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6 answers
What are some good references elucidating the discovery/creation of Fourier Series?
I've always grappled with anything related to Fourier since my undergrad days. Recently, when revisiting why I learned what I did, I discovered how Fourier's desire to understand the flow of heat through a solid body led to the creation/discovery of…
PhD
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8
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Why is umbral calculus not used more widely?
Recently I have encountered the so-called Umbral calculus. The main idea of this field is to treat indices as exponents, applying simpler techniques available to exponents and switching everything back when the work is done. The Wikipedia article on…
mrtaurho
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8
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1 answer
Who solved the particle-in-a-box model first?
I got curious who invented the particle-in-a-box model first. It is really simple and intuitive. I was googling to find the original author who suggested it but I only get textbook or webpages as results.
Suzanka
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8
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1 answer
Gauss's anticipation of quaternions and their relation to congruences
Recently i read the article "Hamilton, Rodrigues, Gauss, Quaternions and Rotations: A Historical Reassessment", which can be found freely on the internet. This article is by far the most comprehensive paper i found on the early history of…
user2554
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8
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1 answer
Who did say that anyone who discover a new particle should be fined instead of receiving a prize?
I am almost sure I read once that a famous physicist said that anyone who discover a new particle should be fined instead of receiving a prize. The context was that at the time there was more and more particles being found and little theory to give…
Diracology
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8
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3 answers
What were the early uses of differential equations for modeling chemical reactions?
What are some of the original examples of uses of differential equations for modeling and analyzing chemical reactions, particularly those relevant to biochemistry, involving proteins and enzymes? Michaelis and Menten's work in 1910s is one…
user7496
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8
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Was a regular heptagon ever constructed by ancient Greeks?
Today it is well known that a regular heptagon cannot be constructed with straightedge and compass, since it would require to solve an equation of third degree which is not possible with the standard Euclidean tools.
However, a marked ruler or a…
mau
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2 answers
What was Lebesgue's original definition of a measurable set?
I found an interesting question on Math SE asked by @Dilemian that seems more on topic here, and since it lacks answers there I thought to post it here so that it can receive good answers here.
There are several equivalent ways to define a…
user3224
8
votes
2 answers
How did Wittgenstein fulfill eligibility requirements for a PhD in philosophy without having a Bachelor's degree in philosophy?
The Wikipedia article about Wittgenstein says:
In Norway it was clear that Moore was expected to act as Wittgenstein's secretary, taking down his notes, with Wittgenstein falling into a rage when Moore got something wrong. When he returned to…
user6103
8
votes
3 answers
Was the convolution product invented or discovered?
In analysis textbooks and classes I sometimes see the convolution product introduced as a sort of artificial tool - just a clever method for constructing functions that somebody smart came up with at some point.
My question is, is this an accurate…
Jack M
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What was Euler's first language?
Mathematicians of the 18th century and the Swiss people are known to speak and write every language.
Leonhard Euler belongs to both of these categories and wrote articles in any language, I am not able to track down any information on his native…
Džuris
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8
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Definitions of continuity pre-Dedekind
In his article on "Kant's Theory of Geometry", Michael Friedman claims that:
(...) before Dedekind mathematicians would commonly give what we call the definition of denseness when explaining what they meant by "continuity": namely, "for every…
Nagase
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8
votes
2 answers
Why is the azimuthal quantum number so named?
The name "azimuthal quantum number" is often used for the total orbital angular momentum quantum number $\ell$ in an atom.
What is the origin of this name? It makes no sense to me, since the usual meaning of "azimuthal" is apparently "of or…
Brian
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8
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3 answers
Who are "analysts" and "synthesists" in mathematics?
What is the difference between the terms "analysis" and "synthesis" used in a mathematical context?
For example, Hawkins's Emergence of the Theory of Lie Groups p. 3 says that Klein and Lie
were self-styled "synthesists" in the midst of analysts…
Geremia
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8
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When did the use of complex numbers become widespread in physics?
Complex number are extremely useful in every branch of physics dealing with ondulatory phenomena. In electromagnetism, for example, they allow to write the solution of Maxwell's equations in a form which is particularly simple to manipulate.
When…
valerio
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