What should authors do when they realize their published idea is flawed?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Count Iblis
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
When authors discover flaws in their published ideas, they face a dilemma regarding how to address the issue. The discussion highlights the importance of transparency, with some participants admiring authors who openly acknowledge their mistakes. In fields like mathematics, where precision is critical, admitting errors can be particularly challenging. The conversation also references the Bogdanov brothers as a controversial example of how to handle flawed work. Ultimately, authors should prioritize honesty and integrity in their scholarly contributions.
Count Iblis
Messages
1,858
Reaction score
8
http://arxiv.org/abs/math/0511544v3"
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Mathematics news on Phys.org
...with an error in its proof.
 
neutrino said:
...with an error in its proof.
:biggrin:
 
Count Iblis said:
http://arxiv.org/abs/math/0511544v3"

What was this even about?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
http://arxiv.org/abs/math/0511544v2"
 
Last edited by a moderator:
actually, i admire the author for being so forthright. mathematics is an exacting discipline, but in the less exacting disciplines (like science and engineering), you might think that this should happen more often.

some author publishes an idea that he/she later comes to the conclusion is crap. what's an author to do? follow the example of the Bogdanov brothers?
 

Thread 'Fermat's Last Theorem'

Fermat's Last Theorem has long been one of the most famous mathematical problems, and is now one of the most famous theorems. It simply states that the equation $$ a^n+b^n=c^n $$ has no solutions with positive integers if ##n>2.## It was named after Pierre de Fermat (1607-1665). The problem itself stems from the book Arithmetica by Diophantus of Alexandria. It gained popularity because Fermat noted in his copy "Cubum autem in duos cubos, aut quadratoquadratum in duos quadratoquadratos, et...
View full post »

Thread 'What Exactly is Dirac’s Delta Function? - Insight'

Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. In Dirac’s Principles of Quantum Mechanics published in 1930 he introduced a “convenient notation” he referred to as a “delta function” which he treated as a continuum analog to the discrete Kronecker delta. The Kronecker delta is simply the indexed components of the identity operator in matrix algebra Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/what-exactly-is-diracs-delta-function/ by...
View full post »
Thread 'Imaginary Pythagorus'

Thread 'Imaginary Pythagorus'

I posted this in the Lame Math thread, but it's got me thinking. Is there any validity to this? Or is it really just a mathematical trick? Naively, I see that i2 + plus 12 does equal zero2. But does this have a meaning? I know one can treat the imaginary number line as just another axis like the reals, but does that mean this does represent a triangle in the complex plane with a hypotenuse of length zero? Ibix offered a rendering of the diagram using what I assume is matrix* notation...
View full post »

Similar threads

What an author did when paper was proved wrong
Replies
1
Views
1K
Citation bias in published papers
Replies
3
Views
2K
A What do you think of this definition of Spin Networks?
Replies
2
Views
2K
The Significance Filter: How selective publishing biases results
Replies
1
Views
1K
Advice Wanted for Book Writing/Publishing
Replies
25
Views
2K
A A pair of interesting papers: have counterarguments been published?
Replies
10
Views
2K
I Quantum behavior experiment flawed?
Replies
40
Views
4K
I What does it take to solve the measurement problem? (new paper published)
4
Replies
199
Views
13K
Riemann Hypothesis and Goldbach Conjecture Proof?
Replies
5
Views
4K
Other What is your personal policy with preprints?
Replies
7
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top