Now I can casually drop in conversation the fact that I have read 2 math articles this month.
The World Record for the Shortest Math Article: 2 Words
31–39 of 39 posts
Re: The World Record for the Shortest Math Article: 2 Words
#32Here's my entry: "It's hard."
Hmm, I think I would make mine referential. "Baby shoes" Let 2 words imply 6.
Impressive. I will long remember your post.
[Background for those not getting it: what's touted as the world's shortest story is "For sale: baby shoes. Never worn." attributed to Ernest Hemingway. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_sale:_baby_shoes,_never_wor... Makes me tear up just recounting it.]
Re: The World Record for the Shortest Math Article: 2 Words
#33Can someone explain Figure 2 from this paper? (If you didn't catch the link, it's inlined at http://www.wfnmc.org/mc20101.pdf .) Figure 1 makes sense to me: it's (n-1)² unit equilateral triangles, plus a row at the bottom with (2n-1) + 2 equilateral triangles that causes coverage of a slightly larger triangle. (I assume the question posed is "for at least some tiny but nonzero ε".) I don't know how to start interpret…
I think the idea is that the lower n-1 rows each have height (n-1)ε (by spreading them out horizontally), and at the top there's a big triangle with side length 1+(n-1)ε
I still don't understand, what do you mean about lower rows having height (n-1)ε (by spreading them out horizontally)?
Re: The World Record for the Shortest Math Article: 2 Words
#34Even shorter: proofs without words http://mathoverflow.net/questions/8846/proofs-without-words
We should send those into space, so aliens can use them without having to learn our language first.
Re: The World Record for the Shortest Math Article: 2 Words
#35I suppose the title of this submission is correct, but I would like to note that it's not "a new world record in the number of words in a paper". I believe that honour goes to:
Fiengo, Robert, and Howard Lasnik. 1972. “On Nonrecoverable Deletion in Syntax.” Linguistic Inquiry 3 (4): 528.
You can read the entire paper here: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BmLQjz0CMAA-l28.jpg:large
Re: The World Record for the Shortest Math Article: 2 Words
#36I suppose the title of this submission is correct, but I would like to note that it's not "a new world record in the number of words in a paper". I believe that honour goes to: Fiengo, Robert, and Howard Lasnik. 1972. “On Nonrecoverable Deletion in Syntax.” Linguistic Inquiry 3 (4): 528. You can read the entire paper here: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BmLQjz0CMAA-l28.jpg:large
A similar result, which appears to have been reached independently and roughly contemporaneously:
Dennis Upper. 1974. The unsuccessful self-treatment of a case of "writer's block". Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 7 (3): 497.
(Unfortunately it's paywalled: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1901/jaba.1974.7-497a/...)
Re: The World Record for the Shortest Math Article: 2 Words
#37Now I can casually drop in conversation the fact that I have read 2 math articles this month.
Darn. I came here just to say that. Oh well, you beat me this time
Re: The World Record for the Shortest Math Article: 2 Words
#38I don't think this article should be considered a record-holder. It's effectively 1002 words long.
Re: The World Record for the Shortest Math Article: 2 Words
#39I don't think this article should be considered a record-holder. It's effectively 1002 words long.
I was going to say the same thing. :)
Drawings and explanations go hand in hand.