Strongest well-rounded mathematician on PF

[G037H3]

See title. By well rounded, I mean majoring in a humanities course, or self-studying some significant field in humanities (classics, history, philosophy).

An alternative way to take the term 'well-rounded' is to mean the mathematician who has the best all-around ability within the different subfields of mathematics.

Stupid question, I know, but I'm simply curious.

 

[Doc Al]

And by 'strongest' we can only assume you mean 'able to lift the most weight' under standard olympic powerlifting rules. Right?

 

[G037H3]

i mean strongest as in, strongest calculating ability/most well-rounded knowledge/best problem-solving creativity

 

[Norman]

I think we should stick with Doc Al on this one and have a mathematics power lifting competition. BUT! we use the old round, dumbbell style you see on old black and white Popeye cartoons. YEAH!

 

[Dadface]

I'm sure it must be me.On second thoughts I can't do maths :)

 

[G037H3]

you guys are so funny

-_-

 

[DanP]

And by 'strongest' we can only assume you mean 'able to lift the most weight' under standard olympic powerlifting rules. Right?

you mean, Olympic Weightlifting ?

 

[G01]

you guys are so funny

-_-

We're only 3 months away from the funniest member awards, which, in these parts, is an award second only to the Nobel Prize.

I'm surprised they're not dressed as clown throwing pies at each other.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Might be me. I once defeated A. Einstein at Kung Fu fighting. That guy was fast as lightening. But I cleaned his clock.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I once defeated A. Einstein at Kung Fu fighting. That guy was fast as lightening.

That sounds a little bit frightening.

 

[Topher925]

But did he fight with expert timing?

 

[G037H3]

i'm not going to get a serious answer, am i?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I don't think there is any way to answer your question with confidence.

Marcus seems to have a wide range of interests and knowledge [the self-study part of your question]. Not sure, but I think he is a mathematician.

 

[Norman]

i'm not going to get a serious answer, am i?

On top of what Ivan said, it is completely subjective and unquantifiable as you have stated it. It is simply an opinion about activities of people here on PF (though I know some members interact with each other elsewhere) which is hardly an accurate measure of the question you are asking.

 

[G037H3]

i'm mainly asking because i feel that not having anyone to compete with is a negative like, i can have role models in the form of dead people, but when it comes to being immersed in material, it seems to me that one-upping someone could be fun ^_^

 

[Ivan Seeking]

i'm mainly asking because i feel that not having anyone to compete with is a negative like, i can have role models in the form of dead people, but when it comes to being immersed in material, it seems to me that one-upping someone could be fun ^_^

I promise you that plenty of people here can run circles around you in any discussion that you wish to have.

What is your level of education; a high school diploma? Do you realize that PF is loaded with Ph.Ds?

 

[G037H3]

what I'm trying to say is that i keep putting off studying because i have nothing in the present to connect it to...i'm relatively certain that i could reach a pretty high level pretty quickly if i can figure out how to become passionate about mathematics for its own sake like i have other subjects in the past (i probably know more about Classical and European history than anyone else on this forum, for instance)

i recognize that i need to develop my mathematical ability, which I'm reasonably sure i have some sort of talent in just based on my thinking patterns, but I'm having trouble separating what i want to do from self-doubt and concerns that since i know very little at this point that i am incapable of reaching any impressive level of mastery

i have a decent idea of what i should study, in what order, but i find that general depression makes it much harder for me to achieve anything, because i have no focus...an idea may be intriguing, but i keep letting go of pursuing any questions because i assume i'll be unable to find the answer...the 'black-box' issue, if you will

so i guess I'm just being an attention whore, and basically saying that since I'm not in a structured environment, I'm seeking out people who will sort of challenge me, and I'm attempting to use this medium to do so

sorry :c

 

[radou]

Less talk, more rock.

I'm going for the deadlift medal, btw.

 

[Norman]

Less talk, more rock.

I'm going for the deadlift medal, btw.

NICE! I am going to shoot for the snatch.

what I'm trying to say is that i keep putting off studying because i have nothing in the present to connect it to...i'm relatively certain that i could reach a pretty high level pretty quickly if i can figure out how to become passionate about mathematics for its own sake like i have other subjects in the past (i probably know more about Classical and European history than anyone else on this forum, for instance)

i recognize that i need to develop my mathematical ability, which I'm reasonably sure i have some sort of talent in just based on my thinking patterns, but I'm having trouble separating what i want to do from self-doubt and concerns that since i know very little at this point that i am incapable of reaching any impressive level of mastery

i have a decent idea of what i should study, in what order, but i find that general depression makes it much harder for me to achieve anything, because i have no focus...an idea may be intriguing, but i keep letting go of pursuing any questions because i assume i'll be unable to find the answer...the 'black-box' issue, if you will

so i guess I'm just being an attention whore, and basically saying that since I'm not in a structured environment, I'm seeking out people who will sort of challenge me, and I'm attempting to use this medium to do so

sorry :c

Maybe a better way might be to see if one of the mentors (or someone else) would post an appropriate weekly (or daily) math problem. You could then "compete" for solutions which are the most elegant, or original, or just plain correct.

 

[Evo]

what I'm trying to say is that i keep putting off studying because i have nothing in the present to connect it to...i'm relatively certain that i could reach a pretty high level pretty quickly if i can figure out how to become passionate about mathematics for its own sake like i have other subjects in the past (i probably know more about Classical and European history than anyone else on this forum, for instance)

You'd be wrong, apparently you have not met arildno.

 

[G037H3]

Maybe a better way might be to see if one of the mentors (or someone else) would post an appropriate weekly (or daily) math problem. You could then "compete" for solutions which are the most elegant, or original, or just plain correct.

Except for the fact that I have basically no analytic tools at my disposal.

You'd be wrong, apparently you have not met arildno.

I have not, but I will assert that my knowledge of those two subjects is very deep and multidimensional. ^_^ I brought them up primarily to point out that passion is required, not to assert my superiority in the subject, though I could have worded it in a less challenging way.

 

[Newai]

Didn't Sir Lancelot try this with King Arthur?

 

[G037H3]

Everyone knows that Lancelot>Arthur, Arthur only had advantage because of his scabbard.

 

[Klockan3]

so i guess I'm just being an attention whore, and basically saying that since I'm not in a structured environment, I'm seeking out people who will sort of challenge me, and I'm attempting to use this medium to do so

What kind of challenge do you really want? I know a guy who knows just about every proof in just about every kind of math class by heart, but he is a middle aged professor who have a passion for maths. There is no way you could compete with that for example, that kind of knowledge is so far away that it wouldn't spur you, more like devastate you if you tried to compete. It would take at least 10 years of really hard work, extreme dedication and a lot of talent to get there and all you would have for it would be that you are now really well rounded at maths.

 

[G037H3]

meh, i sort of feel that my main contributions will be in literature, but it can't hurt to try to be well rounded..i already know I'm much closer to Goethe than Gauss, but i might as well try to be like Gauss too, you know?

polymathy ftw, etc.

 

[jobyts]

I'm well rounded, but not a mathematician. Too lazy to go to the gym.

 

[Topher925]

Ok, let's give this a shot.

Derive the general equation for entropy in differential form for an internally reversible process. Should be no problem for someone of your mathematical "intellect". I'll even give you you a hint: Tds = dh - dP/p and ds = delta Q/T

Annnnd go.

 

[Proton Soup]

Less talk, more rock.

I'm going for the deadlift medal, btw.

i managed to deadlift 475 lbs yesterday. goal is 500 by year's end. will probably be about 10 lbs more round by then, too.

 

[Doc Al]

i managed to deadlift 475 lbs yesterday. goal is 500 by year's end. will probably be about 10 lbs more round by then, too.

Excellent. Stronger and rounder.

 

[nobahar]

It's patently me.

 

[lisab]

It's patently me.

Whew, glad we got that figured out.

 

[JDStupi]

Hey man, want to know the meaning of life?
0___
0

Mines Bigger,
No, mine is!
0__________
0

Yea but your is crooked (ok that part was a joke about my mess up) But the rest of it, is me poking fun at how come you have to contsntly talk up yourself and say "ohh well I'm an expert in x" Why did you say that? What relevance did it have? You even said it twice, and "I just want something to compete against"...Compete against yourself, go wrestle that ego of yours

 

[nobahar]

Whew, glad we got that figured out.

Everyone was thinking it. I thought I'd just put an end to it.

 

[fss]

I have not, but I will assert that my knowledge of those two subjects is very deep and multidimensional. ^_^ I brought them up primarily to point out that passion is required, not to assert my superiority in the subject, though I could have worded it in a less challenging way.

According to your profile you are in high school. You realize that makes your claim almost comically ridiculous, right? At least you admit that your choice of words was poor :)

 

[The legend]

Do you realize that PF is loaded with Ph.Ds?

Yes!
and there are some guys much beyond that too!

 

[GeorginaS]

We're only 3 months away from the funniest member awards, which, in these parts, is an award second only to the Nobel Prize.

I'm surprised they're not dressed as clown throwing pies at each other.

Three months away? Again, already? Wow does time fly. I only just finished getting the meringue out of my curtains from last year.

i'm not going to get a serious answer, am i?

Yeah, you know, likely not.

 

[G037H3]

Ok, let's give this a shot.

Derive the general equation for entropy in differential form for an internally reversible process. Should be no problem for someone of your mathematical "intellect". I'll even give you you a hint: Tds = dh - dP/p and ds = delta Q/T

Annnnd go.

I can't do that without the requisite tools, and neither would Archimedes be able to.

But the rest of it, is me poking fun at how come you have to contsntly talk up yourself and say "ohh well I'm an expert in x" Why did you say that? What relevance did it have? You even said it twice, and "I just want something to compete against"...Compete against yourself, go wrestle that ego of yours

I'm pretty quiet, overall. I don't display my intellect or insights to any great degree. Also, "competing against myself" is a bad idea, considering that I'm a perfectionist.

According to your profile you are in high school. You realize that makes your claim almost comically ridiculous, right? At least you admit that your choice of words was poor :)

Actually, I had to drop out. And, you'd be surprised how many hours one can spend reading and pondering if they begin reading at a very young age.

Yeah, you know, likely not.

=/

 

[Mentallic]

Here's a scenario to try shed some light on what you mean by "well-rounded" for the rest of us and for yourself.

My friend and I were both in the top math class at the end of high school. He is a hard worker, and I am a natural talent. Whenever we were taught something new in class, I would go away thinking that I understood what I was just showed and I could apply it with a high degree of accuracy to whatever applications tests might throw at me. My friend went away and studied the topic to death, learning from various textbooks to get a feel for all possible questions he could ever be asked.
Now since I had much more time to fondle with while he studied profusely on these topics, I would indulge myself in all kinds of topics that weren't in my curriculum in school (mainly by reading up on problems that users here on PF couldn't solve in the homework help section).

Anyway, much later down the track when we were revising, I would slowly but surely get an answer to that topic covered long ago. My friend would rush through it using short cuts and tricks along the way and get the answer much faster than I could.

In the end of it all, he came first and I came second.

Now a question to you. If it were only my friend and I that were the two candidates for this search of yours to find the "strongest well-rounded mathematician", who would take the cake?

If you chose me then isn't it possible that given more time my friend would also learn everything I have learned and to top it off, he would be better at these topics. He would've been exposed to more proofs, more examples, more tricks etc. and he too would most likely develop a more natural affiliation to understand mathematics with time. Plus, at the present moment he would pound me in a competition on the topics that we have both learnt.

If you chose my friend, then we could argue just the opposite and it would obviously look foolish to choose him and then I come along and could give some insight into a problem that he has no clue about.

And then there's the issue that for PhD's and beyond, they usually follow their own paths that they prefer, specializing in some field of mathematics. How do you compare them then...?

 

[G037H3]

Here's a scenario to try shed some light on what you mean by "well-rounded" for the rest of us and for yourself.

My friend and I were both in the top math class at the end of high school. He is a hard worker, and I am a natural talent. Whenever we were taught something new in class, I would go away thinking that I understood what I was just showed and I could apply it with a high degree of accuracy to whatever applications tests might throw at me. My friend went away and studied the topic to death, learning from various textbooks to get a feel for all possible questions he could ever be asked.
Now since I had much more time to fondle with while he studied profusely on these topics, I would indulge myself in all kinds of topics that weren't in my curriculum in school (mainly by reading up on problems that users here on PF couldn't solve in the homework help section).

Anyway, much later down the track when we were revising, I would slowly but surely get an answer to that topic covered long ago. My friend would rush through it using short cuts and tricks along the way and get the answer much faster than I could.

In the end of it all, he came first and I came second.

Now a question to you. If it were only my friend and I that were the two candidates for this search of yours to find the "strongest well-rounded mathematician", who would take the cake?

If you chose me then isn't it possible that given more time my friend would also learn everything I have learned and to top it off, he would be better at these topics. He would've been exposed to more proofs, more examples, more tricks etc. and he too would most likely develop a more natural affiliation to understand mathematics with time. Plus, at the present moment he would pound me in a competition on the topics that we have both learnt.

If you chose my friend, then we could argue just the opposite and it would obviously look foolish to choose him and then I come along and could give some insight into a problem that he has no clue about.

And then there's the issue that for PhD's and beyond, they usually follow their own paths that they prefer, specializing in some field of mathematics. How do you compare them then...?

By strongest, I suppose I mean the combination of natural talent and focus, culminating in a "peak output/power".

Example: I would consider Euler to be weaker as a mathematician than Gauss, but Euler worked like a madman, so that their overall contributions are somewhat equivalent.

Getting back to your question, I would choose you, because if you are more talented, and assuming that focus is a fixed variable for both participants, if you had spent more time you would have been stronger than him. (I don't necessarily think that speed and calculation power are one and the same, mind. I'm using an overall qualitative definition of 'stronger'.)

I was thinking earlier about the most efficient course of study for developing broad mastery in mathematics, and I think that for me, a focus on algebra, geometry, set theory, and analysis is pretty much all I'd need. of course that entails a lot of material, but I'm arguing that those four things are the minimum required in order to have a broad mastery in problem solving of existing and new problems.

 

[JohnT89]

Lets suppose I am the best mathematician in the world. Ok, then?

You can have nice talks and nice challenges with virtually every mathematician you talk with. There is always something to learn about: the genius who know most is the person who assume he might incidentally learn something from virtually every person in this world regardless of his education.

 

[Max™]

Mathematicians are closer to poets than weightlifters.

That's like asking who is the strongest poet, I hear Angelou could bench 350!

 

[Lacy33]

I'm surprised they're not dressed as clown throwing pies at each other.

This person, seems to have missed all the subtle hints thoes even coming from it's own thread title.
OP, if you are looking to get into the fun, why don't you round it off with your obvously strong personality, and throw pi around a while. (without watching the movie.) If you can master that, it will not only ground you and make you a respected mathematical thinker, but it will also twist your brains right out of your ears and I am willing to put money on it, you have not experience a high like that.

 

[Mu naught]

They say there's no such thing as a stupid question, but I think this one qualifies.

 

[arildno]

You'd be wrong, apparently you have not met arildno.

Except for the fact that I have basically no analytic tools at my disposal.



I have not, but I will assert that my knowledge of those two subjects is very deep and multidimensional. ^_^ I brought them up primarily to point out that passion is required, not to assert my superiority in the subject, though I could have worded it in a less challenging way.

I take the challenge.

 

[G037H3]

They say there's no such thing as a stupid question, but I think this one qualifies.

It's a probing question into the mathematical hierarchy of PF

 

[G037H3]

I take the challenge.

Demons can be good too...

 

[Pythagorean]

Ive noticed Hurkyl in QM and philosophical discussions and iirc he's a mathematician.

 

[QuarkCharmer]

I can't tell if he is serious, or if this is some sort of practical joke/internet-trolling technique.

 

[G037H3]

I can't tell if he is serious, or if this is some sort of practical joke/internet-trolling technique.

I'm serious. I post somewhat regularly >_>

 

[arildno]

Demons can be good too...

I win the first round in the duel concerning who is profoundest in knowledge:
A devil is different from a demon; I thought everybody knew that..

Arildno:1 GO37H3: -1