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1500 questions
111
votes
5 answers

Fibonacci number that ends with 2014 zeros?

This problem is giving me the hardest time: Prove or disprove that there is a Fibonacci number that ends with 2014 zeros. I tried mathematical induction (for stronger statement that claims that there is a Fibonacci number that ends in any number…
VividD
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111
votes
5 answers

Difference between "≈", "≃", and "≅"

In mathematical notation, what are the usage differences between the various approximately-equal signs "≈", "≃", and "≅"? The Unicode standard lists all of them inside the Mathematical Operators Block. ≈ : ALMOST EQUAL TO (U+2248) ≃ :…
GOTO 0
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111
votes
7 answers

Variance of sample variance?

What is the variance of the sample variance? In other words I am looking for $\mathrm{Var}(S^2)$. I have started by expanding out $\mathrm{Var}(S^2)$ into $E(S^4) - [E(S^2)]^2$ I know that $[E(S^2)]^2$ is $\sigma$ to the power of 4. And that is as…
MathMan
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111
votes
6 answers

Finite subgroups of the multiplicative group of a field are cyclic

In Grove's book Algebra, Proposition 3.7 at page 94 is the following If $G$ is a finite subgroup of the multiplicative group $F^*$ of a field $F$, then $G$ is cyclic. He starts the proof by saying "Since $G$ is the direct product of its Sylow…
QETU
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111
votes
5 answers

What is the smallest number of $45^\circ-60^\circ-75^\circ$ triangles that a square can be divided into?

What is the smallest number of $45^\circ-60^\circ-75^\circ$ triangles that a square can be divided into? The image below is a flawed example, from http://www.mathpuzzle.com/flawed456075.gif Laczkovich gave a solution with many hundreds of…
Ed Pegg
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111
votes
3 answers

Is the derivative the natural logarithm of the left-shift?

(Disclaimer: I'm a high school student, and my knowledge of mathematics extends only to some elementary high school calculus. I don't know if what I'm about to do is valid mathematics.) I noticed something really neat the other day. Suppose we…
David Zhang
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111
votes
6 answers

What would base $1$ be?

Base $10$ uses these digits: $\{0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9\};\;$ base $2$ uses: $\{0,1\};\;$ but what would base $1$ be? Let's say we define Base $1$ to use: $\{0\}$. Because $10_2$ is equal to $010_2$, would all numbers be equal? The way I have thought…
Justin
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111
votes
3 answers

Grothendieck 's question - any update?

I was reading Barry Mazur's biography and come across this part: Grothendieck was exceptionally patient with me, for when we first met I knew next to nothing about algebra. In one of his first conversations with me, he raised the question (asked of…
Bombyx mori
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111
votes
9 answers

What are Some Tricks to Remember Fatou's Lemma?

For a sequence of non-negative measurable functions $f_n$, Fatou's lemma is a statement about the inequality $$\int \liminf_{n\rightarrow \infty} f_n \mathrm{d}\mu \leq \liminf_{n\rightarrow \infty}(\int f_n \mathrm{d} \mu)$$ or alternatively (for…
Learner
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111
votes
1 answer

Is this continuous analogue to the AM–GM inequality true?

First let us remind ourselves of the statement of the AM–GM inequality: Theorem: (AM–GM Inequality) For any sequence $(x_n)$ of $N\geqslant 1$ non-negative real numbers, we have $$\frac1N\sum_k x_k \geqslant \left(\prod_k x_k\right)^{\frac1N}$$ It…
user1892304
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111
votes
1 answer

Finding primes so that $x^p+y^p=z^p$ is unsolvable in the $p$-adic units

On my number theory exam yesterday, we had the following interesting problem related to Fermat's last theorem: Suppose $p>2$ is a prime. Show that $x^p+y^p=z^p$ has a solution in $\mathbb{Z}_p^{\times}$ if and only if there exists an integer $a$…
ArtW
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111
votes
1 answer

Tate conjecture for Fermat varieties

I've been looking at Tate's Algebraic Cycles and Poles of Zeta Functions (hard to find online... Google books outline here) and have a question about his work on (conjecturing!) the Tate conjecture for the Fermat variety $X_m^r$, defined by the…
Alex
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111
votes
6 answers

Why don't analysts do category theory?

I'm a mathematics student in abstract algebra and algebraic geometry. Most of my books cover a great deal of category theory and it is an essential tool in understanding these two subjects. Recently, I started taking some functional analysis courses…
gary
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110
votes
16 answers

Good book for self study of functional analysis

I am a EE grad. student who has had one undergraduate course in real analysis (which was pretty much the only pure math course that I have ever done). I would like to do a self study of some basic functional analysis so that I can be better prepared…
EVK
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110
votes
18 answers

Mathematical equivalent of Feynman's Lectures on Physics?

I'm slowly reading through Feynman's Lectures on Physics and I find myself wondering, is there an analogous book (or books) for math? By this, I mean a good approach to mathematics given through sweeping motions, appeals to intuition and an…