Odd Perfect Numbers: Do They Exist?

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Avery Carr

images-2Mathematical inquiry can often lead to a jungle of unique questions and problems.  In the field of Number Theory, there are a wide assortment of such mathematical creatures.  Although these problems are easy to state, they can remain dormant for years with little sign of progress.   In fact, the Odd Perfect Number Conjecture is one such problem that has escaped proof for centuries.

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The Infinitude of Mersenne Primes

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Avery Carr

imagesA mystery in mathematics is the driving force of a mathematician’s ambition.  The thought of discovering something unique and far-reaching brings excitement that demands a mix of creative thought and raw logic.   Throughout history, mathematicians with various backgrounds have exploited these skills to extend and transcend former thought.  In the 16th century, one of these mathematicians was a French Minim friar named Marin Mersenne.

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AMS Sectional Meetings Funding

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Tyler Clark
AMS2The AMS will be accepting applications for partial travel support for graduate students attending any of the four AMS Fall 2013 Sectional Meetings (October 5-6, 2013, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY; October 12-13, 2013, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA; October 18-20, 2013, Washington University, St. Louis, MO; November 2-3, 2013, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA). Applications will be accepted from doctoral students in mathematics who attend North American institutions. The deadline for submitting applications is JULY 18, 2013, 11:59pm EASTERN TIME.
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A Neutrino’s Mass: Challenging Physicists and….Mathematicians?

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Avery Carr

images-6Some puzzles exist beyond the confinement of pure mathematical thought and forge their way into the realm of physical reality.   In 1930, the theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli brought one such conundrum to light.  In a letter to famed physicist Lise Meitner, Pauli postulated the existence of a neutrally charged particle with mass less than one percent of a proton to explain underlying phenomena in beta decay.   Neutrinos, as they are now called, come in three flavors ; electron, muon, and tau.

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The Weak and Strong Goldbach Conjectures

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Avery Carr

imagesIn 1742 the German mathematician Christian Goldbach wrote a letter to Leonhard Euler proposing two problems that, until recently, have seen little progress.  In modern terms, the problems are identified as either the Weak or Strong Goldbach Conjecture.  The Strong Goldbach Conjecture is the statement that every even integer greater than 2 is the sum of two prime numbers.  Similarly, the modern version of the Weak conjecture can be stated as every odd integer greater than 5 is the sum of three odd primes.

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