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Ask HN: What kind of math do you study in your free time?

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Re: Ask HN: What kind of math do you study in your free time?

#61

Post by dunefox »

LolWolf wrote: post #27

Not sure if it counts as "free time" as I study math for a living :) but optimization theory is always on my list. If you like Strang's new book, I think you'll be quite partial to Boyd's VMLS [0] which is (in my admittedly horrible opinion) even more clear and practical and serves as an incredibly good and basic introduction to both linear algebra and basic optimization (via least squares). It assumes nothing more t…

> If you like Strang's new book, I think you'll be quite partial to Boyd's VMLS [0]

I actually had that on my list until I forgot about it! Thanks for reminding me. I'm learning Julia as well and there's a companion.

Re: Ask HN: What kind of math do you study in your free time?

#62

Post by dentldir »

I filled a Kindle with just about every paper related to the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem and chip away at it when I can. When I get stuck there, I switch over to trying to understand Ono's closed form solution of the partition function. Both subjects provide hours and hours of diversions into areas of math I never got to learn studying physics.

Re: Ask HN: What kind of math do you study in your free time?

#63

Post by giomasce »

Koshkin wrote: post #55
LolWolf wrote: post #27

Not sure if it counts as "free time" as I study math for a living :) but optimization theory is always on my list. If you like Strang's new book, I think you'll be quite partial to Boyd's VMLS [0] which is (in my admittedly horrible opinion) even more clear and practical and serves as an incredibly good and basic introduction to both linear algebra and basic optimization (via least squares). It assumes nothing more t…

> I study math for a living You get paid for studying math?

It is what Maths researcher do. Relatively common thing, usually found in universities.

Re: Ask HN: What kind of math do you study in your free time?

#65

Post by 7kay »

I'm interested in fractional calculus.

It all started with an argument I had with my high school math teacher about whether something like a half derivative is a thing. Turns out fractional calculus is a real thing and shows up in many applied areas of math. The Fractional Calculus by Oldham and Spanier I have lying around treats its applications to diffusion problems, for example. As an EE student fractional PID controller design and fractional signal processing are interesting as well.

For a quick peek into that subject I would recommend watching Dr Peyam's videos on half derivatives[0].

[0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB3OUl5TVSY

Re: Ask HN: What kind of math do you study in your free time?

#66

Post by LolWolf »

Koshkin wrote: post #55
LolWolf wrote: post #27

Not sure if it counts as "free time" as I study math for a living :) but optimization theory is always on my list. If you like Strang's new book, I think you'll be quite partial to Boyd's VMLS [0] which is (in my admittedly horrible opinion) even more clear and practical and serves as an incredibly good and basic introduction to both linear algebra and basic optimization (via least squares). It assumes nothing more t…

> I study math for a living You get paid for studying math?

Yes! Well, at least, for the most part.

I am also coincidentally paid whenever I discover math and explain it to an audience, but this case is much rarer than the former.

Re: Ask HN: What kind of math do you study in your free time?

#67

Post by joycian »

Koshkin wrote: post #50
melling wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“History of Mathematics" Anyone have good book recommendations?

Stillwell's Mathematics and Its History .

Seconding this. His other books are great as well (Reverse Mathematics, Naive Lie Theory). Great writer.

Re: Ask HN: What kind of math do you study in your free time?

#68

Post by joycian »

User23 wrote: post #42
tgb wrote: post #34

Related: do people have good recommendations of "casual" math books for more advanced topics? I.e. ones that an educated reader with a background in math can read through in one pass (unlike most textbooks) but nonetheless have real math in them? (And has fun exercises!) I can start with some. Feynman's Lectures on Computing. Scott Aaronson's Quantum Computing Since Democritus (though it assumes some background knowl…

Visual Complex Analysis. I’d hesitate to call it casual, but it’s extremely accessible to someone with some basic mathematical knowledge.

Also, Visual Group Theory.

Re: Ask HN: What kind of math do you study in your free time?

#69

Post by joycian »

tgb wrote: post #34

Related: do people have good recommendations of "casual" math books for more advanced topics? I.e. ones that an educated reader with a background in math can read through in one pass (unlike most textbooks) but nonetheless have real math in them? (And has fun exercises!) I can start with some. Feynman's Lectures on Computing. Scott Aaronson's Quantum Computing Since Democritus (though it assumes some background knowl…

Susskind's Theoretical Minimum series might be to your liking?

Re: Ask HN: What kind of math do you study in your free time?

#70

Post by joycian »

marius_k wrote: post #57
m_j_g wrote: post #49

homotopy type theory!

What are you reading/watching? Are there any self-contained material on this topic?

Not sure what you mean by self-contained, but there is the Homotopy Type Theory book:

https://homotopytypetheory.org/book/

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