Author Archives: Jean Joseph

Are you good at asking questions?

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Jean Joseph

One might think that asking a question is very trivial; in mathematics, maybe in early years of learning, asking what 1+1 is might be very innocent, until to later realize that the answer can be complicated. After years of mathematical … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Math | Comments Off on Are you good at asking questions?

Do you think mathematically?

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Jean Joseph

I have recently had a chance to talk to some mathematicians and other math students about their research; I would hear them describe to me, in intricate details, the subjects they have worked on for numerous hours. Surprisingly, I realized … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Math, Teaching | Comments Off on Do you think mathematically?

What Would Plato Think of a Metric Space?

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Jean Joseph

On one side, Platonism concerns the existence of an abstract world of mathematical objects which is independent of our concrete world. On the other side, some think that mathematics is grounded in the human world and is influenced by culture, … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Math | Comments Off on What Would Plato Think of a Metric Space?

Euclid and Coleridge: A Poem

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Jean Joseph

Euclid’s first proposition in Book I states that an equilateral triangle can be constructed from a segment AB only with a ruler and compass. Here is a poem by the British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge on this proposition:

Posted in General, Math, Mathematics in Society | Comments Off on Euclid and Coleridge: A Poem

Would you consider getting your Ph.D. in 3 years or less?

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Jean Joseph

Gödel had his doctorate at 23, completing all his university studies in about 5 years. In the U.S., for example, if one goes through the usual path of four years of undergraduate studies (after being admitted to a university at … Continue reading →

Posted in Math, Teaching | Comments Off on Would you consider getting your Ph.D. in 3 years or less?