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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Which is the newest and most unexplored branch in pure math?

I recently heard about a branch called tropical geometry developed by Professor Bergman. I was wondering if there´s a newest but yet unexplored math branch, and by newest I mean developed in the last 60 years, and by unexplored I understand a branch…
Sebastian Valencia
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Is the "$\pi$ is wrong"-movement serious or a joke?

Is the "$\pi$ is wrong"-movement serious or is it to be taken as a joke? https://www.tauday.com/tau-manifesto If serious, what are they hoping to achieve? Throw out every book with $\pi$ in it and make up new ones with $\tau$?
Jaood
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How do you study math in your spare time?

I have recently graduated from high school, and intend on continuing mathematics study in university. For the next couple of months, I don't really have anything to do, and would like to continue doing math in my spare time. The math I've done so…
MikeWasTaken
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Is time spent going to lectures better spent self studying?

What do you think? I find it more efficient to get a couple of good books, learn by my own, and if i have questions go to class and ask them. Yes, maybe a nice lecture is more illuminating than a book, but there's a lot of resources out there. I…
Bill
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Where can I find Galois original paper?

As we all know Galois is an ultimate math prodigy. At age 17 or 18 he published a paper which we now know as Galois theory. I want to just see how he thought mathematics by seeing his original paper(of-course translated in english). Thanks!
uuuuuuuuuu
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Mathematical Telescoping

Bill Dubuque has answered several questions by indicating that some form of "telescoping" is taking place. See this post and the links provided by Bill for more information. I have never heard of "telescoping" until I read a few answers on here by…
Matt Calhoun
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(Soft) What maths should I concentrate on at 16-18 years old?

Some background information first of all: I'm 16 now and just started studying mathematics intensely. I live in the UK and my goal is to eventually become very good at advanced mathematics (graduate level and up) but that is still far in the future.…
MKu
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What are some examples of generalizations to higher dimensions which do not hold?

My professor said (hesitantly) $\textit{If it works in 1-D, it is likely that it also works in N-D}$ Hesitantly because, she remarked, it is not true for everything (which is expected). After some research, I found one such example: In 1-D and 2-D,…
MT_
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Is everything in mathematics built on add, subtract, multiply and divide?

This is probably a bit of a boring and ridiculously noob question, so apologies in advance, but: Is everything in maths essentially built on adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing? Are they the first principles on which everything else is…
Paul D. Waite
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What do you do when you are completely lost during a proof?

We've all been in the sort of situation where your professor is doing a proof/derivation, and the whole thing goes completely over your head (if you don't know what I meant, I envy you). And when they ask for questions at the end (or in the middle,…
Ducky
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Can numbers exist outside of the number space?

I was unsure about how to actually write the question. I know that in the real number axis we have the naturals, integers, rationals, irrationals and reals; and in the imaginary number axis we have the imaginary numbers, together forming the…
user115173
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Mathematicians who started late, similar to my situation?

I came here since I know this is the best place to ask a question. I'm a first year student who changed his major to applied mathematics. In middle school I was a garbage math student, but I realized the importance of math in high school when I was…
user133188
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Necessity of learning programming for math major.

How necessary it is for a person planning to do research in pure mathematics to learn programming as an undergrad? And if it is, then which languages would you recommend to her or him? And why? I am currently a first year undergraduate, and here we…
Shreya
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Unwritten conditions to succeed in PHD program.

Im currently a math masters student. Im doing good and i obtain good grades. Im interested to pursue PHD. At a masters level course i have never been able to solve all exercises which a lecturer has given. This really bothers me and i feel like i…
voroshilov
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Question about long proofs?

How do people write 50-page long proofs (and longer)? So they have a target in mind, but I can't get my head around them foreseeing that these 50 pages of work will actually lead them to exactly their target.
Ovi
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