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1:17 AM
Does anyone know why Munkres avoids starting his definitions with 0? Going out of his way to start with 1 in the set of $\mathbb Z_+$ rather than 0 in the set of $\mathbb N$? Is there a good reason why some mathematicians don't use 0 in their set of counting numbers?
 
1:29 AM
hi
does anyone know how to prove that $2^x = 3 \cdot 9^m+5$ has no positive integer solutions for $m \geq 2$?
 
@user19405892 Rewrite it as $2^x = 3^{2m+1} + 5$
Does that seem easier to solve?
 
Yes it does, but I don't know how to prove the statement
 
Axo, some people do, some people don't. I don't know much more than that; trying to think of a reason why a topologist would choose not.
I mean, $\Bbb Z_+$ is pretty unambiguously starting at 1. It's $\Bbb N$ that gets you into trouble.
 
@EricStucky Do you know of a way to prove $2^x = 3 \cdot 9^m+5$ has no positive integer solutions for $m \geq 2$?
 
@Axoren None of the content in that book depends on this.
 
1:44 AM
Assume it was true for some other $x = 2k$, you could factor $3^{2m+1} + 5$ into two factors $(2^k)(2^k)$. $2^k$ is an integer, is $\sqrt{3^{2m+1} + 5}$?
Rather, when is $\sqrt{3^{2m+1} + 5}$ an integer?
 
(u19: no)
 
@EricStucky using the @ symbol notifies people that you've replied to them.
 
You know
as mortifying as it was
 
Just so you don't have to skimp on @user19405892's numbers and at the same time not have to type them all
 
to have the "stop tagging me" comment starred
at least people stopped pinging me for a while...
 
1:48 AM
Not a fan of it? Luckily, they've made a mute button in the top right, now.
 
ooh
 
Mortification: optional.
 
u r hero :D
 
But yeah, it's just good habit to tag everyone else.
 
@Axoren Can you explain how you you get $(2^k)(2^k) \cdot 2^k$?
 
1:49 AM
idk, for me it's like
we're talking, right?
 
@user19405892 That's a period, not a cdot.
EricStucky: Yeah, but if I walk away and come back? Chat scrolls. Your message is lost.
 
$2^k \cdot 2^k = 3^{2m+1}+5$
why did you take the square root?
 
$\sqrt{2^k 2^k} = 2^k$, do you agree?
 
So, then square-root both sides.
 
1:52 AM
right, so we need $3^{2m+1}+5$ to be a perfect square
but it turns out that $x$ must be odd
not even
 
Why must $x$ be odd?
Was that part of the original problem?
 
No, but see that $3 \cdot 9^m + 5 \pmod 9 \equiv 5$, which implies $x \equiv 5 \pmod 6$
thus, $x$ is odd
 
Right, either way, we've shown that $x$ can't be even.
 
yes, the tricky part is dealing with $x$ is odd
 
You said it like you knew it before analyzing it.
 
1:56 AM
yes, i had known $x$ is odd from the time i saw this question first
 
Consider now $2 \cdot 2^k 2^k = 3^{2m+1} + 5$
 
This is simply $x = 2k +1$, now.
The only other case.
 
how do we deal with it?
 
Actually, this may be kind of silly, but I think it's easier to just show that $2^x = 3^y + 5$ only has 2 integer solutions.
Than to do this with radicals.
Because if you do that, it's a stronger claim.
 
2:04 AM
Actually, that's how i got this question in the first place. I was trying to prove that result
Now how to prove that $2^{2k+1} = 3 \cdot 9^m+5 $ has no solutions?
 
What's the mathjax way to write the alpha-like proportionality relation?
 
You've said above that $x \equiv 5 \mod 6$, so we have instead $2k \equiv 4 \mod 6$, then $k \equiv 2 \mod 6$.
 
2:21 AM
@DoubleAA: \propto
Related, detexify is great
 
Actually, scratch that. I don't like doing it the modulo way. Assume we know it is true for $k=2$. If $k=3$, we have $2^7 = 3 \cdot 9 ^ m + 5$ for some $m$. But we also know the following: $2^5 = 3 \cdot 9^1 + 5 = 32$
 
@EricStucky That does it! Thanks a bunch
 
npnp
 
So, we're really trying to say that $2^2 = (3\cdot 9^m + 5) / 32$
We also know that it held for $2^3 = 3 \cdot 9^0 + 5 = 8$
So we have to also show that $2^4 = (3 \cdot 9^m + 5)/8$
We know that for even $x$, there's no integer solution, so $3 \cdot 9^m + 5 \not \equiv 0 \mod 8$
Since we know that, we know that it can't be divisible by $32$, because it would have to be divisible by $8$.
 
2:58 AM
Hey Mike :)
just wanted to say, I'm interested in what you have to say, and I'll hit you up soon
But I have a final to do tonight, gotta get to it ;)
see you around
 
Good luck!
 
 
1 hour later…
4:21 AM
I have to find the normal vector of <7cos(t), 7sin(t), 7ln(cos(t))> at point (7, 0, 0). That point is t = 0. The normal is T/T' and T is r/r' where r is the vector I was given. I get r’: <-7sin(t), 7cos(t), -7tan(t)>
|r’|: 7sqrt(sec^2(t))
T(0) : <0, 1, 0>. This is correct.
T: 1/7sqrt(sec^2(t)) * <-7sin(t), 7cos(t), -7tan(t)>
So only the center coordinate can change since sin(0) and tan(0) are 0, but the derivative of sqrt(sec^2(t))cos(t) is 0. How is the normal not <0, 0, 0>?
 
 
2 hours later…
6:09 AM
does anyone know how to solve this?
4
Q: Explicit formula for floor(x)?

mickIn number theory we have so-called explicit formula's in terms of the Riemann zeta zero's. For instance to count the sum of the logarithms of the primes below some given integer. ( second Chebyshev Function ) Consider the floor function : http://mathworld.wolfram.com/FloorFunction.html Is there...

 
6:20 AM
the explicit formula for psi(x) in terms of zeta zeros is essentially a fourier series. by asking us not to give a fourier series, OP is essentially telling us not to answer the question. his loss.
and yours too I guess.
 
well then that sentence needs to be ignored
if it can be answered without using the arctan formula that was given in the other question (simply because people said it was flawed) then it should be and not left to sit and rot
 
6:39 AM
@AlexClark So, is it done or are those last cases taking a long time?
 
6:59 AM
@anon curious; in what sense is Riemann's formula a fourier series?
 
with $e^{a+bi}=e^ae^{ib}$, the imaginary parts of zeta zeros are frequencies and the real parts contribute to their amplitudes. if there were a real part >1/2, it would mean there are zeta zeros that contribute more than others to the growth of primes.
 
aha, I see.
 
(of course it's actually $x$ as the base of the exponentials, but that's reaslly $e^{\ln x}$, so things are just a bit logarithmic in $x$)
 
right
interesting aspect
I have never had a particular intuition for Riemann's formula, myself. I "know" how to prove it, but...
 
7:51 AM
hello
 
@robjohn hey! Did you have a chance to work on my problem?
(the limit)
 
8:29 AM
@user1618033 Not yet. I've been out of town for a while, and tomorrow I am proctoring an exam at UCLA. I will look tomorrow when I get a chance.
 
@robjohn No hurry with that. I wanted more to know how it seems to you in terms of difficulty.
 
8:45 AM
@user1618033 At first glance, it looks pretty hard. I can comment better when I work on it.
 
@robjohn Thanks. OK.
 
 
2 hours later…
10:41 AM
@robjohn Soon, if all is fine I'll start some painting courses for which I have a call too. Hope to be able to put in pictures some of my nicest creations, kind of abstract art.
Pehaps it will take some months to finish a picture, but that is fine.
 
 
2 hours later…
12:33 PM
hi every body
 
12:57 PM
@TheGreatDuck , I add here a comment about mick question in which you are interested, it is only an opinion that the problem to find such formula is in Generalized Möbious Inversion (it's like a dead end, a street withou exit) $G(x):=\sum_{n\leq x}\mu(n) \left\{ \frac{x}{n} \right\} $ ( since $\mu(n)$ is completly multiplicative) if and only if $ \left\{ x \right\} =\sum_{n\leq x}(\mu(n))^2G \left( \frac{x}{n} \right) $. It isn't neccesary a response of this opinion. . Thanks.
 
 
2 hours later…
2:41 PM
@user243301 You should learn to define the Möbius function as a recurrence instead of doing Möbius inversions.
 
 
1 hour later…
3:52 PM
Hey guys
I have a problem
I posted a meta question
and now it has 3 answers
but I have no clue as to which one to accept
Since this is a meta question, and the accepted answer could potentially be viewed as the verdict on the topic
Hence I want your (the community's) opinion on making this choice
Here's the question I'm talking about
25
Q: Is coloring equations good practice or bad?

Aritra DasI've noticed that though there is a way to color text or equations, in mathjax, though very few users use it. On the otherhand, those who do, use it regularly. To me, coloring seems a nice way to remove the barrier that digital or printed text entails - in a class, a professor might show with t...

Which answer should I accept?
 
@AritraDas Do as I do, accept the answer with the most votes. Then for a while feel how it is to have a bad conscience, and wait for the feeling to pass. Then you know that that behaviour has become part of your character.
 
user147690
4:33 PM
@TobiasKildetoft Done. All have failed. Congratulations!
 
5:02 PM
@MatsGranvik That was some solid advice right there.
Thanks
 
5:41 PM
I have thoughts on a certain question, namely
1
Q: Functions and Derivatives

Jawad AnwarGeneraly curious: Let there be a set of functions: Will the sum of the derivatives of the functions be equal to the derivative of the sums?

I want to say, that for finite sets of (arbitrary) functions (of one variable), it is not necessarily true that the sum of derivatives is the derivative of the sum
take the counterexample: let $f_1(x)$ be the Dirichlet function of $x$ and $f_2(x)$ be the same with arguments reversed (1 for $x$ irrational, 0 elsewhere)
isn't their sum $f_1(x)+f_2(x)=1$ for all real $x$? therefore the derivative of their sum is 0 everywhere, but the sum of their derivatives does not exist?
 
in D&F it says for n>1 that $\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}$ is not a group under multiplication of residue classes and to prove it. I want to argue that for $n$ is prime, $\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}$ is a group under multiplication as every element in $\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}$ has a multiplicative inverse and an identity. Multiplication is also associative so it should be a group, no?
 
@BalarkaSen, @MikeMiller, poking if you're here ^.^
 
nvm 0 doesn't have an inverse
 
5:57 PM
@Brody I imagine if somebody is talking about the sum of derivatives he is looking a functions for which the derivatives exist. If you want you can leave a comment though.
 
@s.harp thanks. i thought as much, though the counterexample seems of interest. will probably leave a comment
 
6:16 PM
I'm here-ish, but working on a question on main, then probably going to do my own work. Sorry.
 
@MikeMiller which question are you working on?
 
@Semiclassical This one. I had a great time with it, probably my favorite MSE question in a while.
 
Wow, that was energizing. Now I'm motivated to work.
 
6:48 PM
anyone know what is meant by $x * y$ is the fractional part of $x + y$ i.e$(x * y = x+y - [x+y]$ where $*$ is a binary operation on the set of reals.
 
What is unclear about it?
 
and where $[a]$ is the greatest integer less than or equal to a.
I don't understand what $x*y$ does. It looks like it just equals 0
 
What is it for x=y=1/2?
 
oh..
integer
wait it is still 0. 1/2 + 1/2 - [1/2 + 1/2] where the greatest integer less than or equal to the evaluated brackets is 1.
 
Oh.
Okay, x=y=1/4. (I misread your question.)
 
6:52 PM
now it's 1/2
I see. The distinction of integer is very important :p
 
@MatsGranvik feel free to tell me about definitions of Möbius function as a recurrence, I am following some of your post, still I don't understand but it is apprecite that you always put your codes, very thanks much. Also if some day you or other user want say that perhaps I am boring or with many revolutions it is best an advice early than later. I'm changing my attitude , thank you.
 
@user243301 The Möbius function as a recurrence is done similarly as for the von Mangoldt function. math.stackexchange.com/a/164829/8530
 
@AlexClark Awesome. Thanks for the help. I can now finally remove that exception from the paper. I'll also add a line thanking you in the acknowledgements.
 
cool collaboration
 
7:37 PM
A seed for war between mathematician and Physicist!
in The h Bar, 7 mins ago, by ramsay
2
Q: help: in applying calculus in physics

ramsayI am new to calculus and during my mathematics class my sir defined $\dfrac{dx}{dt}$ as $$dx/dt=\lim_{t\to t_1}\dfrac{f(t)-f(t_1)}{t-t_1}$$ and my sir made a clear statement that $\dfrac{dx}{dt}$ is not a fraction it only behaves like a fraction! (it means $\dfrac{dx}{dt}$ is just a notati...

 
what does his math teacher mean with $\frac{dx}{dt}$ is not a fraction, it only behaves like a fraction?
it's an infinitesimally small change over an infinitesimally small interval how is that not a fraction..
 
@Obliv yes! even my mathematics teacher
 
Without doing a lot of work that your course no doubt has not done, there is no such mathematical object as an 'infinitesimally small change'.
One can make rigorous sense of infinitesimals; there are a couple users in this room who are really into that. I'm not, and most mathematicians are not, and no calculus course is.
 
haha! physicist believe $dx$ to infin.. small change
although newton was a 'physicist'
 
Sure, that's the intuition.
 
7:47 PM
what are the qualifications for treating $dx$ as a mathematical object?
 
Some people will tell you differential forms; I don't really like that answer. I prefer to take manipulations of $dx$ as philosophy, from which you can prove actually correct results.
 
reminds me of xeno's paradox actually
 
@MikeMiller now, i have not done rigorous integral calculus but then why do we integrate $dy=\int f(x)dx$ what does dx signify there
 
Notation.
Like, you shouldn't feel bad about thinking of these things as infinitesimals. That's the idea. But the reason people say not to think of $dy/dx$ as a fraction is twofold. 1) Mathematically, that's not literally what it is. It's a limit etc etc. 2) Sometimes, if you are too uncareful with treating these terms as variables, you can come to a result that's just actually wrong. I don't have an example off the top of my head, but when I was teaching calculus, I saw this happen now and then.
On the other hand, I don't have a problem with people reading this as "infinitesimal change of y over infinitesimal change of x". That's good by me. The moral one should take is to be a bit careful with these manipulations, that's all.
 
noted.
 
7:54 PM
so do I!
 
does $\mathbb{R} / [0,1)$ mean $\mathbb{R}~(\mod 1)$?
 
8:11 PM
Evening.
 
hey
 
@MikeMiller Your answer to the currently hot post on Diff Geo went completely over my head :/.
 
Relax, it's not your fault.
How's life? @Mike
 
I can explain the details if you want. It's good. I gotta go for a bit.
 
8:36 PM
@r9m I don't know if you ever got a response to this question, but the answer is yes, as long as $f$ does not have any singularities in the wedge between $\arg(z)=0$ and $\arg(z)=\arg(\lambda)$. It is pretty easy to show with contour integration.
 
ok, I'm back
 
@MikeMiller let the party resume!
 
@MikeMiller On campus for a midterm today. It is nicer here than it is in the Valley. It is supposed to be in the low 90's there.
Now the NWS says it is only supposed to get to 85° in the Valley today (71° here).
but we have a 10% chance of rain by the morning... storm watch!
 
Hello guys very easy and quick question
$K(x) = \frac{Z(x)+1}{Z(x)-1}$
$Z(x) = \frac{1+K(x)}{1-K(x)} $
 
8:46 PM
I almost wore a sweatshirt this morning but decided against it... good decision.
 
how do you get to the second equation?
 
I'd offer to grab a cup of coffee but despite appearances I have to run around today.
 
any idea guys?
 
@MikeMiller I realised it's good. But at this point it's probably not going to be anything more than a stimulus for me to learn homology theory.
But thanks :).
 
Ah, without a little homology this will be a tough sell, sorry.
 
8:53 PM
Such is life.
 
??
 
But maybe you can appreciate the result? :)
 
Definitely. It's pretty nice that one can avoid blatant discontinuities in these situations.
Even nicer that we can actually classify when this happens.
@trilolil Write the first equation's RHS as $2+(Z(x)-1)^{-1}$ and rearrange to find out it's actually $Z(x) = \frac{K(x)-1}{K(x)-2}$.
 
I forget, what do you do? Some flavor of accounting? (Forgive me if I got that wrong.)
 
@MikeMiller Software engineering.
And I forgive you.
:)
 
9:03 PM
@Lord_Farin not sure that s correct...
 
Ah, accounting for programming errors.
 
@trilolil You're right. I meant $1+\frac2{Z(x)-1}$.
 
even worse x). It deffinitely should be: Z(x)=1+K(x)/1−K(x)
 
@trilolil I meant for the rewriting of the RHS.
Then you'll end up with your stated answer.
@MikeMiller I guess you could put it that way :).
How about yourself? Still aiming to stay in academia?
 
@Lord_Farin I really don t see how you d get that rhs form
 
9:08 PM
I don't think it's fair to talk about aims when the job market is so impossible, but yes, that would be desirable.
 
@trilolil $Z(x)+1 = 2 + (Z(x)-1)$
@MikeMiller Oh? I thought it was still relatively tolerable in the US? Am I mistaken?
 
@Lord_Farin Where is K? and how did you end up with "2"?
 
Some flavor of mistaken, yes.
 
@trilolil $K(x) = \frac{Z(x)+1}{Z(x)-1} = \frac{(Z(x)-1)+2}{Z(x)-1} = \frac{Z(x)-1}{Z(x)-1} + \frac2{Z(x)-1}$
@trilolil Did you actually try anything?
 
@Lord_Farin wut... hm ok. ANd is that really necessary? (splitting it in that way)
yes ofc I did...
 
9:13 PM
@MikeMiller Hm... I'm sad to hear that :/. Are you already considering alternatives or is it still possible to really strive for a job in pure maths?
 
I have escape plans. I'm not going to think about it in detail until a year before I go on the market.
I'm not really sure whether I'd enjoy other things. It'd probably have to be something I have to throw myself into, lest I spend my time doing the stuff I failed to get a job in. ;)
 
@trilolil You could also multiply by $Z(x)-1$ and then do a similar trick writing $1-K(x)$ in brackets and then dividing by it. But I consider that much uglier, even.
You could also do it all in your head.
@MikeMiller Hmm. After graduating for MSc. it took me half a year to accept I wouldn't find a job in maths. As I gather from my friends it helps tremendously if you have a clear picture of the field you want to work in (I'm guessing DiffGeo), the desire to work on it deeply, and the right connections.
For me, it turned out I'm not suited to the deep work. I'm a generalist.
 
I know precisely what I like to think about (which some might call a flavor of differential geometry). But I'm avowed to not thinking about this yet.
 
Why?
 
Because there is no tangible benefit to doing so two and a half years before I'm on the job market and it causes stress to do so.
 
9:26 PM
Ah, you mean whether you'll get a position in this field. I mistook your "this" for thinking about the field you like to think about -- which I found strange :).
 
Oh, sorry, that was extremely poorly worded.
 
't Happens.
 
10:12 PM
Is there a way to simplify $\left(\vec{s} \cdot \vec{v}\right) \left(\vec{s} \times \vec{v} \right)$?
 
Anyone here knows basics in R? I have a stupid question :(
 
10:35 PM
GO AHEAD
 
10:51 PM
Disappointed that the plural of algebra isn't algebrae
…or that the plural of Balarka isn't Balarkae
2
 
Suppose we have a positive real number $x$ and $y$. Then does Archimedean property of real number mean $xn>y$ where $n \in \mathbb N$
 
Ok! That edited one?
 
@AkivaWeinberger I googled your name
it didn't tell me much, you r not the only one with that name...
 
I know what you're referencing; I wrote it.
 
11:02 PM
@ramsay Suppose you were to look it up
 
@ramsay Is $\Bbb N$ bounded?
 
@Obliv a mathematician named arturo magidin defeated my views about derivative !
 

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