JUST SAY NO – by Steve Nadis
I’ve spent the past couple of years trying to explain complex mathematical concepts in relatively simple terms. That’s easier said than done and sometimes well nigh impossible. So I was amused when I came across this passage on the web concerning MIT mathematician Isadore Singer who “was once asked politely by a reporter if he could explain the Atiyah-Singer index theorem in simple words for the newspaper’s readers. Singer replied, ‘No I can’t.’” Sometimes I wish I’d had the same response before taking on this misbegotten project.
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at
02:53:05
There’s a way of doing that, and that’s to remember that mathematics is a type of writing, so you’re just turning writing into writing…Come to think of it, Snake, I’m having the same problem now trying to explain something complex in simple terms, so I guess the only consolation I can give you is, I’m just as prone to taking on a “misbegotten project”!
I guess that makes two of us, GM. And while there is much wisdom in what you’ve said, I will take issue with one statement. Yes you are turning writing into writing. The challenge lies in turning writing without words–writing in numbers–into words. That’s why Singer said no. He was capable of explaining it in words but he did not think that the average newspaper reader would be able to follow it, and he was probably right… –S
The concept you are illustrating is interesting in itself, Snake–why it can’t be done. I dream of someone (you) elaborating that into an essay accessible to the average, intelligent student of post-structuralism…
Good idea, GM. That does sound like an interesting endeavor. I hope I will have the time, & inspiration, to take that on one day… S