DaveE
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ergospherical said:That reminds me, here's a test to see whether you're a physicist or a mathematician at heart...
if ##f(x,y) = xy##, what is ##f(r,\theta)##?![]()
Yes, a perfect illustration. Once again the Mathematicians are correct, exactly, precisely correct. But the people that need to use the math to solve problems leave out the tedious rigour only retaining the essence that is useful and tailored to their particular field. Then they add in, but don't talk about, some jargon or assumptions that are always made by their peers. Which is why none of us find it easy (or possible) to read the papers from the "other guys". I think it's actually a pretty efficient system. There are good reasons that people take shortcuts, you know, the good ones anyway.fresh_42 said:Exactly. The difference between mathematics and physics is not so much in what is taught, and even less in the instruments, they use. The main difference is simply that it is another language.
This is often what leads to misconceptions. Someone threw out some useful stuff because it was easier that way. Like me; I do this all the time.