Partial Sum

Having solved all the (non)mathematical problems in the first term, I thought the second one would be a bed of roses. Very soon I found, however, crossing the bridge before one comes to it is a sure-fire way to run into trouble. So..

Academically it is the same old song, our modules still fall into two cases. Case one, we actually prove things (including the *obvious* ones and without using the i-can-see-that method). Case two, we refer to proofs (this is true, you will see it next year).

My favourite subject is Analysis (case one), as the results are well founded and therefore I no longer have to worry the differentiation formulas (that many take for granted) might actually be wrong. Apart from pure mathematics we can take a few IT modules in this term - there is numerical modelling in Matlab or object oriented programming in Java; These extras are nice, however maths in the original form of pencil, paper and bin still remains number one.

Hence, it may come as no surprise that I spend most of my time in n-dimensional spaces, where n tends to be at least seventeen (though this depends). Nevertheless I sometimes happen to notice things happening on campus - as the spacious rooms of our university accommodate numerous conferences and events over the weekends. For example there is TED coming next week with all their brand new ideas, there was the One World Week festival on campus in early February. The aim of this event is to raise awareness of other cultures. As much as this may sound as mere rhetoric, there is something to it, since our cultural background affects the way we perceive the world. A brief guide (based on my own experience) to survival in selected cultures and societies follows.

Mathematical culture. To start with, you need to know the basics (ie the maths mytology). This includes the creation myths "..on the seventh day, God created geometry and solved some problems for pleasure" or the famous myth about the mathematical Achilles (e to the x), who defends a beautiful constant function against derivatives, only to eventually succumb to the cunning d/dy.

Moreover you need to know a lot of theory, because things such as spiral similarity are essential on a daily basis. Also, a proper mathematician is always ready to talk about maths. By the way, in case you have been wondering what the conversation is all about for the last ten minutes, don't worry too much and smile instead. The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.

Enjoy!

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