Should I Become a Mathematician?

[muppet]

Grok. Thanks for your reply Mathwonk.

 

[-IamLittle-]

This is a long thread about becoming a mathematician, but i recommend going back and reading at last page one of it. There is nothing mentioned anywhere here to my knowledge about getting first honors. Indeed I do not know what they are. Essentially, if you think you are a mathematician, you are making a good start.

You can get first honor if your gpa in university is A,in my university, if you don't get A, you cannot be a postgraduate. Can i be a mathematician after i leave the university? I am worry about it.

 

[mathwonk]

I see you have read sentence 3 of my answer. Now please read sentences 1,2, and 4. And good luck to you.

 

[mathwonk]

Let me be more specific. I myself made a (D-) in 2nd semester freshman honors calculus (largely from not having adequate study habits, not from having no talent). I was later asked (i.e. required) to leave school for one year to do some maturing, and then re - apply. After doing so, I learned to get reasonable grades, i.e. go to class, do the work, do extra work if need be. But I did not graduate with any kind of honors, neither 1st , 2nd, nor 3rd... But my good performance senior year enabled me to enter a grad program.

But again in graduate school, I at first try only managed to earn a masters degree, again from losing focus. Eventually I found another chance at another school and, after further seasoning in life skills, graduated with a PhD. That was over 30 years ago. So no, life does not end at age 21, nor at the end of undergraduate school, regardless of the current situation. At some point however you must perform.

So it seems that grad school at your present university may be out of the mix, but there may well be other choices, if you can convince someone you can do significant work. But be flexible. Maybe some other work also interests you.

 

[-IamLittle-]

nice sharing! thank you very much

 

[dkotschessaa]

New question:

At my school there are quite a few seminars and colloquia and such that go on during the semester in the math department. (Physics as well). Titles like "Integrable discretizations and soliton solutions of KdV and mKdV equations" and "Making Sense of Non-Hermitian Hamiltonians."

I have to admit I haven't a clue what these are even about, but the question is - should I attend? I'm kind of reflecting on how one can learn a language through a process of immersion and wondering if there is a similar effect in mathematics, so long as I continue to work on the fundamentals in the meantime.

Edited to add: These talks tend to be grad students, professors, etc. So whatever they are talking about I probably won't be doing for another 3 years at least.

-DaveKA

 

[uman]

It might hurt your self-esteem...

 

[dkotschessaa]

It might hurt your self-esteem...

Meaningless concept.

 

[dkotschessaa]

I believe the word is "humbling." That's ok.

 

[uman]

Not at all. If it humbles you so much that you think "I will never be at this level... I should quit math", then harm was done.

On the other hand, if you think you're immune to that, go for it.

 

[mathwonk]

as sylvanus p thompson put it, what one fool can do, another can.

 

[dkotschessaa]

Not at all. If it humbles you so much that you think "I will never be at this level... I should quit math", then harm was done.

On the other hand, if you think you're immune to that, go for it.

Insecure,self defeating attitudes are not at all my style. I would think if anything it would make me want to head back to my study and learn more.

I learn a lot of Spanish from my wife and family especially when we travel. You hear what phrases tend to pop up over and over and what frequency certain words and idioms have. Using the oft heard metaphor of math as a language I would think the process might be similar. I'm just wondering if I'm corrext in applying the metaphor this way or if it might not be a good use of time.

 

[mathwonk]

I think most people recommend this as a good way to learn things you cannot learn any other way.

 

[qspeechc]

New question:

At my school there are quite a few seminars and colloquia and such that go on during the semester in the math department. (Physics as well). Titles like "Integrable discretizations and soliton solutions of KdV and mKdV equations" and "Making Sense of Non-Hermitian Hamiltonians."

These seem to be physics or applied math topics, which I do not think will be of much interest to a math student.

 

[symbolipoint]

dkotschessaa said this:

I learn a lot of Spanish from my wife and family especially when we travel. You hear what phrases tend to pop up over and over and what frequency certain words and idioms have. Using the oft heard metaphor of math as a language I would think the process might be similar. I'm just wondering if I'm corrext in applying the metaphor this way or if it might not be a good use of time.

Acquiring Mathematics is a little bit different than acquiring a human language, but your attempt at the metaphor is at least encouraging if not exactly enthusiatic (which for you it may very well be). I found that physical sciences lecturea AND LABORATORY courses, and especially Fundamental Physics couses forced some acquired skill with Algebra and Trigonometry and some Calculus; and such skill would not have developed as effectively from just the Mathematics courses alone.

With human languages, people can learn to use and understand them if some intelligent person shows them what the words and phrases are and how they work and gives them exercises in using the words and phrases. This stuff can be both formal and informal.

Topics in Mathematics are best taught formally first, and then the student should (and often IS) put into situations to use and THINK in those topics.

 

[dkotschessaa]

Thanks for that input. In addition to my math courses basically my plan (actually its more of a plunge) is to get involved with undergraduate research in the physics and/or math departments, in addition to showing up at lectures. Its a kind of fake it till you make it approach.

Ready, fire, aim!

 

[QuantumP7]

So, for a math PhD, do they look favorably upon physics research experience, or should you just put your math research experience on your application?

 

[dkotschessaa]

I would think any research would show favorably for math, especially something as math intensive as physics, unless I'm mistaken.

 

[Dougggggg]

The conversation about other languages has me wondering if when you go to different countries how much does the mathematical language change, in both english and non english speaking countries?

 

[dkotschessaa]

The conversation about other languages has me wondering if when you go to different countries how much does the mathematical language change, in both english and non english speaking countries?

Maybe another thread should be started? This is a topic I find interesting.

What I've found with languages is that technical terminology is less likely to have evolved far from it's latin roots, so many of the words are cognates. Look up "quadratic" in Google translate and you'll find that the term is similar. (cuadrático in spanish and portuguese, quadratisch in German).

I think the non Indo-European languages have adopted the latin or english terms, so they might still have cognates, but I have no evidence of this since google translate renders the translations in whatever script the language uses.

Though I did find that Icelandic translates "quadratic" as "stigs."

I'm not sure what you're asking in reference to English speaking languages though. You mean perhaps British English as opposed to American English or something? I've found that when languages start to diverge, it's usually the more "common" dialog that changes - and that technical terms, again, don't change much, probably because they are more precise. Though in England you might say "formuler." :)

-DaveKA

 

[Dougggggg]

Maybe another thread should be started? This is a topic I find interesting.

What I've found with languages is that technical terminology is less likely to have evolved far from it's latin roots, so many of the words are cognates. Look up "quadratic" in Google translate and you'll find that the term is similar. (cuadrático in spanish and portuguese, quadratisch in German).

I think the non Indo-European languages have adopted the latin or english terms, so they might still have cognates, but I have no evidence of this since google translate renders the translations in whatever script the language uses.

Though I did find that Icelandic translates "quadratic" as "stigs."

I'm not sure what you're asking in reference to English speaking languages though. You mean perhaps British English as opposed to American English or something? I've found that when languages start to diverge, it's usually the more "common" dialog that changes - and that technical terms, again, don't change much, probably because they are more precise. Though in England you might say "formuler." :)

-DaveKA

I am thinking about going to the University of Edinburgh for graduate school and I may even look at other schools possibly too, whatever school is best for me even if it is a different culture. I also like the idea of possibly doing some study abroad type things as well.

 

[uman]

One annoying example is that in France, open intervals are written with square brackets going the other direction, as opposed to parentheses. For example, what Americans write (0, 4] would be written ]0,4] in France.

 

[Dougggggg]

One annoying example is that in France, open intervals are written with square brackets going the other direction, as opposed to parentheses. For example, what Americans write (0, 4] would be written ]0,4] in France.

That would take some getting used to. There is probably somewhere on the internet that has important changes in translation in mathematical things. Maybe not all the way down to every word that you would learn in learning the language itself.

 

[qspeechc]

One annoying example is that in France, open intervals are written with square brackets going the other direction, as opposed to parentheses. For example, what Americans write (0, 4] would be written ]0,4] in France.

Sometimes confusion can occur when we write (0,4): is it an open interval of the real line or an ordered pair? The French system makes more sense to me.

 

[matqkks]

Isn't the French notation more intuitive?

 

[hunt_mat]

It's the french for you. Going against all other conventions just to be unique.

 

[dkotschessaa]

Back to the topic of reading great mathematicians, I could use some help in ":https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=459668"[/URL]. I didn't want to divert the current thread for this topic.

-DaveKA

 

[mathwonk]

dk, the link did not open for me. where is it? basic advice though, just read them, as much or as little as you can, you will definitely benefit. I thought I was a smart guy, but I made no progress at all (reading textbooks and listening to course lectures) until I spent time around actual mathematicians, listening to them talk and watching them work. However I did benefit later from reading great mathematicians. textbooks don't do much. they do something, but not all you want. it is a little like my friend the sword master asking me why his teacher was teaching him a certain move, and I conjectured that at a crucial moment he would understand. My belief was that he was being taught something that would help him in danger, instinctively. There are exceptions - some very dedicated and gifted people can improve slowly by practice and routine instruction, but some of us need and blossom under personal and inspired tutelage. Everyone, even the most modest among us, benefits from reading the masters. These are referred to as people who may not be saints, but who have "been with saints".

 

[sponsoredwalk]

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=459668

 

[Periotic]

Yeah, but I would rather be Theoretical Physicist. :shy:​