4 ms·

So what's the equation? Surprised they didn't share it given that it's "simple". The paper seems to be paywalled without any preprints online that I could find

by jey 2y ago

So what's the equation? Surprised they didn't share it given that it's "simple". The paper seems to be paywalled without any preprints online that I could find easily[1]. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=4150170998262626368&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5 https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=41501709982626263...

edflsafoiewq 2y ago
I really don't get who Quanta's audience is. They write all these articles about, like, recent technical advances in mathematical research, but for an audience that apparently can't ever be forced to look at, God forbid, an equation.
- magicalhippo 2y ago
  I read a lot of Scientific American when I was a young teenager. Really loved science, but wouldn't have had enough of a background to understand differential equations and such. So I've always imagined a similar target audience for Quanta. People who like science but lack any strong math background. Might be a plumber, might be a teenager.
- graycat 2y ago
  (1) For the audience, yup, uh, curiosity is a likely ingredient. (2) For the purpose, think of the real cause, James Simons and his background, e.g., in May 10, 2024, Remembering the Life and Careers of Jim Simons, By Thomas Sumner at https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2024/05/10/remembering-the-life-and-careers-of-jim-simons/ https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2024/05/10/remembering-the-... So, yup, there is Quanta, but more advanced there is the Web site of that article. For more, there is, as I recall, what he has done with the old NYC Flatiron building. Then there are other science/math promotion efforts. (3) For the article mentioned in the OP, uh, just say that it is "unusual" for Quanta. One aspect to like: There's a lot of junk in society and on the Internet, but Quanta is not part of it.
- kjkjadksj 2y ago
  It’s for people who are interested in science but aren't formally educated in that field. For the people who are trained in that field, they might read the actual primary papers or review articles with 150 sources, and scoff at all the gell-mann amnesia they see daily in the popular press.
magicalhippo 2y ago
Well I mean Einsteins equations[1] of General Relativity are in some sense "simple". I imagine they mean "simple" in a similar sense, given that at least one of the previous "too simple" models[2] involves repeatedly solving a Laplace equation numerically to search for a valid solution. But yeah, certainly would be nice to include it when you got a title like that. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_field_equations#Mathematical_form https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_field_equations#Mathe... [2]: https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/114887 https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/114887

by jey 2y ago

edflsafoiewq 2y ago

I really don't get who Quanta's audience is. They write all these articles about, like, recent technical advances in mathematical research, but for an audience that apparently can't ever be forced to look at, God forbid, an equation.

magicalhippo 2y ago
I read a lot of Scientific American when I was a young teenager. Really loved science, but wouldn't have had enough of a background to understand differential equations and such. So I've always imagined a similar target audience for Quanta. People who like science but lack any strong math background. Might be a plumber, might be a teenager.
graycat 2y ago
(1) For the audience, yup, uh, curiosity is a likely ingredient. (2) For the purpose, think of the real cause, James Simons and his background, e.g., in May 10, 2024, Remembering the Life and Careers of Jim Simons, By Thomas Sumner at https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2024/05/10/remembering-the-life-and-careers-of-jim-simons/ https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2024/05/10/remembering-the-... So, yup, there is Quanta, but more advanced there is the Web site of that article. For more, there is, as I recall, what he has done with the old NYC Flatiron building. Then there are other science/math promotion efforts. (3) For the article mentioned in the OP, uh, just say that it is "unusual" for Quanta. One aspect to like: There's a lot of junk in society and on the Internet, but Quanta is not part of it.
kjkjadksj 2y ago
It’s for people who are interested in science but aren't formally educated in that field. For the people who are trained in that field, they might read the actual primary papers or review articles with 150 sources, and scoff at all the gell-mann amnesia they see daily in the popular press.

magicalhippo 2y ago

Well I mean Einsteins equations[1] of General Relativity are in some sense "simple". I imagine they mean "simple" in a similar sense, given that at least one of the previous "too simple" models[2] involves repeatedly solving a Laplace equation numerically to search for a valid solution. But yeah, certainly would be nice to include it when you got a title like that. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_field_equations#Mathematical_form https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_field_equations#Mathe... [2]: https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/114887 https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/114887