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9:00 AM
so i am studying quadratic equations in 1 variables
and solving them by the splitting method
my question- how is it that we cant solve all the equations with splitting method but can solve all of them with the quadratic formula?
 
What's the splitting method?
 
in which u split the middle term of the quadratic equation
 
@MartianCactus because quadratic formula can produce ugly numbers that you can never think of with the splitting method
 
I've never heard the term, but it sounds like you're guessing the zeros based on the sum $S$ and product $P$ in $x^2 - Sx + P$?
 
@MartianCactus It's harder for other numbers, but it's still technically possible for every quadratic equation as far as I know. The quadratic formula is just an easier method in the general case.
 
9:03 AM
The splitting method is equivalent to the quadratic formula. If you write out what you do for the splitting method for a general ax^2 + bx + c you just get the quadratic formula.
 
Like, $x^2 + 1$ can be factored by doing $x^2 + ix - ix + 1$ which you can then factor as $x(x+i) - i(x+i) = (x-i)(x+i)$, but that would be hard to see if the quadratic formula didn't already give you $\pm i$ as an answer.
 
It's equivalent, but it's based on guessing "how" to split, no?
 
I mean, if I see $x^2 - 5x + 6 = 0$, I instantly recognise $2$ and $3$ being zeroes because $2+3 = 5$ and $2*3 = 6$.
 
9:05 AM
and also, can we split EVERY quadratic equation with the splitting formula?
 
But if you are given, like $x^2 - \frac{\pi}{\sqrt{2}}x - e^3 = 0$...
 
it just takes more "guessing power"
 
How to prove that if a polynomial has infinitely many zeros, then it must be zero?
 
Wait, maybe I misunderstand what the splitting formula is. For me, it is not splitting the whole quadratic into a square. It is writing the quadratic as a square plus a constant term
 
Well, over the complex numbers, sure we can
 
9:06 AM
also, whats up with some equation having no roots?
 
@MartianCactus no real roots. they have complex roots
 
Over the complex numbers, an $n$-th degree polynomial has exactly $n$ roots (including multiplicity of course)
 
@MeesdeVries no that one is the completing the square formula
 
So, if you have x^2 + bx + c you can always make (x + b/2)^2 + c - b^2/4.
Ah, never mind then. My bad.
Language barrier.
 
i dont know complex roots
 
9:07 AM
but you cant say they have no roots
 
They have no roots over the real numbers
 
also, why are the number of roots of the equation = degree of the equation
 
but if you define the polynomial as $\mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}$, saying they have no roots implies "over the reals"
@MartianCactus that is the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra
 
@SteamyRoot but why?
there might be some logic..
 
@MartianCactus no idea how to prove that, but you might find a proof online
 
9:09 AM
There are loads of proofs for it
 
But I doubt you'll find one elementary enough if you don't know complex numbers yet, I'm afraid
 
but sometimes, a quadratic equation can give 2 roots which are equal
 
including multiplicity
 
how are they 2 roots then?
 
9:10 AM
it counts as 2 roots here
 
it will only be 1 root
 
2 equal roots
 
@MartianCactus, you need to prove that every polynomial has a root over C. That is non-trivial (high school mathematics won't do). Once you have that, you get the following: if P(x) is a polynomial, and c is a root, then P(x)/(x - c) is a polynomial again. And you continue with that polynomial until you have all n roots.
 
The point of the theorem is the following
 
That also explains multiplicity: if P(x)/(x-c) still has a root at c, then the multiplicity was (at least) 2.
 
9:10 AM
suppose you have an $n$-th degree polynomial $a_n x^n + a_{n-1}x^{n-1} + \dots + a_1x + a_0$
Then you can factorise it as $a_n(x-x_1)(x-x_2)\cdots(x-x_n)$
 
well...we just say that it has 2 roots to not to break the theorem, there is a flaw in theorem as it is ONLY 1 number
@SteamyRoot ye
 
where $x_1, x_2, \dots, x_n$ are the (possibly complex) roots of the polynomial
 
@MartianCactus two equal roots
 
If for some $i$ and $j$, $x_i = x_j$, we say that it's a root with multiplicity $2$ for example
 
@DHMO but thats the same as only 1 root
 
9:12 AM
So there are $n$ roots "up to multiplicity"
No, it's not
 
what is multiplicity?
 
the polynomial $x-1$ has one root, $x = 1$.
 
@MartianCactus, a double root really looks different from a single root. (Note how a quadratic with a double root just touches the x-axis, whereas a single root of polynomial with two roots really crosses it.)
 
the polynomial $x^2 - 2x + 1 = (x-1)^2$ also has root $x = 1$, but with multiplicity $2$
which is often interpreted as the polynomial having $2$ roots "up to multiplicity"
 
wait
quadratic equation are equations of the form $$ax^2 + bx + c = 0$$
right?
 
9:14 AM
Yes.
 
Yup.
 
(Can you get MathJax to work in this chat?)
 
so the "=0" part has to be there
 
For mathjax, read the chat description in the top right
 
and any value of x which satisfies the equation is a root
 
9:16 AM
Is a root, yes.
 
but equations with degree 2 have 2 roots
but if the roots are the same, then isnt it only 1 root?
 
I agree that the terminology may be confusing. But a single number can count as a root multiple times.
 
$1$ root with multiplicity $2$
or a "double root"
 
we can say that the degree 1 equations have 2 roots (which are the same numbers) and disprove the fundamental theorem
 
No, they don't
 
9:18 AM
we CAN
we are doing the same thing with the quadratic equations..
 
Saying that the double root of a quadratic has "multiplicity 2" has concrete meaning. It's not just a name we give to that root for no reason.
 
If you factorise a degree $1$ equation, say $ax + b = 0$, you just get $a(x-\frac{b}{a}) = 0$
 
Specifically, as follows: if $c$ is a root of $P(x)$, then $P(x)/(x-c)$ is also a polynomial.
 
The root appears only once in the factorisation
 
Then, if $P(x)/(x-c)$ has $c$ as a root again, then it has higher multiplicity.
 
9:19 AM
Why is this set not open in $\Bbb R$? ${x|x^2>2}$
 
@MeesdeVries how is P(x)/(x−c) a polynomial?
 
That's not obvious. But it turns out to be.
 
x = c if c is the root right?
that will be the same as P(x)/0
 
Martian: you factorise a polynomial using its roots, as $(x-x_1)(x-x_2)(x-x_3)\dots(x-x_n)$
So if you divide by, say $(x-x_2)$, you just get $(x-x_1)(x-x_3)\dots(x-x_n)$ which is a polynomial again
 
Yes. The notation is a little informal. Really, what I mean by $P(x)/(x-c)$ is "the polynomial which is the same as $P(x)/(x-c)$ for all values $x \neq c$".
Maybe an example is illuminating: suppose that we have the polynomial $x^2 - 5x + 6$. Do you know a root of this polynomial?
 
9:23 AM
dont really understand
if c is a root then isnt c = x
 
@MartianCactus that is precisely why we are being informal
or else we would use a whole day to teach you
 
wait
let m calculate
@MeesdeVries the roots are 3 and 2
 
True. Actually, the following might be a better example: can you think of a root of $x^3 + 8 = 0$?
(Sorry for switching it out suddenly.)
 
i dont know about cubic polynomials but the roots is -2
no wait
 
Actually, $2$ is not a root. But $-2$ indeed is.
 
9:27 AM
yeah
because it will become -8
 
OK. Now, after some calculation, you will see that $(x + 2)(x^2 - 2x + 4) = x^3 + 8$. Do you agree?
 
hm...
yeah
 
(The reason that you can factor out $(x + 2)$ is precisely that $-2$ is a root.)
 
how did u calculate that?
 
Then, do you agree that it makes sense to say that $(x^3 - 8)/(x+2) = (x^2 - 2x + 4)$ works for all values except $x = -2$?
 
9:29 AM
yes
 
Uh, I used wolfram-alpha in this case, because I'm lazy. The proper way to do it is long division of polynomials, but if you're in high school that is a little bit beyond you, probably.
 
Right. So what we do is, we write $(x^3 - 8)/(x+2)$ for the polynomial $(x^2 -2x + 4)$ in all cases, even when $x = -2$. That is a little imprecise.
But it turns out to be useful. And you can prove that you don't run into trouble by doing this.
Now, is $-2$ a root of $x^2 - 2x + 4$?
 
@BalarkaSen you there?
 
but how?
 
9:31 AM
How what?
 
how is it a root?
 
That's a question. I'm asking you. Is $-2$ a root of $x^2 - 2x + 4$?
 
oh wait...
no its not
 
@Danu familiar with open sets?
 
Good.
 
9:33 AM
"open sets" sounds very broad
 
@DHMO I know topology, yeah.
 
Now, this is what we mean when we say that $-2$ is a single root of $x^3 + 8 = 0$. Namely, it is a root, but once you divide that factor, you are left with something of which -2 is not a root.
 
why is this not an open set in $\Bbb R$? ${x|x^2>2}$ @Danu
 
so how does this relate to 2 roots being equal?
 
This is the case where there are no 2 roots which are equal. Now let me show a case where two roots are equal.
We could instead have started with the following example: $x^3 + 5x^2 + 8x + 4 = 0$. Is $-2$ a root of this?
 
9:35 AM
@DHMO So you mean $(-\infty,-\sqrt 2)\cup (\sqrt 2,\infty)$?
 
yes
 
@Danu Now I am.
 
@DHMO What topology on $\Bbb R$?
 
the regular one
 
@BalarkaSen Aigh't. So the expression for curvature relative to a background connection, that's what's called the structure equation, right?
 
9:36 AM
wait
 
So $F_\nabla=F_{\nabla^0}+\nabla^0 a+a\wedge a$
 
I haven't encountered this yet.
 
@DHMO So, is $(\sqrt 2,\infty)$ open or not?
@BalarkaSen OK.
So what kinds of curvature is Ted using in his notes?
 
> As a less trivial example, consider the space Q of all rational numbers with their ordinary topology, and the set A of all positive rational numbers whose square is bigger than 2. Using the fact that $\sqrt {2}$ is not in Q, one can show quite easily that A is a clopen subset of Q. (Note also that A is not a clopen subset of the real line R; it is neither open nor closed in R.)
 
Gauss/sectional curvature?
 
9:37 AM
yes -2 is root
 
@Danu I think so?
 
@DHMO Look at what you quoted. It's not what you asked me about
 
Good. So we can factor it out again: we actually get that that polynomial is equal to $(x+2)(x^2 + 3x + 2)$ (which you are free to check).
Hence, again, we write $(x^3 + 5x^2 + 8x + 4)/(x+2) = (x^2 + 3x + 2)$.
 
Right, @Danu. Gaussian curvature.
 
@Danu I'm asking about the last sentence which is inside the parentheses.
 
9:39 AM
So far so good?
 
Mike has a few exercises for me which I suspect leads to some kind of curvature. Let's see.
 
Now, is $-2$ a root of $x^2 + 3x + 2$?
 
@DHMO $A$ still only consists of positive rational numbers there
 
@BalarkaSen Alright. That's the last type I learned about (of course in physics you usually work with the curvature tensor immediately and then derive other curvature invariants from there)
@DHMO It's still not what you asked me.
positive rational numbers man
Read your stuff better
 
9:41 AM
yes, this time, it is
 
Exactly! Even after we took $(x+2)$ "out" of our original polynomial by dividing it, it is still a root.
And that's the difference between multiplicities.
Now, you can go on to see that $x^2 + 3x + 2 = (x + 2)(x + 1)$. So if you divide by $x+ 2$ again, then $-2$ is no longer a root.
 
@SteamyRoot @Danu sorry and thank you
 
Hence: in the first example, $-2$ was a root of multiplicity 1. In the second example, $-2$ is a root of multiplicity 2.
And if you had started with $x^3+6 x^2+12 x+8$, then you would have seen that $-2$ would have been a root of multiplicity 3.
 
hm..still didnt completely get it
 
@Danu If you teach me the curvature tensor, I'll listen.
 
9:43 AM
my question- why when 2 roots are equal, we still call them 2 roots?
 
@BalarkaSen Okay, so do you know what a linear connection is?
 
Affine connection? For sure.
 
That's just being informal with language. The correct statement is "For a quadratic polynomial, the sum of the multiplicities of the roots of the polynomial is 2."
But that's a mouthful. So we refer to a root of multiplicity 2 as if it is two different roots that occur at the same point (and this makes sense, actually), to save us that awkward phrasing.
 
@BalarkaSen Sure, whatever :D So consider some connection on a bundle $E$. It's a map that sends sections of $E$ to sections of $T^*M\otimes E$, right.
 
> A topological space X is discrete if and only if all of its subsets are clopen.
can I phrase this as "iff all subsets are open"?
 
9:45 AM
@Danu Yep.
 
Hello @s.harp
Let $u(x) \geq 0$ be harmonic in $\Omega$ and $u|_{\partial{\Omega'}}=0$ where the space $\Omega'$ is a proper subset of $\Omega$. I want to prove that $u(x) \equiv 0$ in $\Omega$.

If we suppose that $u \in C^0(\overline{\Omega'})$ we can deduce that $u(x)=0$ in $\Omega'$.

But how can we prove that $u(x) \equiv 0$ in $\Omega$ ?
Do you have an idea?
 
@BalarkaSen So you have something from 0-forms to 1-forms, and it's probably a natural idea to extend this to an operator from $k$-forms to $k+1$-forms
 
For simplicity, why don't you do it on the tangent bundle instead of $E$?
 
@MeesdeVries oh
 
Otherwise you'll do Mike's exercises for me.
 
9:46 AM
@BalarkaSen Whatever you prefer
 
:P
@Danu I mean, this is one of Mike's exercises.
 
so something called root of multiplicy(which i haven studied yet), are the roots of the polynomial, but they somehow occur at the same number
 
Well, it'll still spoil it if I tell you how to do it on the tangent bundle
So never mind :p
 
What happens if I introduce a pole to a genus-0 2-manifold?
 
Oh well.
 
9:47 AM
@DHMO Yes. Clopen implies open, and the other way around, if every subset is open, then for an open subset $A$, its complement $A^c$ is open, hence $A$ is closed.
 
Sort of, yes. If you say, "a root of $P(x)$ is a number $c$ such that $P(x) = c$", then you have to define what the multiplicity of a root is (which I sort of did above), and then your theorem becomes as I did above.
Maybe, another way of looking at it will help you. Suppose you have numbers $c_1,c_2$. Then $(x-c_1)(x-c_2)$ is a polynomial, right?
 
@Danu Don't Riemannian geometry people do it differently? Like, actually write down the Riemann curvature tensor.
 
Actually, better phrased: suppose you have numbers $a,c_1,c_2$. Then $a(x - c_1)(x - c_2)$ is a polynomial, right?
 
9:49 AM
What are the roots of this polynomial?
 
@BalarkaSen I didn't have a normal Riem. geom. course... Mine went through arbitrary bundles first.
 
c1, c2 and a
 
Almost.
 
Ah.
 
what do you call a space in which every subset is not open?
 
9:50 AM
@BalarkaSen yup
 
if it is equal to 0
 
Yes, but that is not true for all of $x = a, x = c_1, x = c_2$.
Carefully look at the polynomial I wrote!
 
(so I don't know anything about the usual Riem. geom. topics, sadly)
 
no, a is not root
 
$R(X,Y) = [\nabla_X,\nabla_Y] - \nabla_{[X,Y]} = \nabla_X\nabla_Y - \nabla_Y\nabla_X - \nabla_{\nabla_XY} - \nabla_{\nabla_YX} = \nabla^2_{X,Y} - \nabla^2_{Y,X}$
 
9:51 AM
Yeah, exactly. So the roots are $c_1$ and $c_2$.
 
Now, the formula that I wrote covers all quadratics that have roots at all.
(It doesn't work directly for quadratics like $x^2 + 1$ -- you need complex numbers for that.)
 
@DHMO The null set.
 
@BalarkaSen isn't the null set open?
 
Because if a quadratic $Q(x)$ has a root $c_1$, then $Q(x)/(x - c_1)$ will again be a polynomial, and it must be linear, so you can write $Q(x) = (x - c_1)(ax + b)$, which you can write into the form above.
 
9:54 AM
oh
 
if you call the nullsubset of the nullset is a set, sure. but then there is no such space.
 
@BalarkaSen thanks. what would be an example of a space in which all subsets are open?
 
discrete topology
 
@Balarka, Yes, there is. $(\emptyset,\{\emptyset\})$ is the unique topological space on the empty set.
 
@BalarkaSen for example?
 
9:56 AM
Take the usual topology on $\mathbb{R}$ and consider the induced topology on $\mathbb{N}$?
 
@MeesdeVries He asked for a top. space in which there is no open subset. That's a nonexistent thing depending on what that means, of course.
 
idk, i dont COMPLETELY understand but maybr as i study more, it will get clearer @MeesdeVries
 
Yes, that is the right answer -- in every topological space, there is an open set. That is the first axiom of topological spaces.
 
@SteamyRoot isn't {1} not-open?
 
@DHMO Open in $\Bbb N$.
 
9:57 AM
@MartianCactus, no worries. these things take time.
 
@MeesdeVries yeah
k now i will go!!
nice talk!
 
The set $(1/2,3/2)$ is open in $\mathbb{R}$ and contains $1$
So on $\mathbb{N}$ with the subset topology, $(1/2,3/2) \cap \mathbb{N}$ is open, but this set is exactly $\{1\}$
 
is {1,2} discrete?
 
Discrete as a subset of what topological space?
 
R
 
10:01 AM
Think about it yourself.
 
@BalarkaSen I don't understand why {1} is open in N
 
If you know the relevant definitions, you can answer those questions. If you don't know them, you can't and you shouldn't care.
 
@BalarkaSen I know the relevant definitions but I fail to see how {1} isn't not-open in N.
I cannot find a number $\epsilon$ such that every ...
 
What do you mean, find a number $\epsilon$?
 
Think about the topology SteamyRoot gave on N.
 
10:04 AM
You sound like you're trying to use some Euclidean topology
 
yes
 
@DHMO Try $\epsilon=\frac12$
 
thanks
 
10:30 AM
A nowhere dense set like $\Bbb N$ would have all subsets discrete?
Well, all subsets discrete <=> discrete
 
11:20 AM
Yes. $\Bbb N$ has the discrete topology.
 
thanks
 
This is because every point is an open set.
 
11:33 AM
Hello @AntonioVargas
Could I ask you something about a finite automaton?
 
@Evinda you could ask but the most I know about FSMs is making pretty pictures in java applets
 
Aaa... I have constructed a dfa that makes the addition in the binary system but I don't know how to prove that the dfa that I have constructed is the right one @AntonioVargas
 
@Evinda I don't know either I'm afraid
 
Ok , no problem @AntonioVargas
 
11:56 AM
@Evinda, I probably know enough about DFAs/regular expressions to help.
 
Oh great!!! @MeesdeVries

I want to construct a finite automaton that makes the addition in the binary system and I want to prove that my automaton is right.

http://i.stack.imgur.com/GiTtL.png

That's the automaton that I have constucted. But how can we prove formally that this automaton indeed makes the addition in the binary system?
 
How should I interpret this? The input consists of a sequence of pairs, should I take the $i$th input as the $i$th digit of each binary number, starting with least significant?
And the digit after the / is output?
 
@MeesdeVries Can we not have as input a pair of numbers? I thought that the first number of the first pair for example is the last digit of the first sequence and the second number of this pair is the last digit of the second sequence .
Yes, the digit after the / is the output
 
I'm not used to DFAs having output. Is that "normal" in your context?
 
There are two types of dfas. The ones that have output given an input and the ones that have a final state @MeesdeVries
 
12:03 PM
Also, you can have pairs of digits as input, that is fine. You could encode it as single numbers if you prefer, let $(0,0) ~ 0$, $(0,1) ~ 1$, $(1,0) ~ 1$ and $(1,1) ~ 3$. Either way is fine.
Alright. Well, by any reasonable interpretation, this DFA seems correct to me.
 
Yes, but how can we prove it formally that the dfa makes the addition in the binary system? @MeesdeVries
 
That's difficult to say. My first answer would be, "it's obvious". If that doesn't suffice, I suppose the question becomes, how is addition defined?
Because you need the output of the DFA to correspond to addition, so you'll need a definition of addition to work with it.
 
The rule is that 1+1=10
 
Well, yeah, but what about longer numbers?
What is 1010010100001111 + 10101011010111100001?
Also, your DFA seems to not quite work for numbers of the same length; if you input only (1,1) you only seem to get output 0, and not 10.
 
Yes, the first digit of the addition of two numbers isn't printed
 
12:07 PM
Hey everyone, quick question, has anyone here read Lee's Introduction to Smooth Manifolds?
 
And that's OK?
@Perturbative, I've read the first couple of chapters for class. It's been a while though.
 
I think so, because the machine cannot print more digits as its input have. Can it?
 
@MeesdeVries, what prerequisites apart from a solid understanding of General Topology and Analysis/Abstract Algebra do you think is needed to tackle it?
 
Well, I don't know what your formalism is, so I can't answer that for you. I suppose it doesn't seem that way.
@Perturbative, uh. I think you ought to be fine? But why not just read the first couple of pages of the first couple of chapters to get an idea?
 
@MeesdeVries, I'm about to go through Spivak's Calculus on Manifolds and Munkre's book on Topology and I was wondering if I could go straight to Lee's book
I read the first chapter, and I loved the way he treated the contents of it
But most other books in 'Differential Geometry' take a different style, Spivak's own Volumes are a very different read compared to Lee's book
I asked a question here if you want to weigh in : math.stackexchange.com/questions/1988782/…
 
12:23 PM
I haven't read Spivak or Munkres, but I am pretty sure you should be fine. Honestly, if you're just doing this for yourself anyway, just start in Lee, and go on until you get stuck. And then see if there's anything you need to read up on.
 
Lee is pretty friggin' excellent.
The only thing I could hold against that book is perhaps being a bit long-winded but I guess that the high level of precision is actually a good thing when just starting out in the topic.
 
How do you call a function that multiplies corresponding items of two vectors, (a,b)(x,y) -> (ax,by)?
 
"Coordinatewise multiplication"
 
Component-wise
 
user228700
Hi. I have a quick question about sets...
 
user228700
12:31 PM
It is my understanding that an identity relation is defined even when all possible ordered pairs $(x,x)$ for $x$ belonging to $A$ are not included. This is true for symmetric and transitive relations too. The only relation in which it is absolutely necessary to have all possible ordered pairs $(x,y)$ is the reflexive relation.
 
user228700
Is my understanding correct?
 
user228700
Oh, nvm.
 
1:02 PM
Heya
 
@Danu Which book?
 
@BalarkaSen Smoooooth manifolds man
The topological manifolds one seems too basic to be really interesting
 
I haven't read it but I don't like his exercises. Too easy.
 
The smooth manifolds one is also in some sense elementary, but there is just so much structure on smooth manifolds that it's okay---you can fill a big book about simple stuff on manifolds.
 
Or rather, I prefer G&P over it.
 
1:12 PM
@BalarkaSen You're not the target audience :P
It was nice for me, two years ago. I still like it for encyclopedic value.
Two years ago, I was super convinced I would love to read all of it sometime
Now I'm like nopes :P
 
Good. I can believe it's got encyclopedic value
 
Right now, I'd say also G&P is excellent
But it was too sophisticated for me back then
 
Fair enough.
 
Also I think it's really nice to know about singular (co)homology before reading G&P
I was really happy when I discovered that they were talking about intersection pairing
 
You'll encounter much of the intersection theory in G&P abstractly in cohomology, yep.
So it compliments stuff nicely by giving a geometric interpretation.
 
1:16 PM
Exactly, I loved that
 
2:03 PM
Hello.
I have a problem: Prove that for every $n$, there exists a multiple of $n$ who's digits have a sum of $n$...
 
2:21 PM
@DanielCortild interesting
 
@DHMO Do you have an idea on how to solve it?
 
@DanielCortild not now
 
Anyone?
 
2:42 PM
@SteamyRoot One writes $g_n(x)=n[f(x+1/n)-f(x)]$, for then $g_n\to f'$ pointwise. But a pointwise limit of continuous functions is continuous on a $G_\delta$ dense set, so any derivative is continuous on a $G_\delta$ dense set.
So, there is no function whose derivative is continuous on just $\Bbb Q$.
But one can have a function with derivative continuous on $\Bbb R-\Bbb Q$.
 
@DanielCortild I think I've proved it for prime numbers $n$
 
Well that could than be generalized no?
 
I'm trying to
I think my proof cannot be generalized.
and I think my proof is wrong.
so we are back to the beginning
@DanielCortild I have proved it for numbers co-prime with $10$.
 
Ohh... Well, it's always something! I think I've found something as well
 
Particularly, the number is $\displaystyle \sum_{i\mathop=0}^{n-1} 10^{(n-1)i}$
The relevant theorem is Fermat's Little Theorem
It can be generalized to numbers which are the product of a power of 10 and a number co-prime to 10.
 
3:00 PM
Yea, that seems to work. I found something involving Eulers Theorem, but it doesn't seem to work as well as I hopded...
 
I take back my sentence about the generalization. Something is wrong with me.
 
If $k$ is a multiple of $n$ such that $\mathrm{digsum}(k) = n$, then appending $k$ to itself $10^m$ times and then appending $m$ zeroes gives a multiple of $10^mn$ with digit sum $10^mn$, I think.
 
@DanielCortild Let $n=2^a5^bc$ where $c$ is co-prime with $10$. Let the maximum of $a$ and $b$ be $m$. The required number is $\displaystyle 10^m \sum_{i\mathop=0}^{n-1}10^{(c-1)i}$.
 
That seems odd... the digit sum of your number is not dependent on $a,b$, right?
 
How is it not?
 
3:07 PM
Well, the digit sum does not depend on the factor $10^m$, right?
 
Well, of course. The digit sum of my number is exactly $n$, as required.
 
Oh, oops. My bad.
Of course $n$ depends on $a,b$.
 
@DanielCortild Note that I have not dealt with the case where $c=1$.
In that case, the required number would be $\displaystyle 10^m \sum_{i\mathop=0}^{n-1}10^{i}$
 
Myea... This actually seems to be pretty nice! I am sorry, but I have to go for like an hour, I'll come back ;-)
 
@MeesdeVries a better algorithm would generate 209 when given 11 as input... but I have no idea how to make the number smaller.
@Lozansky greetings
 
3:30 PM
Hello!!

We have that $f=x^3-3x-1\in \mathbb{Q}[x]$ is irreducible in $\mathbb{Q}[x]$. Let $a\in \mathbb{C}$ be a root of $f$. We have that $2-a^2$ is a root of $f$ and the extension $\mathbb{Q}(a)/\mathbb{Q}$ is normal. Let $n$ be a positive integer and $c_0, c_1, c_2\in \mathbb{Z}$ such that $(3+a-a^2)^n=c_0+c_1a+c_2a^2$. For each $n$ there exist such $c_0, c_1, c_2$.

How could we show that then also the relation $(1-a)^n=(c_0+2c_1+4c_2)+c_2a-(c_1+c_2)a^2$ holds? Could you give me some hints?
Hello @DanielFischer !! Do you maybe have an idea?
 
3:53 PM
@AkivaWeinberger Only addition and multiplication
16
A: Not especially famous, long-open problems which anyone can understand

Harry AltmanThis is basically copied from my answer on this question, which I've now updated some. Let's let $\|n\|$ denote the smallest number of 1's needed to write n using an arbitrary combination of addition and multiplication. For instance, ||11||=8, because $11=(1+1)(1+1+1+1+1)+1$, and there's no sho...

 
Ah, sorry
 

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