Mathematics Stack Exchange
Mathematics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [soft-question]

For questions whose answers can't be objectively evaluated as correct or incorrect, but which are still relevant to this site. Please be specific about what you are after.

For questions whose answers cannot be objectively evaluated as correct or incorrect, but which are still relevant to mathematics.se.

12079 questions
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Database of unsolved problems in mathematics

Is there a good database of unsolved problems in mathematics?
asdfusername
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Skill plateau, overpracticing, and alternative practice methods

It's the summer holiday for me right now and I've been spending a lot of time doing math problems. I've done a bunch of Olympiad questions and the like recently, and I feel like I've hit a plateau recently. I don't seem to be able to improve nearly…
user242594
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Soft Question about International Graduate Schools

Hello members of this site! I hope this question isn't too bothersome, but I need to ask some professionals who know what they're doing. Furthermore, I know that this is supposed to be a more technical exchange but I ask you patience with this post.…
Eric
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Is there a way to extend operations as integration for summation?

I've read a few times that integration is a sort of extension of summation so my point is: is there any sensated way to extend other operations in the same way ? If this extension exists what branch of math studies it ? It is or could it be useful…
AlienRem
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When is $0^{0}=0$ useful?

Are there mathematical areas/situations in which defining $0^{0}$ as $0$ is useful/sensible and convention (in contrast to the "common" definition as $1$) ?
user2103480
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Why are quadrants defined the way they are?

I was thinking about planes and things, and suddenly wondered why quadrants are defined the way they are, the first on the top-right, and so on. I wonder if this gives us any benefit, or if any historical/mathematical reasons behind it exist. Thank…
Andy Lee
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Nice application of fixed point theorems

I need some nice application of fixed point theorem for some kind of divulgative seminar. About Banach fixed point theorem a nice application is the definition of self-similar fractals (and I could mention Cauchy Theorem and local Invertibility…
Emanuele Paolini
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Important question: Can do a very hard problem, 2 months after have no idea how to approach it. Is it Normal?

I have this problem like sometimes I can do a very hard problem (I usually pass hours thinking and then there's this insight and everything opens up and the solution comes up eventually after some work)/ But 2 months after if I approach that same…
user211539
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Math Competition (Math Olympiad)

In the future, I will take part in a Maths Olympiad Here's my question: This questions is mainly regarding The Math Theory involved. (not mainly problem solving). What basic concepts ( Mathematics Theory) do I need to study for a Maths Olympiad,…
xAly
  • 773
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Can anyone explain this quote about how mathematicians think?

I found this quote by Stephen Wolfram on page 1177 of his book A New Kind of Science. Yet of the limited set of people exposed to higher mathematics, different ones often seem to think in bizarrely different ways. Some think symbolically,…
mwanxe
  • 39
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What kind of programming does a mathematician/mathematical engineer need to know?

I was thinking about which program to choose for university studies, and I will probably study an engineering program kind of like mathematical engineering. It is kind of hard to specify a program/degree since I'm not from the US or UK. So I only…
PandaDeTapas
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Idea behind definitions in math

Maybe this is not such a great question for this site as it is a bit open ended, but I will ask it anyways. I was wondering if anyone has any insight into the motivation for quote unquote "major" definitions in mathematics. Take, for example, the…
Kevin Sheng
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Intuition behind an algebraic identity

This problem Compute $$\sqrt{\sqrt{44\cdot 45 \cdot 46 \cdot 47+1}-44}$$ has a nice solution that relies on the identity $$n(n+1)(n+2)(n+3) +1 = \left(n^2 + 3n + 1\right)^2$$ a word form of which is The product of any four consecutive integers is…
Zubin Mukerjee
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Techniques to understand mathematics. What and how?

As I wrote in my autobiography: -I'm unable to do mathematics, but I want do it-. I'd like to have any hints about how to improve my understanding of mathematics. Till now, I've received hints like: -Do as many exercises as you can.- -Read a lot of…
MadMathFourierRoad
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A classifier based on the Mandelbrot set

I am trying to link these somewhat disparate concepts- a binary classifier and a fractal structure as I think that a binary classifier based on such a structure, in particular Mandelbrot set would be considerably more accurate than others- of course…
nb1
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