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Not at all. Over and over I find really intimidating math notation actually represents pretty simple concepts. Sigma notation is a good example of this. Hmm, gi
by UltraSane 11mo ago
Not at all. Over and over I find really intimidating math notation actually represents pretty simple concepts. Sigma notation is a good example of this. Hmm, giant sigma or sum()?
- wasabi991011 11mo agoYou think changing sigma to sum() would make it easier to understand the 5 paper, 1000 page proof of the geometric Langlands conjecture?
- xigoi 11mo agoImagine how much unnecessary time would be added to a course about series if the lecturer had to write sum() instead of ∑ every time. If you find it hard to remember that ∑ means sum, math might not be for you, and that’s fine.
- Doxin 11mo agoit's not so much remembering what ∑ means insomuch as that it's completely impossible to google the first time you run across it. It'll be in some PDF that doesn't allow you to copy-paste the symbol and you won't know what it's called. Rinse and repeat for any of the million symbols mathematicians use, never mind that loads of symbols are context dependent even if you could google them. I hope mathematicians have a better reason than "it's tradition" for making the entire field completely opaque to anyone who hasn't studied math extensively.
- karmakurtisaani 11mo agoWait until you learn about integration. Measures, limits and the quirks of uncountable spaces don't become simpler once you call the operation integrate().