Ask HN: What kind of math do you study in your free time? • Hacker News Board

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

#81

Post by iamcreasy » Fri, Jun 12, 2020, 1:46 AM UTC

dorchadas wrote: post #60

I'm currently working through books on Linear Algebra (Friedman), Real Analysis (Bloch) and Abstract Algebra (Pinter) with guided help from a math PhD I found via Reddit/Discord. It's going great, and I'm getting feedback on my proofs and learning quite a lot. I studied physics in undergrad, and am now a math/science teacher, but I feel I missed my true calling in deciding on physics over math; it's just so much more…

Can you please elaborate on how you found a tutor via Reddit/Discord? I would love to study with someone who can help me if I am stuck with a problem.

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

#82

Post by Koshkin » Fri, Jun 12, 2020, 2:17 AM UTC

wfdctrl wrote: post #73

spekcular wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What practical applications does it present for programmers? I've looked at this a bit and it just seems like a regular category theory book.

You don't get scared when you read stuff about Haskell because you know what most the fancy words mean

On the other hand it would be easier to just avoid Haskell.

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

#83

Post by Koshkin » Fri, Jun 12, 2020, 2:29 AM UTC

S4M wrote: post #78

I tried to learn Galois theory on Coursera a few years ago (the course was in French, which is my mother tongue, but probably few HNers can understand it), and failed the class partly due to lack of time. Since then I've been trying from time to time to read about it, which refreshed knowledge of Group theory, but so far I haven't gotten to the point where I understand Galois's idea to prove that some polynomial equa…

You can try this little essay by Stillwell: http://www.math.jhu.edu/~smahanta/Teaching/Spring10/Stillwel....

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

#84

Post by Koshkin » Fri, Jun 12, 2020, 2:34 AM UTC

vermarish wrote: post #38

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…

Understanding Digital Signal Processing, by Richard G Lyons. It's one of the most accessible books on the topic since it's aimed at undergraduate juniors.

This one is amazing and not to be missed: http://www.dspguide.com/pdfbook.htm.

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

#85

Post by Koshkin » Fri, Jun 12, 2020, 2:42 AM UTC

joycian wrote: post #69

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?

Not a bad choice really, even though this one is more about physics than math - but hey, what is theoretical physics if not math mostly, right?

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

#86

Post by Koshkin » Fri, Jun 12, 2020, 2:44 AM UTC

ARandomerDude wrote: post #76

elric wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is it offensive? Because of the word bullshit?

Yes. Can you imagine this used in a professional or collegiate setting?

You don’t have to show it to your professor.

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

#87

Post by Koshkin » Fri, Jun 12, 2020, 3:00 AM UTC

This: https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0608040v4.

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

#88

Post by ivansavz » Fri, Jun 12, 2020, 5:05 AM UTC

elric wrote: post #6

I'm working my way through Ivan Savov's "No bullshit guide to math & physics" - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22876442-no-bullshit-gui... Would recommend it to anyone whose maths needs a bit of a brush up, or anyone who's interested in basic mechanics! Oh and I'm using Khan Academy for extra practice, which I can warmly recommend as well.

Thanks for the plug elric!

Anyone interested in seeing what the book is about can check the (slightly outdated) preview here: https://minireference.com/static/excerpts/noBSguide_v5_previ... (a more descriptive title would be high-school math, mechanics, and single-variable calculus three-in-one)

I also have a followup book on linear algebra, which you can preview as PDF here: https://minireference.com/static/excerpts/noBSguide2LA_previ... or as spoken tutorial + SymPy notebooks https://github.com/minireference/noBSLAnotebooks#no-bullshit...

Other goodies and free stuff on the website: https://minireference.com/#freestuff

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

#89

Post by ivansavz » Fri, Jun 12, 2020, 5:19 AM UTC

ARandomerDude wrote: post #18

elric wrote: post #6

I'm working my way through Ivan Savov's "No bullshit guide to math & physics" - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22876442-no-bullshit-gui... Would recommend it to anyone whose maths needs a bit of a brush up, or anyone who's interested in basic mechanics! Oh and I'm using Khan Academy for extra practice, which I can warmly recommend as well.

Great book, too bad it's got such an offensive title. The book could be used more widely without it.

To be honest, I think the book is used widely because of the title. There are many (hundreds, perhaps even thousands) of good math books out there with standard titles, and from what I have seen, most learners will not bother with them, even though they are totally capable of understanding math AND the books would do a decent job at explaining.

The irreverent title gives me just one extra moment of attention with the cold-reader, and if I can capture their interest in that moment (the first section also has a swearword in it), and get them to bring their "math guard" down for fifteen minutes, then I can "convert" them to the beautiful subject.

You're right that the same "feature" of wow-this-book-seems-to-be-different is also a turn-off for most people who are already pro-math. This cannot be serious math if there is a swearword in the title. Some readers have said they get the sleazy "learn math in three-easy-steps feeling!" when they see the title. That's just life—you win some you lose some ;) I am less worried about people who already like math, since they, having already overcome the fear of math, can learn all the other good books out there.

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

#90

Post by elric » Fri, Jun 12, 2020, 5:27 AM UTC

ARandomerDude wrote: post #76

elric wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is it offensive? Because of the word bullshit?

Yes. Can you imagine this used in a professional or collegiate setting?

Yes, I don't see why not? Maybe this is a cultural thing, but I don't know anyone who would be offended by the word bullshit, professionally or otherwise.