# Being a Math Major

1. Mar 6, 2016

2. Mar 8, 2016

3. Mar 8, 2016

### Staff: Mentor

I'm not a math major, but some points still apply.

(4b) you fit multiple pages worth of calculations/proofs on a single page to save the trees.

(6+7) Numbers are something for engineers.

4. Mar 8, 2016

### Staff: Mentor

The introverted mathematician looks at his shoes as he/she walks.

The extroverted mathematician looks at other people's shoes.

5. Mar 8, 2016

6. Mar 8, 2016

### PeroK

Pk1. When asked to relate maths to the real world you explain how something can be vacuously true.

Pk2. You find Mr Spock terribly illogical.

7. Mar 8, 2016

### micromass

Staff Emeritus
I don't get this one.

Nor this one​

Not really. I usually get excited linking advanced math concepts to simple stuff like solving quadratic equations.

Yeah, definitely

Yep.

Seems right.

Yep.

No, I think that's wrong. There is no such thing as overthinking. Thinking very deeply about foundations and stuff is very valuable.

I don't own ANY calculator.

Yep.

True, except for the very trivial examples which they focus on over the harder useful examples.

Definitely. It's always fun searching how they did it too.

Meh.

8. Mar 8, 2016

### PeroK

Pk3.. You believe, to the consternation of others, that $0.999 \dots = 1$

9. Mar 8, 2016

### Staff: Mentor

10. Mar 8, 2016

### Staff: Mentor

You laugh when you see the Scarecrow on the Wizard of Oz misquote the Pythagorean theorem and applaud when you Klaatu solve a celestial mechanics problem for Dr Barnhard using separation of variables.

You smile at the Numbers TV show because they introduce so many math ideas to criminology even though the principal actor sucked at math and there's a real math PhD consultant behind the scenes writing down the equations on the chalk boards that are littered everywhere on the show (see the garage setup quaint but awesome). Also the use of clear blackboards during FBI scenes like who really uses those things its too hard to read what you wrote unless of course you wanted see someone trying to prank you and then there's the computer skills but I digress...

where he uses the Prisoners dilemma to get one suspect to crack based on how much they will lose.

You cringe when you see Matt Damon solve a trivial graph theory problem and be hailed a math genius:

http://functionspace.com/topic/71/What-was-the-math-problem-in--Good-Will-Hunting-

or Russell Crowe misapply the Nash Equilibrium idea when he and his classmates meet the blonde and her four brunette girlfriends:

(no wonder he didn't really get a date that night)

and will cheer when the Ramanujan movie comes out on April 29, 2016 in theaters (theatres) everywhere:

because whats cooler than see that great actor of Slumdog Millioaire, DevPatel play Ramanujan.

Last edited: Mar 9, 2016
11. Mar 28, 2016