Category Archives: Rant

The ABC conjecture has (still) not been proved

Posted on December 17, 2017 by Persiflage

The ABC conjecture has (still) not been proved. Five years ago, Cathy O’Neil laid out a perfectly cogent case for why the (at that point recent) claims by Shinichi Mochizuki should not (yet) be regarded as constituting a proof of … Continue reading →

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The True Heirs To Ramanujan

Posted on September 19, 2017 by Persiflage

If you are in need of some light relief, you could do worse than peruse the opinions of Doron Zeilberger, who, if viewed strictly through the lens of these ramblings, appears to have a relationship with theoretical mathematics something along … Continue reading →

Posted in Mathematics, Rant | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Public Displays of Mathematics

Posted on August 25, 2017 by Persiflage

Let me start by saying that I’m in favor of making the effort to both educate the public about mathematics (as well as science more generally) and to convey to them a sense of the excitement of our discipline. But … Continue reading →

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fivethirtyeight.com doesn’t understand mathematics

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Persiflage

I happened to find myself browsing fivethirtyeight.com a few weeks ago, where I came across a column known as the “riddler.” The particular problem of the week (see here) was to answer the following: Problem: It’s Friday and that means … Continue reading →

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LMFDB!?

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Persiflage

The LMFDB has gone live! I previously expressed on this blog a somewhat muted opinion about certain aspects of the website’s functionality, and it seems that my complaints have mainly been addressed in the latest version. On the other hand, … Continue reading →

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Due Process

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Persiflage

When I was a senior (’93), my high school began a program of inviting “distinguished” visitors to give talks to a selected number of students, several of whom were also invited to lunch with the speaker. I was fortunate that … Continue reading →

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The seven types of graduate student applicant

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Persiflage

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Hide and Seek: Contacts you every day about the status of their application, then goes on radio silence the moment they receive an offer, never to be heard of again. The No Chancer: … Continue reading →

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Only Harvard Grads need apply

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Persiflage

It’s hard to take articles in Slate too seriously, but I have to admit I was quite perplexed about the following article (with the concomitant research publication here). The main thrust of the article seems to be as follows. A … Continue reading →

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The Modular Forms Database is Annoying

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Persiflage

It used to be the case, 10 or so years ago, that William Stein maintained a website with extensive tables of \(q\)-expansions of modular forms, computed using magma. However, as the edifice of civilization begins to crumble, this website no … Continue reading →

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Are business schools intellectually bankrupt?

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Persiflage

From the New York Times today, a report from business school professors concerning a study which claims to show that professors are prejudiced, too. I remember reading the original paper on this study, which made it painfully clear that the … Continue reading →

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