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Every now and then I try to delve into the frightening world of math. Then I see something like this, and start to feel very tired. Then I think, “My hair is a

Every now and then I try to delve into the frightening world of math. Then I see something like this, and start to feel very tired. Then I think, “My hair is already falling out. Do I need something like this to accelerate the process?”

HankB99 7y ago
I'm satisfied to know that there are people who need something like this.
v64 7y ago
For what it's worth, most mathematicians find the Riemann hypothesis frightening as well. There are much lower level aspects of math to be explored without climbing the proverbial Mt. Everest of math problems.
- mlthoughts2018 7y ago
  I disagree with this. I don’t think the Riemann Hypothesis is “harder” than various other unsolved problems like Yang-Mills or Navier-Stokes. Most professional mathematicians would succeed just as much or as little as the particular subset who actively work on the Riemann Hypothesis, if they chose to study it. I think it’s more that in terms of instrumental rationality / goal achievement, working on the Riemann Hypothesis doesn’t suit very many people. There are other trade-offs with funding, applications, lifestyle goals, etc., so it’s just not for everyone. But there’s no way at all that “most mathematicians find the Riemann Hypothesis frightening” as you suggest.
  - lonelappde 7y ago
    The other unsolved problems at frightening as well, insofar as such an informal emotional word has any consensus meaning, perhaps "if I had funding to spend my whole life on this problem, there's a god chance I'd make very little progress."
    - v64 7y ago
      Agreed, I think frightening carried a connotation that I didn't intend. My intention was to state that problems like the Riemann hypothesis are of a level of difficulty such that mathematicians believe these problems cannot be solved without a major fundamental leap forward in our understanding. Erdos expressed a similar frustration toward the Collatz conjecture when he stated "Mathematics may not be ready for such problems". So with respect to the original comment I was replying to, there are other areas of mathematics that one can study that are well understood and not so opaque as the Riemann hypothesis.
atemerev 7y ago
Mathematicians usually have more or less okay hair. Something to do with the blood flow from all that thinking.
arkano 7y ago
As a mathematician, I have noticed that people that like to build something that, for example, can fly, start from a paper plane; they don't get discouraged because they can't yet build a 737 aircraft. However, in math, you need a lot of experience before you can even judge whether a problem is in fact a 737 and not a paper plane (and even then, you can be mistaken). I often see students discouraged because of this and that's why I suggest taking it slow from the beginning. > Every now and then I try to delve into the frightening world of math. To want to understand is to be human. :)
- khawkins 7y ago
  Honestly, I think the near constant exaltation of problems like the Riemann Hypothesis, P=NP, Fermat's last theorem, etc. is more damaging to the field than good. Many of these theorems have dubious application to anything practical were the theorems unquestionably proven. Subsequently, it frequently gives the impression to a lay observer that mathematics is all about number theory and tackling pointless puzzles. Going into undergrad I was briefly discouraged from going into mathematics because this was the impression I got. They're interesting to think about, but I didn't want my future to be firmly situated in inapplicable theory. I say this knowing there is plenty of work to be done in the applied mathematics, especially in trying to simplifying the understanding of complex problems. I'd like to see more of the glorification of moderately hard problems which take more time to explain but are well within the grasp of people who start working on it, than easy to explain problems which will likely never be in the grasp of anyone.
- teh_infallible 7y ago
  Thank you for your elegant reply. I really appreciated it because I am a non-engineer with a 3d printer, so your paper plane example was quite relevant. “Tinkering” with mathematical concepts is fundamentally different from the kind of tinkering I can do, but looking from the outside in.. I’ll probably pick up a calculus textbook one day :)

HankB99 7y ago

I'm satisfied to know that there are people who need something like this.

v64 7y ago

For what it's worth, most mathematicians find the Riemann hypothesis frightening as well. There are much lower level aspects of math to be explored without climbing the proverbial Mt. Everest of math problems.

mlthoughts2018 7y ago
I disagree with this. I don’t think the Riemann Hypothesis is “harder” than various other unsolved problems like Yang-Mills or Navier-Stokes. Most professional mathematicians would succeed just as much or as little as the particular subset who actively work on the Riemann Hypothesis, if they chose to study it. I think it’s more that in terms of instrumental rationality / goal achievement, working on the Riemann Hypothesis doesn’t suit very many people. There are other trade-offs with funding, applications, lifestyle goals, etc., so it’s just not for everyone. But there’s no way at all that “most mathematicians find the Riemann Hypothesis frightening” as you suggest.
- lonelappde 7y ago
  The other unsolved problems at frightening as well, insofar as such an informal emotional word has any consensus meaning, perhaps "if I had funding to spend my whole life on this problem, there's a god chance I'd make very little progress."
  - v64 7y ago
    Agreed, I think frightening carried a connotation that I didn't intend. My intention was to state that problems like the Riemann hypothesis are of a level of difficulty such that mathematicians believe these problems cannot be solved without a major fundamental leap forward in our understanding. Erdos expressed a similar frustration toward the Collatz conjecture when he stated "Mathematics may not be ready for such problems". So with respect to the original comment I was replying to, there are other areas of mathematics that one can study that are well understood and not so opaque as the Riemann hypothesis.

atemerev 7y ago

Mathematicians usually have more or less okay hair. Something to do with the blood flow from all that thinking.

arkano 7y ago

As a mathematician, I have noticed that people that like to build something that, for example, can fly, start from a paper plane; they don't get discouraged because they can't yet build a 737 aircraft. However, in math, you need a lot of experience before you can even judge whether a problem is in fact a 737 and not a paper plane (and even then, you can be mistaken). I often see students discouraged because of this and that's why I suggest taking it slow from the beginning. > Every now and then I try to delve into the frightening world of math. To want to understand is to be human. :)

khawkins 7y ago
Honestly, I think the near constant exaltation of problems like the Riemann Hypothesis, P=NP, Fermat's last theorem, etc. is more damaging to the field than good. Many of these theorems have dubious application to anything practical were the theorems unquestionably proven. Subsequently, it frequently gives the impression to a lay observer that mathematics is all about number theory and tackling pointless puzzles. Going into undergrad I was briefly discouraged from going into mathematics because this was the impression I got. They're interesting to think about, but I didn't want my future to be firmly situated in inapplicable theory. I say this knowing there is plenty of work to be done in the applied mathematics, especially in trying to simplifying the understanding of complex problems. I'd like to see more of the glorification of moderately hard problems which take more time to explain but are well within the grasp of people who start working on it, than easy to explain problems which will likely never be in the grasp of anyone.
teh_infallible 7y ago
Thank you for your elegant reply. I really appreciated it because I am a non-engineer with a 3d printer, so your paper plane example was quite relevant. “Tinkering” with mathematical concepts is fundamentally different from the kind of tinkering I can do, but looking from the outside in.. I’ll probably pick up a calculus textbook one day :)