An algebraic equation yields a modernist shape. Plane algebraic curves. 1920.

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My friend and I were being taught advanced algebra concepts except in a very dumbed down, simplistic way so it would be easier to understand.

Except, my friend already understood all of it. He would say, "Oh, that's an integral of 0 to pi," and the teacher would say, "Well yes, but the answer I'm looking for is 'red'."

This Math class was interspersed with sessions on the Grimace Shower and Workout Machine, a Grimace-themed workout machine where you would hold yourself horizontal with your arms, play a shitty arcade game with your feet, and a tiny little spout would occasionally pour water onto your chest.

Math people, reblog with your fav theorem and why.

I'll start, the Wedderburn-Artin theorem is a beautiful structure theorem on semisimple rings which says they decompose uniquely as a product of matrix rings over division rings. This is a beautiful result but it also underlies a lot of very cool theory like Brauer Theory, Galois Cohomology and the theory of Galois and Étale Algebras.

What's yours?

The ring of Integers: *exists*

Me:

ok so i think i’ve noticed a trend between preferences for types of math and science while talking to other people so i want to try and test out a hypothesis

obviously there are more types of science and math but i want to test the correlation between these specifically

"I was told that generators in the braid group were their own inverse," I said, double-crossed.

Rhind Mathematical Papyrus - the oldest (1650 BC) manuscript written in Algebra and Irigonometry.

"Rhind Mathematical Papyrus": It is named after Alexander Henry Rhind, a Scottish antiquarian. He bought the papyrus in 1858 in Luxor, Egypt. It was found during illegal excavations in or near the Ramesseum. The Rhind papyrus dates to the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt. It was copied by the scribe Ahmose from a now-lost text from the reign of Amenemhat III (12th dynasty).

The Papyrus is probably a mathematics textbook, used by scribes to learn to solve particular mathematical problems by writing down appropriate examples. The papyrus has work and writing on arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and fractions. Eighty-four problems are included in text covering tables of divisions, multiplication and handling of fractions; and geometry, including volumes and areas.

The scribe dated papyrus in year 33 of Apophis, the penultimate king of the Hyksos 15th Dynasty. The other side of the papyrus mentions 'year 11' without a king's name, but with a reference to the capture of the city of Heliopolis. In the opening paragraphs of the papyrus, Ahmose presents the papyrus as giving "Accurate reckoning for inquiring into things, and the knowledge of all things, mysteries... all secrets". He continues with: This book was copied in regnal year 33, month 4 of Akhet, under the majesty of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Awserre, given life, from an ancient copy made in the time of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt Nimaatre (?). The scribe Ahmose writes this copy.

Where's that fucking post that's like "abstract algebra is when there's things and you do stuff to them" "what kind of things" "who give a shit"

i would have enjoyed math class more if i knew mathematicians had a fist fight over these imaginary numbers

One of students jokingly said something, when we were just talking about getting started learning math, about learning "the arcane secrets of the universe". There's only one piece of math I know that actually feels like an arcane secret of the universe to me, and it's the existence of the exceptional outer automorphism of S_6.

I have a very love-hate relationship with math. On one hand, when I get and understand it, I love it, and I feel proud of myself for understanding it. And when I don't get it, and have to spend long hours having one problem explained to me, I want to burn it, think it's stupid, and who the fuck made up rules like that, they barely make sense?? What were they on when they made those rules??

Like on one hand, as an alter, I hold dyslexia, and apparently that makes math easier for me and "lowers" dyscalculia, but on the other hand, who made these and can I have a friendly chat with them.

"more sense" doesn't necessarily mean you got a better grade in it, just that you felt you understood the concept best.

"algebra" can include any algebra-aligned math (such as abstract and linear algebra) and "geometry" can include any geometry-aligned math (such as trigonometry). however if you don't know these just go with which category makes most sense to you.

(rb for bigger sample size because I have a theory and I'm genuinely curious to see if it holds up.)

I plan to go back to school next fall, so I have a little ovet fourteen months to master all seven subjects. I won't need two full months for algebra 1; cracking open the first chapter, it's all stuff like "here's what a plus sign means" and "variables look like letters, but they really stand for numbers!"

It won't hurt to brush up on factorization, but I think I can bang this one out in a week or two. All the better, because calculus kicked my ass in high school and it's not gonna be any easier now that I'm my own teacher. I passed it once (by the skin of my teeth), but have forgotten almost everything about it in the last decade, so I'll need the extra time to really get it down pat. I have to be able to derive and integrate in my sleep if I'm to stand half a chance at earning an astrophysics major. Astronomy would be slightly easier, but not by much, so I may as well go for gusto. The very first class astrophysics requires is calc 2, so I can't enroll until I'm 100% sure I know calc 1 forwards and backwards. Physics too, but physics and calc feel like two sides of the same coin, so I'll try to work on them at the same time (again, I managed to pull it off once, I'm sure I can do it again).

Chances are these Dummies books will be insufficient for me to grok all this math in one year, so I'll end up buying more textbooks, workbooks, study guides, SAT and AP prep, etc. I had plenty of cram sessions in my first go around at college, but nothing quite like this. This will be a herculean undertaking compared to the easy-A humanities program I coasted through originally. I had no motivation back then, no drive, no goal for "the real world" upon graduating. I went to college because it was expected of me, and I was told I needed it to get a good job. What I wasn't told is that not all majors are created equal; there's not a lot you can do with an English degree besides, well, teaching English. I just hope 14 months is enough time, because I would really prefer not to take another year off; 2024 is the ten year anniversary of when I started college the first time, so it would mean so much more to me if I started again that August rather than put it off until 2025.

I guess it doesn't matter in the end. If I'm not ready, I'm not ready. I can't force myself to start an extremely advanced program before I've mastered the pre-reqs. If I need to start later, so be it. As long as I'm consistently working towards my goal, it shouldn't matter how long it takes.