
  12. Gjmdp

    I Isn't it terrifying that AI can become smarter than any Mathematician?

    It does terrify me the idea of waking up with the news that some AI is able to prove theorems better than any mathematician. That would mean humans would be useless in the field of Mathematics. I just saw that Microsoft is currently working on creating an AI that can beat humans at the...
  13. robphy

    RIP Mathematician John H. Conway

    Sad. There were a lot of reports on Twitter... but, at the time of this posting, nothing points to the usual reliable sources. https://trenden.nice2have.jp/april-11th-2020-at-1300-john-conway-twitter-buzz/ Wikipedia has been going back and forth with edits... but now seems to have accepted it...
  14. jedishrfu

    B The Mathematician Who Never Was

    While in college, many decades ago we thought it would be fun to create a fake faculty member of the Physics department. His name was Prof AH Neato. It was coined from me always saying “Ah neato” when I saw something remarkable in our studies. One student put on a lab coat and some of those...
  15. E

    Mathematician Daniel Tammet counts pi to 22,500 digits

    Summary: wow! Mathematician and autism-spectrum savant Daniel Tammet counts pi to 22,500 digits.
  16. jedishrfu

    Elias Stein, Mathematician Of Harmonic Analysis has Died

    The Boston Globe reports that Prof Elias Stein has died at age 87. He was a mathematician who specialized in the mathematics of Harmonic Analysis as applied to other fields such as the stock market and gravitational waves. Prof Terence Tao of UCLA said he had a knack of asking the right...
  17. jedishrfu

    The Passing of another Great Mathematician

    Professor Sir Peter Swinnerton-Dyer, expert on number theory who was co-creator of the ‘beautiful’ Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture – obituary https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2018/12/31/professor-sir-peter-swinnerton-dyer-expert-number-theory-co/
  18. Auto-Didact

    Who is Penrose Sir Roger Penrose? Insights from His Recent Interviews

    Sir Roger Penrose, famous for his numerous contributions to mathematics and physics, is approaching 90 but still pretty active. In this thread I'll post some of his most recent and best interviews. The interviews tend to be a mixture of him talking about some new idea of his, his prior academic...
  19. Oats

    Intro Physics Physics books for a mathematician

    Hello, I am a first-year mathematics PhD student. I am completely initiated in rigorous mathematics, and have a strong intuitive and working understanding of basic mathematics concepts across analysis and algebra. I also have a strong interest in physics, and want to learn enough to be quite...
  20. A. Neumaier

    Insights Interview with Mathematician and Physicist Arnold Neumaier - Comments

    Greg Bernhardt submitted a new PF Insights post Interview with Mathematician and Physicist Arnold Neumaier Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post. Arnold will welcome science questions and comments only.
  21. M

    Being an autodidact mathematician?

    Would you guys say it could be done, to become an autodidact mathematician with the knowledge of a mathematical degree or higher? Obviously, it's not impossible, and it's not as easy as taking a degree in a university. But is it in the realms of a very motivated, 16 year-old. I have got no...
  22. T

    Math Can I call myself a mathematician if I am a Maths tutor?

    So I have been tutoring maths for almost 10 years now and tutor a wide range of students including students doing Olympiad problems to upper undergraduate level students. I have a Master Degree in mathematics. Can I call myself a mathematician?
  23. Greg Bernhardt

    News RIP Mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani

    Cancer has taken a great from us once again! http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-40617094
  24. A

    Can I be a successful physicist or mathematician?

    Hello, I am in high school in the United States. I am SUPER interested in mathematics and physics, and I have been researching physics and mathematics since middle school. I love it! I love theoretical particle physics and algebraic topology. If I had the choice, I would spend my entire life...
  25. lawlieto

    Studying Should a theoretical physicist learn maths like a mathematician?

    I'm currently doing my undergraduate physics course at university, and I'm quite confident I'd like to be a theorist in the future. We have separate maths lectures from maths students, and most people have an attitude towards maths which could be summed up as "only learn what you need to know...
  26. M

    I GR for a mathematician and a physicist? What's the difference?

    Have members of the community had the experience of being taught GR both from a mathematical and physics perspective? I am a trained mathematician ( whatever that means - I still struggle with integral equations :) ) but I have always been drawn to applied mathematical physics subjects and much...
  27. Greg Bernhardt

    Insights Interview with Mathematician Fresh_42 - Comments

    TheAdmin submitted a new PF Insights post Interview with Mathematician Fresh_42 Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.
  28. K

    Studying Would I become a mathematician if I finished this textbook?

    question: would I become mathematician if I read and worked exercises of INTRODUCTORY FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS WITH APPLICATIONS (Erwin Kreyszig) ? information: I have been studying mathematics at my own, I am now probing which direction to go. suggestion needed: Please tell me any graduate level...
  29. R

    Math Become a good mathematician without the "threshold" IQ?

    So I've read this "article"[ http://afiodorov.github.io/2015/12/04/terry-replies/ ] that really depressed me especially because I'm young. Apparently the threshold IQ is around 150, so does that mean someone has no chance?
  30. T

    Who is better at Math, a physicist or a mathematician?

    Who is better in Math? I was told that a physicist may be a good autodidact mathematician, but a mathematician may be a mediocre autodidact physicist.
  31. Heiwa143

    Can a physicist become a mathematician and succeed in academia?

    I'm just in high school but I was curious as to how many physicists may conduct math research or switch professions like this altogether.
  32. SrVishi

    Algebra Categories for the Working Mathematician

    Hello. I am about to start learning category theory. I keep hearing mixed opinions on the book Categories for the Working Mathematician, by Sanders MacLane (I am aware he is one of the founders of the theory). Some say it's a "must read", and others have called it "outdated." What would seem...
  33. M

    Is it possible to ever be a mathematician if I struggle with Olympiad problems?

    Hi there, When I was a child I had a natural inclination towards numbers and learned numbers before alphabets. However, due to bad teaching, I lost interest in the subject but still managed to score good marks in it throughout school. When I came to pre university classes, I regained some of my...
  34. R

    Physics or Math, and some other questions

    Hello everyone. I came to gather some advice from all the experienced people here. I'm 16 and going to be a 10th grader in high school this coming year. I have taken Algebra 2 while doing Algebra 1, and they are letting me into AP Calculus this year early. I personally love math and physics, but...
  35. X

    Who are the Top Mathematicians of All Time?

    Hi Everyone, There used to be a very interesting topic here about best scientists ever, and I just calculated the results if anyone is interested. Anyway - the top 10 is here: 01. Newton - 90 02. Gauss - 87 03. Euler - 79 04. Einstein - 77 05. Riemann - 36 06. Archimedes - 29 07. Feynman - 26...
  36. B0b-A

    Wave your hands in the air like you 're a mathematician

    https://twitter.com/mathemaniac/status/571951211479347200
  37. H

    Engineering Advice for a mechanical engineer turned mathematician?

    I graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in 2014 and I have had my job for a year now. I absolutely hate it, I am a manufacturing engineer, but I don't feel like I use the skills I learned at school at all, I have these little projects that I get do every once in a while but they never...
  38. D

    To be or not to be a mathematician or a physicist?

    Hello! I'm in my final high school year (Bachillerato, as we call it in Spain) and I have to choose between getting a degree in physics or mathematics. Frankly, my uni's approach to physics is far more experimental than theoretical. I do not like that (lol). I love mathematics, and just reading...
  39. EternusVia

    Does the space industry hire mathematicians?

    Hi all, I'm currently an applied mathematics student in my third year, and I plan to attend graduate school for pure or applied math. Physics and engineering deeply interest me, so I'm naturally drawn to the aerospace industry. Dazzling leaders like NASA and SpaceX are truly inspiring, and it...
  40. liometopum

    Colbert Interview with mathematician Edward Frenkel

    This Comedy Central Colbert Report interview with mathematician Edward Frenkel, as a promo for his book, Love and Math, is quite entertaining, and worth watching if you like math, and maybe more so, if you don't: http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/xj9d66/edward-frenkel
  41. G

    Feynman's status as a mathematician

    How does Feynman rank as a mathematician in comparison to pure mathematicians of the 20th century, we'll forget about Euler and Gauss. I'm more interested in logic than I am math and consequently I was not able to get beyond calculus, linear algebra and differential equations and some set...
  42. E

    The books required to become a Pure Mathematician

    Hi all, So I'm finishing my first year in college and I did Calculus(based on Stewart). However, I don't feel I learned a lot during this year. There were not many proofs, the only proofs I studied was induction and contradiction(and some proofs in Stewart). I honestly do not like the book at...
  43. Hercuflea

    What is considered a "mathematician"?

    What type of credentials generally qualify one to be called a "mathematician"? I've added a poll. You can choose more than one response if you like. I'd like to hear the community's opinion. I'd say someone who has studied graduate level mathematics and uses math in their daily life or work...
  44. S

    Interested in my future as a mathematician

    I am currently working on my B.S. in Applied Mathematics at AMU; and then plan on doing a M.S. in Computational Mathematics at WKU. How is the job market for Mathematicians and can I get a job in the mathematical modeling sector with just a M.S. or do I need to pursue a PH.D?
  45. N

    Schools What classes do you take in college to become a mathematician?

    I am just curious about what classes need to be taken to become a mathematician. Thanks!
  46. D

    What makes someone a great mathematician?

    The question is that, what are the differences between a great mathematician and an ordinary mathematician? Have a nice day.
  47. H

    My lost dream of being a mathematician

    Hello I respect all of you I'm a computer programmer from Egypt When I finished my high school, I wanted to join the faculty of science math department My father refused because he has a private hospital and wanted me to be a doctor So I joined the faculty of medicine that I hated more than...
  48. J

    I always see Mathematician listed as one of the best jobs.

    I always see "Mathematician" listed as one of the best jobs. This makes no sense to me. My friend posted this article on Facebook today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/04/19/cnbc-best-and-worst-jobs-of-2014/7881247/ Where do publications get the idea that the job...
  49. Barioth

    MHB Math Jobs: Find Opportunities for Pure & Applied Maths

    Hi, I was wondering how is the job market now a day for mathematician? How is it for people who studied pure math instead of applied math? I did found some information on google, but I wanted to ask anyway! Thanks
  50. J

    An adult - become a mathematician in the UK

    An adult -- become a mathematician in the UK What would be the best and most effective route for an adult to become a mathematician in the UK as it is evident that you need to be one to become a physicist or be a good one at least. Well that appears to be the case from all my wikipedia reading...
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