I am looking for a math typesetting style guide. By this I don't mean the kind of stylesheet for journal submissions that says "Be sure to use the blah-blah-blah LaTeX package and the XYZ equation environment, and our army of editorial assistants will tie up the loose ends and knock off the rough edges." (Why not? Because my advisor is involved in starting a new journal, and suddenly my labmates and I are that army of editorial assistants.) [more inside]
posted by nebulawindphone on Nov 4, 2009 - 11 answers

Statistics question: is it possible to test sets of cumulative data for significant differences in rate? [more inside]
posted by rollick on Nov 4, 2009 - 9 answers

Is there an enumeration of complete chess games? [more inside]
posted by Blazecock Pileon on Oct 30, 2009 - 10 answers

I've never seen this mathematical symbol used this way before. Can anyone tell me what it means? [more inside]
posted by mazniak on Oct 25, 2009 - 8 answers

Can I get into a funded Math Master's or PhD program? I'm graduating from a 4-year college with my B.S. this Spring, and I'm in my mid-30's. I have good GPA at this school (about a 3.6, up to about a 3.8 in math courses specifically) and good GRE scores (720 V / 780 Q), but I have dropped a lot of courses (I've worked full time over the years while getting my degree), and back in the mid-90's I flunked out of the first university I went to. [more inside]
posted by tamaraster on Oct 14, 2009 - 12 answers

What is the most important scientific question of our time? [more inside]
posted by Demogorgon on Oct 12, 2009 - 44 answers

How do you multiply probability across multiple chances? Let's say that every time you roll a die, you have a one-in-six chance of having five come up. What math would you perform to come up with the probability of five coming up at some point with the dice being rolled two times? Three? Five? Ten? (I'm using dice as a shorthand here: the actual probability figure I'm working with is 24%.)
posted by WCityMike on Sep 16, 2009 - 15 answers

Is there a formula related to the statement "What's old becomes new again"? As middle age encroaches, it becomes harder and harder not to see history recycled and repackaged whether fashion, music, etc... [more inside]
posted by Funmonkey1 on Sep 15, 2009 - 12 answers

Asking for a friend: With the use of Fourier series, I'm trying to solve an ODE of the form L*y'' + R*y' + y/C = r(x), where r(x) = 1 - x^2 for |x| <= 1, i.e. has a period of 2. To do so I need to represent 1 - x^2 as a Fourier series. In doing so I have to integrate e^(-n * i * pi * x), but I've reached a stumbling block. [more inside]
posted by PuGZ on Sep 13, 2009 - 2 answers

Is there a mathematical, economic, logical or game-theory name/description for the following scenario? [more inside]
posted by contessa on Sep 4, 2009 - 11 answers

MathFilter, NumericSimplificationFilter, RecursionFilter, ExcelFilter: Where X_1,X_2,...,X_n can be any number, is there a name, simplified series, or equation to describe: (X_1)+(X_1+X_2)+(X_1+X_2+X_3)+...+(X_1+X_2+...+X_n) ? Seriously seriously insane exel implementation question inside. [more inside]
posted by Nanukthedog on Aug 28, 2009 - 16 answers

I have been attending graduate school in mathematics for the last 3 years, in hopes of getting a Ph.D. It hasn't exactly worked out - I'm taking my Master's and getting out of here. What can I do now? [more inside]
posted by Earl the Polliwog on Aug 9, 2009 - 13 answers

When did "Maths" change to "Math" in American English? Or is it the other way around? [more inside]
posted by fishmasta on Jul 11, 2009 - 39 answers

What textbook can I use to learn General Relativity, including the associated math? [more inside]
posted by DU on Jul 6, 2009 - 22 answers

As a former scientist, help me gain some faith in economics. What were the great successes of economics as a tool for making better decisions in the last 100 years? [more inside]
posted by zaebiz on Jun 23, 2009 - 20 answers

I want a PhD in Mathematics, but I do not want to stay in academia. Is it worth it? [more inside]
posted by alligatorman on Jun 14, 2009 - 11 answers

I want to calculate the mean of a matrix, but I don't want a value, I want co-ordinates. The following math question has lots of terminology that I'm not qualified to use i.e. most of it is wrong. I hope you can see through this and help me. I will be using the words matrix, mean and transformation without fully understanding them. For this I apologize. [more inside]
posted by handybitesize on Jun 8, 2009 - 6 answers

How do I keep track of things I want to cover in the future in the course I'm teaching? [more inside]
posted by madcaptenor on May 15, 2009 - 11 answers

I need a good statistics book! [more inside]
posted by Brennus on May 7, 2009 - 14 answers

I need a free and robust math worksheet generator, and don't care whether or not it's a script, web-based, or software. [more inside]
posted by booksherpa on Apr 28, 2009 - 3 answers

Is it worth learning Python for combinatorial mathematics research? [more inside]
posted by alligatorman on Apr 14, 2009 - 27 answers

Math problem with shipping rates. Can a maths whiz point me in the right direction? [more inside]
posted by dydecker on Apr 14, 2009 - 11 answers

I have always been horrible at math, but somehow a great programmer. I have found that writing a computer program that demonstrates a certain mathematical concept enables me to better understand the concept. I'm a psych major and I brought this up once in the research lab I've been working in. My prof said he recalls that someone did research and/or created a system in which a student writes a computer program that is pertinent to a certain mathematical concept and upon completion is given the regular math problem (as it would appear in a math class). This enables the student to better understand the math problem, solve, and learn math. Has anyone heard of this or anything similar? A learning system such as this would be a blessing to my education. Thanks.
posted by fightoplankton on Apr 13, 2009 - 15 answers

Do you know good sources for historical mathematics images, specifically the Bridges of Königsberg by Leonhard Euler? [more inside]
posted by tnygard on Apr 7, 2009 - 4 answers

Does anyone have software recommendations for making Venn diagrams? Especially complicated ones? [more inside]
posted by tnygard on Mar 10, 2009 - 9 answers

On blank graph paper, what is the mathematically proper name for any random line you see on the page? It wouldn't be "coordinate" since that refers to the line's value. It wouldn't be "grid" since that refers to all of the visible lines. It wouldn't be "axis" since there can be only one in each direction. I'd also be cool with the name for all of the lines (as a set) that are parallel to one another. Thanks!
posted by crapmatic on Mar 2, 2009 - 14 answers

I am looking for a six digit number that would satisfy theses conditions: each digit is between 2 and 9 and the sum of each number exponement 6 yeild the very same number. Anyone ?
posted by selfsck on Feb 23, 2009 - 10 answers

Did Pythagoras exist? [more inside]
posted by painquale on Feb 14, 2009 - 11 answers

If I take the GRE Mathematics Subject Test in April, and then again in October, will graduate schools necessarily see my April score when I apply? [more inside]
posted by alligatorman on Feb 7, 2009 - 6 answers

How would you go about proving that the law of demand does not exist? [more inside]
posted by johannahdeschanel on Jan 31, 2009 - 8 answers

Best books, websites, lecture series on game theory and its applications for smart people who understand mathematics but can't stand trawling through pages of unnecessary complex formulae?
posted by vizsla on Jan 26, 2009 - 8 answers

Can someone explain why despite the fact that every one of these incidents occurs at a unique time and place, each involves a complex history of events and personal decisions leading to its very unlikely outcome, that the death toll on the roads year-on-year is so predictable? See here and here. [more inside]
posted by zaebiz on Dec 28, 2008 - 47 answers

There is the story of the perennial house guest who is either a distinguished mathematician or a physicist. The story goes that if this gentleman comes to stay with a young scientist it means that their future in the field is in for a sudden uptick. His tenure in their home tends to result in a few collaborative papers which in turn leads to notice in the scientific community and a rapid rise in status. Please help me find this professor's name?
posted by cm on Dec 26, 2008 - 14 answers

I've got math anxiety but not the traditional kind. I'm graduating with a math degree but I feel very insecure pursuing higher math. How did something this beautiful turn into a bugbear? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 4, 2008 - 20 answers

Can anyone suggest good places to visit in Greece (or nearby) that are relevent to mathematics? Much more detail inside. [more inside]
posted by junipero on Nov 25, 2008 - 3 answers

Wanting to leave academia after astrophysics PhD (oscillations in atmospheres of rotating starts, planets and discs). Need some feedback, tags, hints, keywords, that I should search in google and some suggestions of where my skills (look in the extended explanation) would be appreciated. [more inside]
posted by gradstu1980 on Nov 9, 2008 - 11 answers

Maximizing a function over orthogonal matrices, or: solving polynomial order 2 systems. Help me out or point me to a better forum / listhost. [more inside]
posted by a robot made out of meat on Oct 26, 2008 - 15 answers

Mac users who write LaTeX documents in Emacs (with or without AucTeX), please tell me about your workflow. [more inside]
posted by gleuschk on Oct 4, 2008 - 10 answers

Please suggest a learning plan for learning upper level math? [more inside]
posted by prunes on Sep 16, 2008 - 9 answers

I've just started dating someone who studies serious hardcore applied math. I am a complete and utter math idiot who is lost at anything above multiplication tables. I would like to sort of understand what is going on inside his massive, beautiful brain. Help? [more inside]
posted by logovisual on Sep 11, 2008 - 33 answers

Does the fact that the betting markets still give Hillary Clinton a 1 in 55 chance of being President in 2008, mean that that is a reasonable estimate of the chance that Obama is assassinated before the election? What else could justify those odds now?
posted by zaebiz on Sep 1, 2008 - 14 answers

I'll graduate with a BS in mathematics in June. I plan on taking exactly one year off before entering a PhD program. What should I do during this time off, and what steps should I be taking now? [more inside]
posted by alligatorman on Aug 28, 2008 - 5 answers

Here's the deal: I've exhausted my neurons looking for some kind of answer to a mathematical symbol stumper. I'd love to know who invented, originated, or was the first individual to use the double-tilde (≈) as a means of expressing/denoting "approximately equal" in mathematics. I know that Robert-Recorde is supposed to have introduced the "equals" sign (=) in 1557. Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated. I await enlightenment.
posted by font_snob on Aug 28, 2008 - 5 answers

How long should it reasonably take before 2 "Last Men on Earth" meet? [more inside]
posted by mr_book on Aug 23, 2008 - 24 answers

Job suggestions for a PhD mathematician wanting to leave academia and enter industry? [more inside]
posted by leahwrenn on Aug 8, 2008 - 16 answers

Applied Math Filter: Help me use math! I'd like to learn more about mathematics and it's practical applications - particularly in Computer Science [more inside]
posted by dcbarker on Aug 1, 2008 - 13 answers

What natural proficiencies would I need / want to have in order to get a degree in computer science? I have some issues with math, and am not sure whether that's a dealbreaker. [more inside]
posted by FortyT-wo on Jul 26, 2008 - 32 answers

Looking for programs or study options to fulfill math, statistics and economics prerequisites ahead of applying to grad school? [more inside]
posted by tonci on Jul 21, 2008 - 7 answers

Anyone ever worked as an editor/proofreader for science and mathematics articles not written by native English speakers? [more inside]
posted by number9dream on Jul 20, 2008 - 8 answers

Why are sine waves considered "pure" tones? Why do we consider sinusoids the building blocks of periodic functions? [more inside]
posted by phrontist on Jun 28, 2008 - 35 answers