Diary of a Black Mathematician
The weekly chronicles of an African-American research mathematician
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- Wed, 22 Aug 2007 21:09:38 -0400
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- Atle Selberg, 90; researcher 'left a profound imprint on the world of mathematics' Atle Selberg, one of the last of the 20th century's great mathematicians, who had "a golden touch" in expanding on the work of his predecessors, died of a heart attack Aug. 6 at his home in Princeton, N.J. He was 90.
Wed, 22 Aug 2007 21:09:30 -0400 - Strange but True: Infinity Comes in Different Sizes If you were counting on infinity being absolute, your number's up
Fri, 03 Aug 2007 03:25:34 -0400 - Ambiguity and Paradox in Mathematics Many people believe that mathematics provides a model of what thinking is, or should be. They imagine that mathematical thinking always proceeds in a logically rigorous, step-by-step fashion from one truth to another, like a formal proof or a computer program. In fact, insights in mathematics — whether they are the scholar's breakthroughs or the student's leap to a new level of understanding — involve a different mode of thinking that is essentially nonlogical.
Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:37:19 -0400 - 'Wonder Years' actress: 'Smart is cool' Danica McKellar, who played Winnie on the 1990s television show "The Wonder Years," is coming out with a book, "Math Doesn't Suck," to encourage girls to get into math.
Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:32:14 -0400 - Professor's fiery death troubles cowboy town When Steven Haataja came to this remote corner of Nebraska, where cowboy hats are still worn for work and rodeo trophies greet visitors to the local college, it was supposed to be a new beginning for the mathematician who had just earned his doctorate.
Tue, 08 May 2007 17:42:18 -0400 - UMass Boston Professor on Mathematics “Dream Team” A century-old mathematical problem that may help solve the mysteries of the universe and lead to new breakthroughs in science, engineering and finance has been computed by an international group of mathematicians, including UMass Boston Professor Alfred Noel.
Thu, 03 May 2007 18:52:11 -0400 - Numbers geeks count down to Sunday Numerologists: Your moment is about to arrive. Mathematicians and lottery players: You may want to pay attention, too. On Sunday, at 02:03:04 a.m. on 05/06/07, time will align itself in a perfect pattern, 2-3-4-5-6-7.
Wed, 02 May 2007 00:13:37 -0400 - A glance at the current issue of Prospect: Mathematical proof as narrative Computers make it possible for a mathematical proof to run as long as several thousand full-length novels combined. But human beings alone cannot verify such immense proofs. That, according to Ian Stewart, a professor of mathematics at Warwick University, in England, presents "a serious philosophical question" for mathematicians: "Can something be considered a proof if no human can verify it without a computer?"
Fri, 23 Mar 2007 15:12:11 -0400 - A Mathematician Matches Donors with Recipients
One surgeon on a transplant center team at Johns Hopkins, Dorry Segev, happens to be married to a mathematician. His wife, Sommer Gentry, an assistant professor of mathematics at the U.S. Naval Academy, specializes in a procedure called optimization. On their drive home one evening, he asked whether she might be able to figure out how to make the best matches among a pool of incompatible pairs of kidney transplant donors and patients.
Wed, 21 Mar 2007 11:47:11 -0400 - Team Solves Mammoth, Century-Old Math Problem
Scientists have solved one of the toughest problems in mathematics, performing a calculation to figure out the symmetry of a complicated 248-dimensional object known as the Lie group E8. The solution is so large that it would take days to download over a standard Internet connection.
Tue, 20 Mar 2007 17:21:16 -0400 - Pi fans have their day
This is a story about love. About inscrutable complexity and remarkable simplicity, about the promise of forever. It is about obsession and devotion, and grand gestures and 4,000-word love letters.It is about a curious group of people with an almost religious zeal for a mind-numbing string of numbers. Actually one number, made up of a chain that is known — so far — to be more than one trillion digits long.
Mon, 12 Mar 2007 17:44:48 -0400 - What an odd day... Most of my days seem to be rather dull. I teach twice a week, and spend most of my time sitting in my office working at my laptop. Rarely do I have any visitors, and rarely do I leave to talk to others. I know some would call this a peaceful life. I prefer to call it a solitary existence. But today was different.
Wed, 07 Mar 2007 19:32:05 -0500 - Why It Pays to Be a Math Geek
Surviving those advanced integral calculus lectures and organic chemistry labs meant downing gallons of coffee, but that math- or science-related major might just be worth it – in terms of job outlook and high starting pay, that is.
Wed, 07 Mar 2007 18:50:12 -0500 - University of Chicago to commemorate accomplishments of mathematics alumnus J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. J. Ernest Wilkins Jr., who received a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Chicago as a 19-year-old in 1942, will be honored by the University at a special event beginning at 2 p.m. Friday, March 2, in room 209 of Eckhart Hall, 1118 E. 58th Street.
Fri, 02 Mar 2007 12:47:04 -0500 - Researchers: Math anxiety saps working memory needed to do math
Worrying about how you'll perform on a math test may actually contribute to a lower test score, U.S. researchers said on Saturday.
Wed, 21 Feb 2007 11:06:17 -0500
