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AI Enriched Problem Solving

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Introduction This article is written by way of a reference for my longstanding PF colleague and prolific poster of challenging Maths/geometry problems @chwala . The particular post this article will discuss is an example of one such problem which he raised on Physics Forums. https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/find-angle-adb-in-this-isoceles-triangle-given-some-extra-information.1063874/ The Problem We take the liberty of including the original…

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What Exactly is Dirac’s Delta Function?

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Introduction: “Convenient Notation” In Dirac’s Principles of Quantum Mechanics published in 1930 he introduced a “convenient notation” he referred  to as a “delta function” which he treated as a continuum analog to the discrete Kronecker delta.  The Kronecker delta is simply the indexed components of the identity operator in matrix algebra: [tex]\delta^j_k =\left\{\begin{array}{lcl}1&\text{ if }…

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Fixing Things Which Can Go Wrong With Complex Numbers

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Abstract This article will build on the hints about treating the complex numbers as a branched surface, briefly described and pictured in section 4.2 of https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/views-on-complex-numbers/#The-Radish. Using a particular set of conventions, all the problems described in https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/things-can-go-wrong-complex-numbers/  can be removed, and the rules described there as applying only to reals generalized to complex numbers. A…

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Fermat’s Last Theorem

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Abstract Fermat’s Last Theorem has long been one of the most famous mathematical problems, and is now one of the most famous theorems. It simply states that the equation $$ a^n+b^n=c^n $$ has no solutions with positive integers if ##n>2.## It was named after Pierre de Fermat (1607-1665). The problem itself stems from the book…

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Vector Spaces: Concepts, History, and Applications Guide

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The Concept A vector space is an additively written abelian group together with a field that operates on it. Intuitive picture vs abstract definition Vector spaces are often described as a set of arrows, i.e. a line segment with a direction that can be added, stretched, or compressed. That’s where the term linear to describe…

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Groups, The Path from a Simple Concept to Mysterious Results

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Introduction The concept of a group is as simple as it gets: a set with a binary operation like addition and a couple of natural laws like the requirement that the order of two consecutive operations does not matter: ##(1+2)+3=1+(2+3).## That’s it. The concept of a group is so simple that I still wonder why…

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The Many Faces of Topology

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Abstract Topology as a branch of mathematics is a bracket that encompasses many different parts of mathematics. It is sometimes even difficult to see what all these branches have to do with each other or why they are all called topology. This article aims to shed light on this question and briefly summarize the content…

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Brownian Motions and Quantifying Randomness in Physical Systems

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Stochastic calculus has come a long way since Robert Brown described the motion of pollen through a microscope in 1827. It’s now a key player in data science, quant finance, and mathematical biology. This article is drawn from notes I wrote for an undergraduate statistical physics course a few months ago. There won’t be any…

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Views On Complex Numbers

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Abstract Why do we need yet another article about complex numbers? This is a valid question and I have asked it myself. I could mention that I wanted to gather the many different views that can be found elsewhere – Euler’s and Gauß’s perspectives, i.e. various historical views in the light of the traditionally parallel…

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