Author Archives: Derek Smith

About Derek Smith

Former weather dude and scientific software developer. In the upcoming 2015-16 year I will complete my PhD at UCSB in nonlinear dispersive equations. I enjoy spending time with my two young daughters and running.

ABC Conjecture

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Derek Smith

An exciting story has developed over the past few months. In August 2012, after months of rumors, the mathematician Shinichi Mochizuki rounded out a series of papers which he claims prove the ABC Conjecture: For every ε > 0, there … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Math in Pop Culture, News | Comments Off on ABC Conjecture

Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons and the First-Sale Doctrine

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Derek Smith

As I write this post, a well-worn copy of Rudin’s Real and Complex Analysis lies on my desk. The red cover identifies the book as a McGraw-Hill international edition, a gift from my mom who was most likely unaware of … Continue reading →

Posted in Mathematics in Society, News | Comments Off on Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons and the First-Sale Doctrine

Return of Prof. Strogatz’s Column in the New York Times

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Derek Smith

Two years ago, Professor Steven Strogatz wrote a series of articles for the New York Times titled The Elements of Math. In the first installation he covered topics such as infinity, calculus and group theory. The Professor is back with … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Math in Pop Culture | Comments Off on Return of Prof. Strogatz’s Column in the New York Times

Khan Kerfuffle

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Derek Smith

A previous blog post by Brian Katz shares his experience with the Khan Academy. He breaks down his review into two sections: the videos and exercises which comprise the site. His post describes the videos of Salman “Sal” Khan as … Continue reading →

Posted in News, Teaching, Technology & Math | Comments Off on Khan Kerfuffle

Save Time With Software Libraries

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Derek Smith

Do you know a programming language? Do you think you will have to learn one for your research? As a former software developer, I have a few opinons on the subject. First, in line with my general teaching philosophy, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, General, Technology & Math | Comments Off on Save Time With Software Libraries