Author Archives: Irving Dai

About Irving Dai

Irving is a fourth-year graduate student studying topology and geometry at Princeton University. His mathematical interests include gauge theory and related Floer homologies. In his spare time he plays the violin (occasionally, and usually badly). He is fond of cats.

Riddle of the Month (October)

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Irving Dai

Hi! This month, I thought I would take a brief break from writing about gauge theory to share a puzzle which I heard recently. As usual, if you have any riddles or puzzles that you think are interesting, send them … Continue reading →

Posted in Math Games, puzzles | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Gauge Theory and Low-Dimensional Topology (Part II: Smooth Four-Manifolds)

Posted on September 2, 2017 by Irving Dai

In the last post, I attempted to give an overview of the state of affairs in four-manifold topology leading up to the introduction of gauge theory. In particular, we discussed the correspondence between (topological) four-manifolds and their intersection forms afforded by … Continue reading →

Posted in Math, Topology | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Gauge Theory and Low-Dimensional Topology (Part I: Historical Context)

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Irving Dai

Hi! This month, I thought I would start a brief series of articles describing the uses of gauge theory in mathematics. Rather than discuss current research directions in gauge theory (of which there are many), I hope to give an … Continue reading →

Posted in Math, Topology | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Riddle of the Month (November)

Posted on November 30, 2016 by Irving Dai

Welcome back to this month’s mathematical riddle (and can you believe it’s almost December)! Today we have a neat logic puzzle with an amusing twist on the traditional knight-or-knave problems that are popular in the literature.

Posted in Math Games, puzzles, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Riddle of the Month (September)

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Irving Dai

Hi, and welcome back from the summer to a new series of mathematical riddles! I’ve decided to include only one riddle per post this semester, which will hopefully mean that I’ll be able to keep a more consistent posting schedule. … Continue reading →

Posted in Math, Math Games, puzzles | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments