A Retiree Discovers an Elusive Math Proof (2017)
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Re: A Retiree Discovers an Elusive Math Proof (2017)
#2(regarding the current title of this submission, in case it gets changed:)
>This 67-year-old retiree solved a math problem–using Microsoft Word
What does Microsoft Word have to do with this? The fact that the document was typeset in Microsoft Word instead of LaTeX does not really sound remarkable.
Re: A Retiree Discovers an Elusive Math Proof (2017)
#3(regarding the current title of this submission, in case it gets changed:) >This 67-year-old retiree solved a math problem–using Microsoft Word What does Microsoft Word have to do with this? The fact that the document was typeset in Microsoft Word instead of LaTeX does not really sound remarkable.
The article is not about the math problem itself, it's also about MS Word starting to be used and accepted alongside LaTeX.
EDIT: I am wrong, I misunderstood the article
Re: A Retiree Discovers an Elusive Math Proof (2017)
#4(regarding the current title of this submission, in case it gets changed:) >This 67-year-old retiree solved a math problem–using Microsoft Word What does Microsoft Word have to do with this? The fact that the document was typeset in Microsoft Word instead of LaTeX does not really sound remarkable.
The article is not about the math problem itself, it's also about MS Word starting to be used and accepted alongside LaTeX. EDIT: I am wrong, I misunderstood the article
Not sure how you came to that conclusion. The article's actual title doesn't mention Word, and it seems to be a minor point in the article. It even goes on to say:
>> Richards notified a few colleagues and even helped Royen retype his paper in LaTeX to make it appear more professional.
Re: A Retiree Discovers an Elusive Math Proof (2017)
#5Earlier quoted context omitted.
The article is not about the math problem itself, it's also about MS Word starting to be used and accepted alongside LaTeX. EDIT: I am wrong, I misunderstood the article
Not sure how you came to that conclusion. The article's actual title doesn't mention Word, and it seems to be a minor point in the article. It even goes on to say: >> Richards notified a few colleagues and even helped Royen retype his paper in LaTeX to make it appear more professional.
I've re-read the article and you're right. I misunderstood the "Word is getting around" part. Sorry
Re: A Retiree Discovers an Elusive Math Proof (2017)
#6This is from 2017, previous discussion here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13977554
Re: A Retiree Discovers an Elusive Math Proof (2017)
#7(regarding the current title of this submission, in case it gets changed:) >This 67-year-old retiree solved a math problem–using Microsoft Word What does Microsoft Word have to do with this? The fact that the document was typeset in Microsoft Word instead of LaTeX does not really sound remarkable.
> What does Microsoft Word have to do with this?
It's an indication that the person who solved it is an amateur, that's all.
Re: A Retiree Discovers an Elusive Math Proof (2017)
#8[deleted]
Re: A Retiree Discovers an Elusive Math Proof (2017)
#9>“He had formulas that enabled him to pull off his magic,” Pitt said. “And I didn’t have the formulas.”
The more I do pure mathematics, the more I realize just how important these kinds of insights are. Very often, solving a theoretical problem involves two key ingredients:
1. Rewriting your problem in a particular way, so that it is amenable to a certain suite of methods/looks like known results.
2. Apply a key bit of knowledge gleaned from intuition. This is unrelated to the formal way the problem was written down.
Sometimes, showing your intuition is true formally actually takes a lot of work. And for some proofs, looking at the problem a particular way makes the solution obvious on its own, with no need for a step 2. And other times, like this, all the technical tools in the world are no match for just knowing the right piece of information.
Re: A Retiree Discovers an Elusive Math Proof (2017)
#10(regarding the current title of this submission, in case it gets changed:) >This 67-year-old retiree solved a math problem–using Microsoft Word What does Microsoft Word have to do with this? The fact that the document was typeset in Microsoft Word instead of LaTeX does not really sound remarkable.
> What does Microsoft Word have to do with this? It's an indication that the person who solved it is an amateur, that's all.
'Amateur' would seem to conflict with 'retiree.'