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1500 questions
94
votes
3 answers

Prove that the set of all algebraic numbers is countable

A complex number $z$ is said to be algebraic if there are integers $a_0, ..., a_n$, not all zero, such that $a_0z^n+a_1z^{n-1}+...+a_{n-1}z+a_n=0$. Prove that the set of all algebraic numbers is countable. The Hint is: For every positive integer…
PandaMan
  • 3,179
94
votes
5 answers

linear algebra over a division ring vs. over a field

When I was studying linear algebra in the first year, from what I remember, vector spaces were always defined over a field, which was in every single concrete example equal to either $\mathbb{R}$ or $\mathbb{C}$. In Associative Algebra course, we…
Leo
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94
votes
6 answers

Why isn't reflexivity redundant in the definition of equivalence relation?

An equivalence relation is defined by three properties: reflexivity, symmetry and transitivity. Doesn't symmetry and transitivity implies reflexivity? Consider the following argument. For any $a$ and $b$, $a R b$ implies $b R a$ by symmetry. Using…
Chao Xu
  • 5,768
94
votes
1 answer

Why does "Turn! Turn! Turn!" equal 241217.524881?

If you search for "Turn! Turn! Turn!" on Google, then the second result is this YouTube video of The Byrds performing the Pete Seeger song of that name. But the first result is Google's internal calculator displaying "241217.524881". With a bit of…
tparker
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94
votes
7 answers

How does Cantor's diagonal argument work?

I'm having trouble understanding Cantor's diagonal argument. Specifically, I do not understand how it proves that something is "uncountable". My understanding of the argument is that it takes the following form (modified slightly from the…
johne
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94
votes
30 answers

Best Maths Books for Non-Mathematicians

I'm not a real Mathematician, just an enthusiast. I'm often in the situation where I want to learn some interesting Maths through a good book, but not through an actual Maths textbook. I'm also often trying to give people good Maths books to get…
Edan Maor
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94
votes
4 answers

Why does the Mandelbrot set contain (slightly deformed) copies of itself?

The Mandelbrot set is the set of points of the complex plane whos orbits do not diverge. An point $c$'s orbit is defined as the sequence $z_0 = c$, $z_{n+1} = z_n^2 + c$. The shape of this set is well known, why is it that if you zoom into parts of…
anon
94
votes
1 answer

Number of simple edge-disjoint paths needed to cover a planar graph

Let $G=(V,E)$ be a graph with $|E|=m$ of a graph class $\mathcal{G}$. A path-cover $\mathcal{P}=\{P_1,\ldots,P_k\}$ is a partition of $E$ into edge-disjoint simple paths. The size of the cover is $\sigma(\mathcal{P})=k$. I am interested in upper and…
A.Schulz
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94
votes
3 answers

Decidability of the Riemann Hypothesis vs. the Goldbach Conjecture

In the most recent numberphile video, Marcus du Sautoy claims that a proof for the Riemann hypothesis must exist (starts at the 12 minute mark). His reasoning goes as follows: If the hypothesis is undecidable, there is no proof it is false. If we…
Sriotchilism O'Zaic
  • 2,228
94
votes
4 answers

How do we know that Cantor's diagonalization isn't creating a different decimal of the same number?

Edit: As the comments mention, I misunderstood how to use the diagonalization method. However, the issue I'm trying to understand is a potential problem with diagonalization and it is addressed in the answers so I will not delete the…
Hugh
  • 2,341
94
votes
24 answers

What is a real-world metaphor for irrational numbers?

In an effort to develop better number sense (and to create my own journey from fish to infinity), I have been going through Khan Academy's math material from the very beginning. So far, I have been able to develop strong intuitions and metaphors for…
jds
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94
votes
12 answers

Is there a bijective map from $(0,1)$ to $\mathbb{R}$?

I couldn't find a bijective map from $(0,1)$ to $\mathbb{R}$. Is there any example?
ieb
  • 949
94
votes
8 answers

Compute $\int \frac{\sin(x)}{\sin(x)+\cos(x)}\mathrm dx$

I'm having trouble computing the integral: $$\int \frac{\sin(x)}{\sin(x)+\cos(x)}\mathrm dx.$$ I hope that it can be expressed in terms of elementary functions. I've tried simple substitutions such as $u=\sin(x)$ and $u=\cos(x)$, but it was not very…
Michael Li
  • 2,201
94
votes
2 answers

Modelling the "Moving Sofa"

I believe that many of you know about the moving sofa problem; if not you can find the description of the problem here. In this question I am going to rotate the L shaped hall instead of moving a sofa around the corner. By rotating the hall…
newzad
  • 4,855
94
votes
0 answers

Why is a PDE a submanifold (and not just a subset)?

I struggle a bit with understanding the idea behind the definition of a PDE on a fibred manifold. Let $\pi: E \to M$ be a smooth locally trivial fibre bundle. In Gromovs words a partial differential relation of order $k$ is a subset of the $k$th…
hase_olaf
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