# What are you currently trying to prove / disprove?

1. Nov 7, 2012

### uperkurk

So is there anything in particular you're trying to prove or disprove within the fields of maths or physics? Are you making any progress? How would your findings affect our understanding of a related topic?

2. Nov 7, 2012

I don't believe I'm mathematically mature enough to work on anything that will further our understanding of mathematics, but we've begun to study quotient rings and homomorphisms in my abstract algebra course, so I'm working on proving theorems about these structures. It has been an incredibly difficult course, as I've never had to think at this level of abstraction before.

Here is a homework problem I just finished:

Let $f:R\to S$ be a homomorphism of rings with kernel $K$. Let $I$ be an ideal in $R$ such that $I\subseteq K$. Show that $\bar{f}:R/ I \to S$ given by $\bar{f}(r+I)=f(r)$ is a well-defined homomorphism.

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My physics lab instructor told us to never claim our results "prove" anything in our reports. Our results either "confirm" or "do not confirm" the theory in question.

3. Nov 8, 2012

### Pythagorean

Mt thesis is more exploratory. You take a new system and you play with it, make simulations, analyze result in creative ways. Hundreds of potential hypotheses basically just fall out of the system.

Then you have to see which of those hypotheses are new, unique, and reproducible and package them into an interesting story that demonstrates the significance of the research to humans (in regard to either understanding or applications).

4. Nov 8, 2012

### Andre

...applied physics on fractination of isotopes and temperature?

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/non-calor-sed-umor.pdf [Broken]

None whatsoever, but that's to be expected probably.

Last edited by a moderator: May 6, 2017