Author Archives: Jean Joseph

Are you good at asking questions?

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

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Do you think mathematically?

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

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What Would Plato Think of a Metric Space?

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

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Euclid and Coleridge: A Poem

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:

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

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

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