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Whether something is 101-level or a difficult thesis topic often depends on your point of view. Different fields seem to define scalars differently, with the ph
by nkurz 12y ago
Whether something is 101-level or a difficult thesis topic often depends on your point of view. Different fields seem to define scalars differently, with the physicists sometimes arguing that the mathematicians have got it all wrong: http://imechanica.org/node/15857 http://imechanica.org/node/15857
On a related note, I was tremendously impressed with the quality of discussion at imechanica.org. At a glance, it may be the best example of a well-functioning online community that I've ever seen.
- GFK_of_xmaspast 12y agoIt looks like he's fumbling towards replacing the field with a (graded?) ring and therefore replacing vector spaces with modules.
- Potando 12y agoGreat part: "They should not call the elements in the number field F scalars. These elements already have names: they are called numbers. And we physicists and engineers need the word scalar to name some other objects. Mathematicians, like physicians, should at least learn to do no harm. "