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1500 questions
11
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3 answers
First appearance of modern definition of a group
What is the first appearance in print of the modern definition of an abstract group? To qualify, it should be a formal definition, contain the word "elements" (so Burnside's 1897 restriction to "operations", where associativity is automatic, does…
David Callan
11
votes
4 answers
Concept of a function and Idea of a formula as a function
Enderton Elements of Set Theory, p. 43 (1977, Academic Press), writes:
There was a reluctance to separate the concept of a function itself from the idea of a written formula defining the function.
What is the basis for the above historical claim?…
user67
11
votes
1 answer
Were there serious attempts to model the photoelectric effect classically?
Today we see the photoelectric effect as one of the simplest pieces of empirical evidence that leads to quantum physics. The historical development of the subject, however, seems to have involved much more complicated and indirect evidence such as…
user466
11
votes
1 answer
Is anything known about part II of John McCarthy's Recursive Functions of Symbolic Expressions and Their Computation by Machine Part II?
I know that Part I was published while John McCarthy was working at MIT in 1960, in which he describes the LISP language, which he had invented 2 years prior, and is today considered one of the most seminal papers withing Computer Science. However,…
PandaConda
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11
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2 answers
What came first? The kernel from vector spaces or from group theory?
In studying vector spaces we learn about linear transformations from one vector space to another and in particular the kernel of such a transformation. When learning about group theory we also learn of kernels of homomorphisms. I know that group…
user2114
11
votes
2 answers
What films and fiction give realistic historical portrayal of science and scientists?
I am looking not for documentaries or biographies, those are easier to find, but for well written fictionalized but realistic portrayals of scientists and their work. These are hard to search for because of the large number of hits about science…
Conifold
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11
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1 answer
When was the division between the troposphere and stratosphere determined?
Nowadays, science is aware of the divisions of the Earth's atmosphere, particularly the division between the troposphere and the stratosphere, as shown in the diagram below:
Image source
When and how was the division between the troposphere and…
user22
11
votes
2 answers
What's the etymology of an engineering/software bug?
I read the Wikipedia page on Software bugs. It does have a section on its etymology. Albeit interesting it doesn't answer my question but merely notes that the term bug was used in 1878:
Use of the term "bug" to describe inexplicable defects has…
Franck Dernoncourt
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11
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3 answers
When did architects learn how to calculate load on building members accurately?
For many years, large buildings with impressive spans between the building columns were erected without precisely calculating what loads the columns, walls, and buttresses would have to support. Load on a building is a complex calculation taking in…
Mike
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11
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2 answers
Who popularized the atom icon (atomic whirl or planetary model)
There is a symbol or icon for an atom that is instantly recognizable and is associated with nuclear physics and with chemistry. A search for "nuclear atom symbol" (on 3/23/2023) shows what the essence of the symbol is:
While there are variations (3…
Karsten Theis
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11
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4 answers
Why did most steam locomotives use simple expansion?
As steam engine pressures increased, it was realized the exhaust steam still had useful pressure. The compound engine was invented to take advantage of this. The exhaust from a small high pressure cylinder fed into a larger low pressure cylinder to…
winwaed
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11
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2 answers
Who was D.A. Millin, the eponym of the Millin Series?
The Millin series is defined as:
$$\sum_{n \mathop = 0}^\infty \frac 1 {F_{2^n} }$$
where $F_n$ denotes the $n$th Fibonacci number.
It can be shown to equal $\dfrac {7 - \sqrt 5} 2$.
But who was the D.A. Millin who it is named after?
EDIT: User…
Prime Mover
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How were contour plots of complex functions produced in the days of mechanical differential analyzers?
I was reading an old paper (specifically, the first appearance of the Pearcey function, here) and I was struck by the beauty of the plots it contains, particularly for a paper from 1945-46:
Pearcey goes into significant depth of analysis about…
Emilio Pisanty
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11
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Origin of the special Finnish notation for difference of antiderivative
Apologies for a question that is specific to one country (but perhaps others find it a curious example of how mathematical notation can vary between countries).
In Finnish calculus texts, if $F$ is an antiderivative of $f$, it is customary to write…
Jukka Kohonen
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11
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4 answers
Origin of the word "de" in the name of Danish astronomer Tycho de Brahe
I am conducting a little research about the origin of the "de" in a version of the name of the Danish astronomer "Tycho Brahe", namely, "Tycho de Brahe".
In the Danish language, there is no "de". I was able to find it in Portuguese, Spanish, French,…
Jan
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