What is Mathematician: Definition and 141 Discussions

Can you become a mathematician (work in research in think tanks, or teach in the universities) with masters degree in electronics engineering? Or do I need to have a second masters degree in mathematics?

Sorry if this thread has already been posted...but I'm very worried about this. I don't have a lot of "natural" mathematical prowess, but I'm a REALLY hard worker, and that resulted in a lot of good grades in high school. In IB SL math, my predicted mark was a 96, and during midterms for gr11...

i think i might possibly be the most confused person alive. i am not even sure if i enjoy math, let alone if i was smart enough to go that route. i was never in any sort of academic environment during my developmental elementary years. from high school to the every end of college i was bug...

I'm currently studying Mathematical Science and I found that it's hard for me to comprehend mathematical concepts without anyone explain them to me especially complex analysis and differential equations. I can spend days or weeks just to solve/prove a mathematical problem which most of my...

Does anyone here have a favorite mathematician? Mine would be the Frenchmen, Rene' Descartes. I like him because not only was he mathematical but also very philosophical. In math, you may have messed with Descartes' discoveries if you have ever messed with: Descartes rule of signs (Roots of...

Author: Kevin Houston Title: How to Think Like a Mathematician: A Companion to Undergraduate Mathematics Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/052171978X/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: High-School Mathematics Level: Undergrad Table of Contents: Preface Study skills for...

So last year i was in grade 11...and i wanted to be a mathematician, i figured id start out with undergrad in a mathematics program and eventually work my way up to a phd in mathematics and become a mathematician...however i read a joke on these forums which i sort of took to heart and became...

Hi, I am struggling with the following question: How many tosses does it take for a mathematician to figure that a coin is biased? I think that it is impossible. Here is my logic. Assume that there is a biased coin, which always comes up heads and that the mathematician is testing the...

Are there any reason compelling you to go into pure mathematics beside passion? Aren't you afraid that your discipline will not yield any practical benefits for mankind?

The title says everything. Can a mathematician do fruitful research in general relativity if he masters differential geometry and manifolds?

Where could I know something about the active mathematician of a certain field?? Dear Folks: Half year later, it will be the application season. I intend to choose representation theory for my major. Where can I find some information about the active mathematicians in this field?? Many...

Hi! I am looking for suitable ways to learn mechanics in mathematician's perspective. I went through: - multivariable calculus from Spivak, - real analysis from Pugh, - differential equations from Hirsh/Smale/Devaney (mostly focusing on linear system, existence & uniqueness, nonlinear...

Hello, all :) I was just wondering a few things: 1) what is the difference between pure mathematics and applied mathematics, and which classes do you need to take in order to get your Ph.D. in either subject? 2) I know this is a really large branch off, but I was wondering how do you start...

An engineer, a physicist, and a mathematician are each asked to compute the volume of a little red rubber ball. The mathematician find the equation of the surface, performs a triple integral, and computes the volume. The physicist dunks the ball in a pool of water, and measures the volume of the...

Can anyone help with how can i become one...Just for hobby..Ive checked out http://hbpms.blogspot.com/ but some guys think that this is overkill so maybe anyone can help me with this...

I go to a top 10 math school in the US and just received a B+ in Calculus 1 (the final was ridiculous!). Should I reconsider being a math major? I enjoyed the course considerably, but I feel that all math majors would breeze though it with an A. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Hello I'm about to enter high school and i am very fond of mathematics especialy, computer science mathematics. so i just started wondering if it is worth it getting a degree in mathematics then getting a PhD in this field. can someone tell me if this worth it; can people who are pursuing or...

I am applying to graduate schools right now for mathematics. I have been a part of four different research projects during my undergraduate career. These have been the most fun and rewarding part of my undergraduate career. If I do not get into graduate school, I will be looking to...

Hi everyone, let me introduce myself. I'm studying my M. Sc. in mathematics and I'm very interested in singularities. I have read some books and articles and it's very common hear about singularities in physics, actually one professor of my institute told me that some results of the fibration...

Hi! I am looking for a dover book on differential geometry, but is hard to decide which ones to buy. I am trying to get a (ONE) book NOT for PHYSISTS but for MATHEMATICIANS. For now I am paying attention to: - Tensor Analysis on Manifolds by Bishop - Differential Geometry by Kreyszig -...

One often hears the reverse question but in your opinion how much physics should a mathematician know. Some more specific questions: a) how much physics should you know when you start grad school (in pure math) b) how much physics by the time you graduate math grad school

From Mathematics to Physics Hey Everyone, I've recently completed a BA and MSc in Mathematics at a great university. I've mostly been an Algebraist for the last four years and I've been successful so studying for a PhD would certainly be an option. While I still consider myself to be mostly...

So I have some time on my hands and I might as well learn another language. I'm currently fluent in English and Vietnamese, proficient (4 years) in Spanish, and basic (1 year) in French. I plan to improve my French and pick up another language.Since I only care about math, I'm thinking German...

I'm a sophomore in high school. I'm taking pre-cal right now. I really enjoy theorizing about both math and physics, but what I don't like is endlessly repeating simple math that I already know how to do. I'd enjoy using some of that to help solve complex problems, but I do not enjoy doing...

I know this sounds awful. I know this is just a bunch of whining to you guys, but this really upsets. I have almost entered a state of depression, simply due to this issue. Im a 17 year old high school student, living in denmark. I live and breathe mathematics! It is my passion, my way of...

the title says everything. I'm studying pure-mathematics as a freshman but I also like to understand subjects like GR and QM. I have a good understanding of Newtonian mechanics and the classic theory of electrodynamics but I have found quantum mechanics and general relativity so confusing and...

I just want to know, what are the essential elements of being a mathematician? Because I want to decide whether I am better to study physics or mathematics in the University. I knew that a lots of people learn mathematic olympiads and got a good result in the competition...

I thinking about switching from math to econ for grad school, and was wondering how mathematical is upper level economics? I have trouble reading textbooks that don't follow the theorem->proof outline. I've found Mas-Colell gives a nice mathematical treatment of microeconomics. Any other...

For the past 2 years, I've wanted to become a mathematician, but I've become overawed by the sheer number of prodigies that have made it large in the subject...Gauss, Riemann, Ramunajan etc. I'm no prodigy and I'm in my last year of school(my age is 16)...I've always had been proficient at...

I was wondering If anyone else has found that chocolate helps get you in the mood for some math. I mix straight cocoa with some milk now to avoid the sugar; it is a bit bitter but still pleasant. And seems to sooth my mind and help to concentrate on some math. A good nights' sleep is a definite...

Inspired by the other poll on the physicists, I decided to make a poll on the best mathematician of the 20the century. Only a bit more serious... Now, since you can only select 20 poll options, it was inevitable that some great minds were left out. I tried to include as many disciplines as...

Hey guys I heard an interesting segment on NPR today regarding a mathematician that received the Abel prize for his work in explaining and proving "the existence of exotic seven-dimensional spheres". http://www.npr.org/2011/03/24/134832727/American-Mathematician-Wins-Abel-Prize Any...

Why is radioactive decay always expoenetial?

How do they differ? Not just in the training they receive, but also the kind of work they do? I imagine mathematicians work more so in theory, proofs, logic etc etc where as engineers don't do that sort of stuff?

So I'm a high school senior at the moment, and i LOVE mathematics, i love studying it, especially difficult and challenging problems, most of the stuff i breeze through but every now and then i run into problems that are tricky or challenging, i love these problems because to figure them out i...

I want to know what would you say is the main difference between a Math Major and a Mathematician. I keep listening people using the terms as synonyms but I think that is not correct, or is it?

Let's compile a list of theorems we think every mathematician ought to know! I'll start: Stoke's Theorem: If M is a smooth n-dimensional manifold, and \omega is a compactly supported (n-1) form on M, then \int_{M} d\omega = \int_{\partial M} \omega

Hello - I am a 16 year old danish boy. I'm in what is equivalent in denmark to the 10th grade in the US, and i simply love math. It's funny though, since before i attended 10th grade, i dreaded math due to it being so boring - but i think that was due to the simple arithmetics we did in my...

I was wondering whether it is possible for an engineer with a PhD to learn pure mathematcis in depth to a level that enables him/her to use some ideas or line of thinking from pure mathematics into engineering and vice versa (if the vice versa is actually possible). Or is it completely...

See title. By well rounded, I mean majoring in a humanities course, or self-studying some significant field in humanities (classics, history, philosophy). An alternative way to take the term 'well-rounded' is to mean the mathematician who has the best all-around ability within the different...

To be a mathematician, what do you have to do? Just get a BSc in Math? Or does it require a PhD ? Just curious. Thanks guys!

This is sort of a general question but how does a mathematician do his/her work? Specifically, does he try to memorize every theorem he comes across or just the important ones? (If the latter, how does he say which are more important?) If he uses a reference book of some sort daily to do his...

Just thought I'd share this and must admit that I definitely would not have done the same: Mathematician Rejected $1 Million Prize "Because It Is Unfair"

with regards to my topic, i mean that in a sense that the subject is not some sort of prodigy/genius, but an average human being with a strong interest in mathematics who wants to pursue a career in math. do most people who graduate with a math degree have a strong knowledge in all math fields...

Who is your Favorite Fictional Mathematician? http://polldaddy.com/poll/3141175/ (1) Will Hunting(Good Will Hunting) (2) Charlie Eppes (Numb3rs) (3) Dr Ian Malcom (Jurassic Park) (4) The Calculator (Comic Book Villain) (5) The Riddler/Edward Nigma (Batman) (6) Raymond Babbit...

Hello; Let's assume that I were looking for someone academic and intelligent -- and along came a mathematician and a physicist, and I'd have to choose between the two. Which is valued more, and why? I ask this because we get problems in mathematics that are very textbook-related, and we...

What do you make of the following interview: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6172247 To me, the whole premise of the interview seems to be a bit loaded. I love NPR, but I would have expected a more objective approach. Take notice of the following quote: Does this...

mathematician or physicist?? Well i really love both, but living in a 3rd wolrd country, looks like mathematician have more fields to work, and i readed an article that say that mathematic degree help you a lot(finance to computers), What you say guys?? I don't want to be millionare or have a...

I stumbled across this biography while reading about Graham Farmelo's biography of Paul Dirac. http://epress.anu.edu.au/maverick/html/prelims.html Maverick Mathematician The Life and Science of J.E. Moyal It's interesting because there is an appendix with correspondence between Moyal...

I was just wondering about this, because I've heard it quite often that physics is fertile ground for new ideas in mathematics, historically and currently. In the past we can think of Newton inventing calculus to solve physics problems, Fourier inventing Fourier analysis (now that sounds odd; I...