Introducing Math Problem of the Week

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The Math Problem of the Week (POTW) program has been successfully migrated from MathHelpBoards (MHB) to Physics Forums (PF), with directors anemone and Euge continuing their roles after eight years at MHB. Each week, a challenging math problem will be posted on Mondays, with solutions provided the following week if no correct answers are submitted. Members are encouraged to collaborate on solutions and can use spoiler tags to hide their responses. The program aims to engage the community and stimulate curiosity in mathematics across various expertise levels. The transition has been positively received, with members expressing excitement for the ongoing collaboration and challenges.
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One of the best things to migrate over from MHB is their Problem of the Week program. Let me introduce the POTW directors @anemone and @Euge, who had been running the POTW at MHB for 8 years and we're very glad to have them continue the great program here. I'll let them say hi and tell you what to expect!

At the moment, the POTW forum is located in General Math.
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/potw-for-secondary-and-high-school-students.348/
 
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Hello to all!

I am anemone. I am from MHB and I wish to share a brief history regarding the ongoing problem of the week that we had at MHB.

Shortly after MHB's creation early in 2012, a feature was added whereby each week a challenging problem in each of three levels of expertise would be posted for consideration: Secondary/high school, Under graduate and Post graduate.

It was hoped this would engage the community and stimulate curiosity. Our POTW directors were dedicated and kept the problems flowing for ten years week after week.

Since MHB has been merged into PF, I would like to carry on this tradition that we started at MHB here. A new set of problems will be posted on every Monday and the solution, if no one solved the problem correctly, will be posted a week after. At PF, members can submit their solution by replying to the POTW thread, and you may use the spoiler tags to hide your solutions. However, collaboration between members is allowed by building on the replies.

I hereby welcome all members to participate in POTW section!
 
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Please excuse my ignorance: What/Who is MHB?
 
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@anemone Forgot to say welcome to PF!
 
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WWGD said:
Please excuse my ignorance: What/Who is MHB?
We used to be a mathematics forum that allowed members to get free math help or discuss any of the math problems. :cool:
 
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Drakkith said:
@anemone Forgot to say welcome to PF!
@Drakkith, thanks for the welcome!
 
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@anemone

Welcome to PF!. I think I solved some of your challenge problems on MHB.
 
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Welcome!
 
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  • #10
Welcome to Physics Forums @anemone. Hope that your assimilation goes well. :oldtongue:
 
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  • #11
Borg said:
Hope that your assimilation goes well. :oldtongue:
Especially as resistance is futile.
 
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  • #12
Borek said:
Especially as resistance is futile.
Reference please. My book says resistance is voltage over current. :wink:
 
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  • #13
Everyone should feel free to try out the past POTW. The current POTW will always be stickied.
 
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  • #14
anemone said:
Hello to all!

I am anemone. I am from MHB and I wish to share a brief history regarding the ongoing problem of the week that we had at MHB.

Shortly after MHB's creation early in 2012, a feature was added whereby each week a challenging problem in each of three levels of expertise would be posted for consideration: Secondary/high school, Under graduate and Post graduate.

It was hoped this would engage the community and stimulate curiosity. Our POTW directors were dedicated and kept the problems flowing for ten years week after week.

Since MHB has been merged into PF, I would like to carry on this tradition that we started at MHB here. A new set of problems will be posted on every Monday and the solution, if no one solved the problem correctly, will be posted a week after. At PF, members can submit their solution by replying to the POTW thread, and you may use the spoiler tags to hide your solutions. However, collaboration between members is allowed by building on the replies.

I hereby welcome all members to participate in POTW section!
Welcome to PF!
 
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  • #15
Petek said:
@anemone

Welcome to PF!. I think I solved some of your challenge problems on MHB.
Yes, @Petek, you did indeed! I remember it!:smile:
 
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  • #17
Indeed welcome. My background is math, but I became seduced by mathematical physics. However always loved math.

Thanks
Bill
 
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  • #18
At least it was not called Math Forums Board, else we would have a mix up with our @mfb , having both a lower-case and capitalized version.
 
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  • #19
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  • #20
bhobba said:
Indeed welcome. My background is math, but I became seduced by mathematical physics. However always loved math.

Thanks
Bill
Good to meet you. I'm a Physicist that has become seduced by Mathematical Physics!

-Dan
 
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  • #21
topsquark said:
Good to meet you. I'm a Physicist that has become seduced by Mathematical Physics!

It's contagious. I caught it from Landau - Mechanics. If you haven't read it, please do, and then your conversion will be complete.

Thanks
Bill
 
  • #22
bhobba said:
It's contagious. I caught it from Landau - Mechanics. If you haven't read it, please do, and then your conversion will be complete.

Thanks
Bill
Landau is good! Actually I've had the bug since High School but when I decided to go into QFT it almost became a necessity. For reasons I won't go into here I've had to teach myself the whole field of QFT (Weinberg is my current favorite for this) and I've found I needed a heck of a lot of Math just to read it, much less do anything with it.

-Dan
 
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  • #23
topsquark said:
Landau is good! Actually I've had the bug since High School but when I decided to go into QFT it almost became a necessity. For reasons I won't go into here I've had to teach myself the whole field of QFT (Weinberg is my current favorite for this) and I've found I needed a heck of a lot of Math just to read it, much less do anything with it.

-Dan
I'm still trying to figure out how the bra and ket thing works.
 
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  • #24
anemone said:
Hello to all!

I am anemone. I am from MHB and I wish to share a brief history regarding the ongoing problem of the week that we had at MHB.

Shortly after MHB's creation early in 2012, a feature was added whereby each week a challenging problem in each of three levels of expertise would be posted for consideration: Secondary/high school, Under graduate and Post graduate.

It was hoped this would engage the community and stimulate curiosity. Our POTW directors were dedicated and kept the problems flowing for ten years week after week.

Since MHB has been merged into PF, I would like to carry on this tradition that we started at MHB here. A new set of problems will be posted on every Monday and the solution, if no one solved the problem correctly, will be posted a week after. At PF, members can submit their solution by replying to the POTW thread, and you may use the spoiler tags to hide your solutions. However, collaboration between members is allowed by building on the replies.

I hereby welcome all members to participate in POTW section!
Welcome anémone. Thank you for being here collaborating with PF. Very grateful for your presence.
 
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  • #25
WWGD said:
I'm still trying to figure out how the bra and ket thing works.

Before I learned QM I used to use the standard bracket thing for the inner products. After I always use bra-ket notation. It's contagious.

Thanks
Bill
 
  • #26
bhobba said:
Before I learned QM I used to use the standard bracket thing for the inner products. After I always use bra-ket notation. It's contagious.

Thanks
Bill
I'm kind of embarrassed that I've gone over explanations several times, but maybe I did not pay enough attention.
 
  • #27
topsquark said:
(Weinberg is my current favorite for this)

I like Wienberg too, but he is a bit advanced for my QFT level which is about at QFT For The Gifted Amateur. We have a high-powered researcher, from I think Oxford, who sporadically posts here. He is very good, and I eagerly wait for anything he writes. He called Wienberg - the old man - when Wienberg was alive.

Thanks
Bill
 
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  • #28
WWGD said:
I'm kind of embarrassed that I've gone over explanations several times, but maybe I did not pay enough attention.

Seriously it's easy. First, read the following even though it seems to not be relevant:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521558905/?tag=pfamazon01-20

The Kets are simply the test functions, the Bras are the distributions (or dual space as it's sometimes called). Hilbert spaces have the interesting property that the Bra's and Kets can be placed in 1-1 correspondence. This is the origin of the so-called Gefland Tripple you can look into if you wish.

Thanks
Bill
 
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  • #29
WWGD said:
I'm still trying to figure out how the bra and ket thing works.
Modern QM by Sakurai has an excellent detailed explanation on the bra, kets, operators and the like.
 
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  • #30
Hi Everyone,

I am Euge, MHB POTW director for university and graduate level POTW. I plan to post problems biweekly on Sundays. Hopefully, you'll enjoy tackling some of them! Of course, open collaboration and multiple solutions are welcome. Please use spoiler tags to hide your solutions.

I look forward to getting to know you!
 
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