3 ms·
Something tells me you've never sat in on an algebraic topology class where the teacher draws a donut and a pair of pants on the board, along with a line or two
by nbouscal 12y ago
Something tells me you've never sat in on an algebraic topology class where the teacher draws a donut and a pair of pants on the board, along with a line or two, and calls it a proof. A key characteristic of mathematics is that it can be made rigorous, but we certainly don't work in full rigor day to day. A look at Principia Mathematica should demonstrate simply why that would be infeasible.
- zacinbusiness 12y agoYou just blew my mind. I now want to learn everything I can about algebraic topology.
- ska 12y agoQ: How can you tell there is an topologist in the cafeteria? A: Because they can't tell their coffee cup and donut apart.
- zacinbusiness 12y agoI up voted this because it made me laugh, even though I don't understand.
- ska 12y agoFundamentally they both have only one hole through them, so under the right sort of deformations you can turn one shape into the other: They have the same topology.