Calculus Boredom: Is It Common in Undergrad Math?

[matt grime]

Mathematicians certainly do not have any responsibility to disclose what they do. It is generally considered a good idea to discuss things so that other people can help, and you can help them and so on. And in many places publication determines funding and salary. I can't recall which of the talking heads it was on the TV show who found his style against their tastes, but I think it was more than just "not discussing what he's doing to solve problem X" it was that he didn't tell people he was working on problem X. Personally, I don't care, but if you struggle to prove something in private for 20 years that could have been done in a week with collaboration then that's your fault.

 

[waht]

re

The longest I worked on a single problem was about 2 days nonstop. When eventually I arrived at the solution I had one hell of a satisfaction. Imagine trying to solve a problem for seven years especially one of importance to math. So, I don't think Wile's wanted to get famous (for the most part) but he wanted that satisfaction. It's equavalent of rolling a joint.

 

[Icebreaker]

It's equavalent of rolling a joint.

No way. Proving something like FLT beats any artificial high up the ying yang.

 

[matt grime]

So, I don't think Wile's wanted to get famous (for the most part) but he wanted that satisfaction.

He already was famous.

http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Wiles.html

this is not the biography of someone who happened to "get lucky" with a guess and move from obscurity to the lime light.

 

[Gza]

It's equavalent of rolling a joint

7 years? That'd have to be one phat joint.

 

[tyutyu fait le train]

"In cacl I, it was really fun. Quite mind blowing when I was first exposed to it a little over a year ago. I decided I wanted to major in mathematics. I took calc 2 concurrently with "matrix theory and linear algebra". calc 2 was boring, just techniques of integration, highly mechanical. matrix theory was alright, completely different, and i don't think i could appreciate it until calc 3.

i'm in cacl 3 right now. at first, it was pretty cool. i like how we are doing stuff in 3d, but, it is still so mechanical. for every question it's an easy solution, just figure out if you need to use a graidient, or what you need the volume of. there isn't much creativity involved.

Is this common? Is it because I'm at medium sized school (10,000 or so undergrad) and so it's more about "job training" than really learning stuff? is it because there is very little class discussion (everyone, myself included, is just very quiet, very passive... i wish i could talk more, but, i just don't ever see anywhere to diverge)

i'm taking abstract algebra next fall, and I'm hoping that is going to be more interesting. lots of stuff related to solving puzzles. I'm also thinkign about taking an independant study course to nurture my love for mathematics that i first felt in cacl1

thoughts?"

Motivation, skills an pleasure are the 3 key-words, whatever you expect to do!