If Cats Could Do Math

[evilmathsuggestions]

Welcome to If Cats Could Do Math (@evilmathsuggestions) an offshoot of @dodecalemma.

Open now for evil math suggestion submissions and pics of cats doing math

Note: submissions be accepted only if they are valid mathematically and not explicit!

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[evilmathsuggestions]

Let R^3 be a vector space over the field of integers modulo 2.

[mathsuggestions]

Relate your problem to a common board game.

[flyingbooks42]

Create a board game that relates to your problem.

[greenouillee]

Create a trading card game that requires solving an open problem to play optimally

[dodecalemma]

Did you hear they're calling fields which don't have non-separable irreducible polynomials "perfect"? Unbelievable. I mean, it's the bare minimum. The bar is on the ground.

[evilmathsuggestions]

Use the word perfect to describe fields which have non-separable irreducible polynomials in conversation.

[evilmathsuggestions]

[evilmathsuggestions]

I’d like to note that, when pushed, he didn’t change the indexing letter, no. He just wrote √-1.

[evilmathsuggestions]

[mathsuggestions]

Pick one element out of each member of a collection of non-empty sets.

[coffee-math-chamomile]

Some would argue that this belongs on @evilmathsuggestions

[mathsuggestions]

Let ε > 0 be a real number.

[giantimp1]

Let "ε>0" be a real number. As in the whole thing is any (even negative) real number

@evilmathsuggestions

[catasters]

[spectracled-eider]

8! Least favorite notation you’ve ever seen

Einstein Summation Convention. I maintain that if you need to add a phrase to the effect of ''where we're using ESC", it is not good notation.

Thanks for the ask!

[kwarrtz]

Ah, well there's an easy solution to that: always assume ESC by default and explicitly note when you're not using it. Then it's the lack of ESC which is bad :3

[spectracled-eider]

That's the general approach taken in Lee but the fact you have to distinguish either case is a negative because good notation shouldn't be ambiguous.

Don't get me wrong, having tonnes of indices can get super messy and I appreciate the need for a notation but I don't believe it's necessarily the best solution

[evilmathsuggestions]

“always assume ESC by default and explicitly note when you're not using it”

[catasters]

[janmisali]

now if you thought "group" is an unhelpful and nondescriptive name for a mathematical concept. just remember that the broader category of mathematical concepts that groups belong to is called, a "category". so it could always be worse

[algebraic-dualist]

Honestly I enjoy very much the terminology of category theory. If I could only make one change to the whole field it would be to rename categories to monoids, and call what is currently a monoid simply a mon, to strengthen the analogy of groups versus groupoids.

[locally-normal]

Or as ncatlab suggests, call categories monoidoids.

I'm not sure what monoidoidoid should be, maybe something with operads?

[bagalois]

[yoneda-emma]

Is this conjecture true?

yes

no

what

Voting ended onMar 26, 2025

[evilmathsuggestions]

EINSTEIN NOTATION MY BELOTHED

[blignick]

[talenelat]

Are you bored out of your mind?

Looking for something fun to do?

1. Walk up to your local statistician or statistics department.

2. Loudly and proudly declare: "Everything has a 50% chance of happening. It either happens, or it doesn't".

3. Hope your local statistician(s) do not jog and/or are not athletic whatsoever.

[ante--meridiem]

4. Find someone doing this and retort "everything either has a 100% or 0% chance of happening, you just don't have enough information yet to say which". Hope you have the lung capacity for an animated debate while fleeing your local statistician(s) together.