Mathematics Stack Exchange
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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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The method of proof in the mutilated chess problem

The mutilated chess problem is a well-know riddle that can be solved easily with some insight. Namely, one is asked about the possibility of covering a chessboard having two opposite corners cut off with 2x1 dominoes, and the impossibility of such a…
aidaGoG
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More information about "parallel maths"

I came across a version of maths on a site (it requires you to sign up to read the article), where addition is defined as the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals. In the below article, the author describes the basic operations in that variant…
Entity 903
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The Princeton University Bicentennial Conference on the Problems of Mathematics

In 1946 a conference was held at Princeton University on the occasion of its 250th anniversary. The conference was extraordinary, as it was attended by many prominent mathematicians of the time, including von Neumann, Hermann Weyl, etc. I want to…
XIII
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What is the name of the theory behind the inner workings of general equations and systems of equations (not polynomial equations specifically)?

Any search for "theory of equations" leads to material on polynomial equations and on how to find solutions to them. This is not what I'm looking for. I want something (I'm not sure it's broad enough to merit being regarded a "theory") which I…
jvf
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Rewriting an equation to include a condition

I have a simple equation: a = b(c/d) but it has a condition: if b > 1, then b = 1 How do I write this condition into the equation?
Terry Dactill
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What branch of analysis discusses field operators?

I mean open up a book on QFT and I know things like path integrals still don't have a fully worked formalism but then you see Fourier transforms and residues from complex analysis being applied to integrals of "field operators". I don't mean the…
Lina Jane
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Mathematical Physics Soft Question GR with inifnite c

Mathematical Physics: I am trying to peel away what are the minimal requirements to get GR in an unique way, similar to how this is done in category theory and I am wondering I have heard that if you demand 3 things, that all curvature, ie…
Lina Jane
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What tool to use to draw this graph?

I used to use Microsoft Word to draw this type of graphs, but it is not so convenient and it is difficult to be precise and accurate in details. Is there any better tool?
ppp
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How would you call a function that multiplies by -1?

I don't come from a mathematical background so I don't know if there's a name for this (negation? inversion?), but I'd like to know how I could name this function: $f(x) = -x$
Santiago
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(Soft Question) Is the modern way of verifying maths papers reliable and how to justify its reliability?

I watched a talk given by Kevin Buzzard, he said he had lost faith in human maths since he found a mistake in a paper written by an expert. I later found that people have found fatal mistakes in well-accepted papers (such as Vladimir Voevodsky's…
HIH
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Is there a rigorous definition of 'simplest form'?

I ask because it occurred to me that in certain cases there are 2 or more ways of representing an expression/equation each of which seems equally 'simple' to me (though I could be wrong). This can be problematic because these different…
profPlum
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Is a number a specific object or a class of objects?

Consider the classic statement 2 + 2 = 4. Do the symbols 2 and 2 here refer to the same object or not? I have always believed that they are designations for the same object. If we look at the definition of numbers in ZFC, we see that numbers are…
Александр Чайков
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How to read $\mathbf{x}:\mathbb{R}\to \mathbb{R}$?

How it should be read? $\mathbf{x}:\mathbb{R}\to \mathbb{R}$ A value x mapped over the real field, should it be read like this?
Man
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To decide how much gain a person has achieved

I am bit confused about following question asked in previous year exam which is as follows : Rakesh purchased a horse for Rs. 3000 and sold it the same day for Rs. 3600, allowing the buyer a credit of 2 years. If the prevailing rate of interest be…
ogirkar
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Preparation for Undergraduate Mathematical Thinking

I have a soft question. I am currently finishing up my second year in undergraduate mathematics. When I look at the "unanswered" section here on the MSE, I seldom understand the questions being asked. In general, I feel way behind other university…
blacknapkins7
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