tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88024091565390283982011-11-27T20:19:38.886ZAs always, I mean the inclusive or! This blog is ramblings about my life. Since I define maths to be half of my life, at most times I'll probably be rambling a lot about maths. Mostly not making sense, I presume.Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.comBlogger5711100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-112719217336601932009-09-16T13:05:00.000+01:002009-09-16T13:29:47.936+01:00

When I was a child (and even now), I loved going to school. I enjoyed learning (most subjects) and had a great time at all the institutions that I have attended. Now some of my siblings were the complete opposite to me. They hated going to school to learn. Nunu who is now in year 8 is the same - school is attended for socialising, not really for learning. (Unless of course it’s the favourite

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-75525660272556332592009-09-14T05:44:00.004+01:002009-09-14T06:47:28.998+01:00

I'll be doing this post in chronological order for a change, as I'm pressed for time. You see I haven't got into a routine for doing "homework" which consists of "reading" so I'm awake at some unusual time trying to finish things off!The first word that comes to mind when I think about my first week on the PGCE course is tiring. Both mentally and physically I'm afraid. Unfortunately my health is

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-65528488326510901142009-09-11T16:07:00.003+01:002009-09-11T16:28:30.308+01:00

This week I have started the PGCE Secondary Mathematics course. The course is indeed quite challenging, though not in the same sense as the Maths degree was. The first thing I have realised is that the PGCE is somewhat harder than the Maths degree. You see when I was studying Maths, it was all about my perception and mental issues with concepts, and how I dealt with trying to understand topics.

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-52745373304215890722009-08-17T14:48:00.003+01:002009-08-17T16:02:17.582+01:00

This question has been looming over my shoulders since I graduated - what next? However I have been doing a very good job at avoiding any attempts at answering this question by reading a lot of fiction. Well without the Internet to distract me, and the fact that my controller for the PS3 got "misplaced" (according to my mum!) during the building work, I needed something to do. And so in

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-18993963875525887722009-07-16T16:22:00.006+01:002009-08-15T02:57:33.515+01:00

Monday 13th July 2009 was the day my graduation ceremony was scheduled for, starting at 10am. Sunday night though, you could find me pulling my hair out from one side and my mother pulling it from the other! Yes - she was insisting that I "look smart" and gave me a huge complex about it all, and that too the night before the ceremony. I understood where she was coming from (whilst being deeply

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-3904589994575345522009-07-13T01:15:00.000+01:002009-07-13T01:17:00.494+01:00

Today at 10am I will graduate with a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics.It feels slightly weird though. My graduation signals an end to my undergraduate days - an end to a certain chaos I lived in; however I don't feel "bad" or regret how things have turned out. I am to be honest mostly relieved that I managed to get a decent grade, for in my third year life went topsy turvy and my University studies

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-11894651167684019132009-05-08T10:34:00.002+01:002009-05-08T10:46:16.266+01:00

Today is officially the last day, and indeed my last lecture of my University "career". Next week is a revision week, after which my exams will begin.How am I feeling about this? Well yesterday during Hyperbolic Geometry, it seemed to hit home that everything is coming to an end. Today it feels slightly worse, but I know in my heart, that I am making the right decision.At the moment I have one

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-22261127059444619652009-05-03T15:20:00.002+01:002009-05-03T15:57:34.535+01:00

Today I was in the mood for some Maths; and as I am home alone, I had no distractions etc. First up it was the Euler Product for the zeta function. I understood the sieve process, until the very two last lines which complete the proof. We take the sup and limits and then draw a nice black square. Well not very nice in my case, but at least I followed the main idea I consoled myself.Next came

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-13764030153750553282009-04-26T17:41:00.003+01:002009-04-26T18:22:03.560+01:00

I bought 10 Ruth Rendell (Inspector Wexford mysteries) for £7.50 recently, and they are inspiringly quite "thin". Well they are not your normal John Grisham sized book you see, and they're equally good to read. They're stacked next to my bed in the correct order, waited to be gobbled through by myself.Now you might recall that I once stated that I never read fiction during term time, as it

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-26377725408483149152009-04-25T11:41:00.002+01:002009-04-25T11:47:55.467+01:00

Dear All,You are invited to attend the last Galois Group lectures of the semester (and maybe my last one too!). Two lectures will be given next Wednesday (29th April) at 1:10pm in room G.205 by Speaker 1 - Linux for Mathematicians - a simple introduction; and by Speaker 2 - A "Group Calculator" to help in learning group theory. (Abstracts below).The lectures are open to everyone, and registration

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-24554046719400141962009-04-24T21:19:00.003+01:002009-04-24T22:06:46.769+01:00

I haven't blogged for a very good reason. I call it escapism. Blogging makes me ask questions about what I will be doing next year. Blogging forces me to address issues that I do not have the guts to face.I have been a massive chicken, I confess. However today, as the Tweenies enjoyed a cup of tea (and some sushi!) we all reflected on our three years at University and how only a month or so

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-21327586765143608482009-03-17T03:48:00.002Z2009-03-17T03:55:32.600Z

Especially at this time! Yes tis my fault, but my Number Theory course has been very uninspiring up till this point. The inspiration being that I have a test today at 9am which I am going to do very badly in.I honestly don't know how I can get a grip of my motivation and study! And another funny figure is the amount of third year students who I have heard say: "I hate Maths".I don't hate the

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-60258021020175917762009-03-16T10:33:00.002Z2009-03-16T10:44:44.400Z

Dear All,You are invited to attend Professor Richard Sharp's Galois Group lecture about 'Paradoxical Decompositions' this Wednesday 18th March 2009, at 1:10pm in the Alan Turing Building Room G.207. Free refreshments will be available at the end. (You would be mad to miss this lecture!)Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or comments.Best wishes, Beans---------------------------

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-70475083884750305152009-03-02T18:53:00.002Z2009-03-02T21:07:34.772Z

Mondays are very dangerous. Especially when one has six hours of Maths lecture, namely: Number Theory, Commutative Algebra, Algebraic Geometry, Galois Theory (x2) and finally Hyperbolic Geometry.What also makes matters worse is that I'm not allowed to go to sleep yet as it is too early, and that I have a lot of work to do. I also have a test on Thursday which I am not particularly looking forward

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-59044777754141124042009-02-28T11:42:00.002Z2009-02-28T12:28:38.134Z

Well not yet anyway! I might have died for 2.5 months, but that's because the Internet... my life source (!) was gone. It finally returned last night at 7pm, but you will have to forgive me for not posting then as I was too busy celebrating!Don't shake your heads in disgust - surely you were missing my lame jokes and comments? No? Or you don't want to confess?!Anyway, this is going to be a

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-61485314371875891462008-12-17T19:56:00.004Z2008-12-17T22:02:31.004Z

Today I am exhausted. There is no other way to describe me. I am one of them stupid people who have the habit of 'wanting to put my foot into everything'.It was the student Galois Group lecture today, which although I didn't understand parts of, was very well delivered and the turnout was equally great. I did something to make sure that we had a good turnout, which I will mention in a minute, but

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-55296354365362498072008-12-15T21:59:00.003Z2008-12-15T22:25:39.799Z

I feel kinda bad that I'm only blogging at the moment, in order to get any readers out there to attend the Galois Group lectures! (So I've added some snippets after my invitation for you to attend this Wednesday.) Please do come, as this student has gone solo and wants as many people attending as possible (and so do I!):Dear All,The last Galois Group lecture of the semester - Mathematics and

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-50929087969537651742008-12-04T16:22:00.001Z2008-12-09T16:20:57.812Z

As I have previously mentioned, I am now allowed to use the computers in the Brian Hartley (BH) room for “Galois Group” business (i.e. to make and print posters, and to use TeXnic centre). However, on the door to the Brian Hartley room, in big massive writing, it says: “Only for Staff and Postgraduate Students”. Yesterday as I conversed with Dr. Coleman, he, as always, commented “that I wasn’t

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-36815539883355460352008-12-01T20:34:00.002Z2008-12-01T20:51:40.816Z

Hello hello hello.Yes - I have finally found time to blog, but first let me advertise the next Galois Group lecture, lest I find myself out of time! Dr. Eccles is no longer Dr. Eccles in my dictionary. He has demanded that I replace Dr. Eccles with Peter! Now as you can imagine I find this quite strange, but Dr. E - well what he doesn't know can't hurt him, and he doesn't know about my blog so I

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-64958693426727078762008-11-25T16:44:00.002Z2008-11-25T16:52:25.196Z

Shamelessly copied from their website, I bring to your attention a conference that will be taking place at The University of Manchester, from Monday 12th January 09 to Wednesday 14th January 09. Hurry up and register if you're interested in attending! If you're an undergraduate student, there are a limited amount of places for you (and you don't have to pay anything), but send an email to the

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-70490710507067255602008-11-23T16:52:00.002Z2008-11-23T17:26:02.906Z

A few weeks ago I mentioned how a massive change was going to occur in my life. This change was inevitably going to unbalance me, as I tried to readjust myself and make accommodations. The change was a positive change and I am not "unhappy" by it. Alas though, this good change has perhaps inversely affected my mathematics.Yes - I study Mathematics at University, but I don't really study it. I go

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-3043094549731877932008-11-08T19:42:00.003Z2008-11-08T19:45:24.684Z

Dear All,The Galois Group returns with another set of general audience lectures, but on this occasion you will be presented with two lectures given by undergraduate students. Please show support to your fellow classmates and attend on Wednesday 12th November at 1:10-2pm in room G.207 (Alan Turing Building).*************************************************Wednesday 12th November 2008 at 1:10-

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-33435300523012558462008-11-03T01:31:00.002Z2008-11-03T01:39:34.009Z

I haven't posted in a while I know, but there is a very good reason behind this. You see last week a lot happened which I was busy burying in my little closet and which I didn't want to blog about. Non-mathematical stuff obviously, but I knew that if I was to post anything then I would write "there's something that I don't want to write about" and then end up writing that "something"!Indeed I

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-15769662300862917072008-10-29T08:53:00.003Z2008-10-29T09:05:52.682Z

I just woke up a while ago and noticed the snow as I walked downstairs. I didn't believe my eyes at first, but the dream that I had been enduring just before I woke i.e. being late for my 11am lecture, was enough to convince me!Last night I had gone to sleep fairly early (in my books!) and thus, I was supposed to wake up earlier than now to "not do some maths". I suppose that was rather hopeful

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-6647410007422207122008-10-28T22:08:00.004Z2008-10-28T22:34:37.819Z

There's nothing like "advertising things" at the last minute! Unfortunately though, for those interested, I believe tomorrows event (advertised below) is for Manchester students only. Well the email did say "Although you will not need to pre-register, you will need to show your university student card to enter Calculating Careers and gain a student information pack." but I'm not sure if you can

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-68103651464497488032008-10-27T22:08:00.003Z2008-10-27T22:57:50.171Z

It seems that the powers that be either felt sorry for me today, or they want to keep me alive long enough to throw other misfortunes onto me! Everyone seemed to be very nice to me today, well apart from when Dr. C was being mean but he said that I was misunderstanding his humour (fair enough I replied, tis a Monday after all!).Well actually Dr. C might have been mean twice come to think of it!

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-21152831254698418912008-10-26T22:11:00.002Z2008-10-26T22:40:00.854Z

I have done nothing "mathematical" this weekend, which is quite the shame for I had every intention of being productive this weekend.How do I measure my productivity? Well it seems that I only turned my computer on now, and for the whole weekend I haven't touched it.Come now, doesn't that mean I must have been busy doing Maths then? you wonder. Ach, what can I say - not all is that simple with me

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-3765794327500443782008-10-24T22:10:00.006+01:002008-10-25T00:01:37.315+01:00

Yesterday was a Thursday and I had a Measure Theory lecture from 3-4pm. (Technically speaking it is 3-3:50pm, but that just doesn't look right!) I had mentioned that I was looking forward to the lecture as we would be continuing the proof of a Theorem stated on Tuesday. It was one of them "Andrew Wile's Fermat's Last Theorem Proof Lecture" if I may say so myself! The build up and excitement were

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-18631601403666604992008-10-24T15:50:00.001+01:002008-10-24T15:55:20.432+01:00

Apologies to those who were sitting expectantly at their computers, waiting for my post about "yesterday". Unfortunately I have developed a habit of falling asleep in the AT Building and today it wasn't just for 30-40 mins, but for at least 1hr and 30mins! How did I manage such a remarkable thing? you ask, without obviously being disturbed by the uproar of the mathematics department. Have the

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-17405725407506907932008-10-23T22:38:00.003+01:002008-10-23T22:53:13.057+01:00

A lot I have to say today, but there's not a lot of time I'm afraid, hence why I will leave you with three "coolish quotes".(1) Failure is not the only punishment for laziness; there is also the success of others.- Jules Renard(2) What a blessing it would be if we could open and shut our ears as easily as we open and shut our eyes!- Georg Christoph Lichtenberg(3) Realism...has no more to do with

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-52393163905445892162008-10-22T19:49:00.003+01:002008-10-23T01:28:54.546+01:00

Joseph-Louis Lagrange was of the idea that:"A mathematician has not thoroughly understood his own work till he has made is so clear that he can go out and explain it effectively to the first man he meets on the street."Baby mathematicians (i.e. mathematicians who have not yet began their journey of research) are allowed to substitute "his own work" with "others work"!So how many of you actually

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-2748420073079014012008-10-21T22:44:00.002+01:002008-10-22T00:08:34.394+01:00

Today a lot of (countable?) things have happened, but enough to leave me in a haze of confusion and a small panic. This small panic I have disguised quite well for most of the day, and it's nothing really related to Maths or University. It's something to do with me and something that I although expected, wasn't really prepared for, if you follow me. It's like knowing that you have an exam but not

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-85722234077219206722008-10-21T03:32:00.000+01:002008-10-21T04:38:11.948+01:00

The title might ring a bell for those of you who have watched Madagascar, and if you haven't watched it then what are you doing reading this post?!I know for a fact that I am going to have the lines from that movie in my head today, which isn't too bad a thing I suppose. Well rather than having silly group theoretical facts, at least the movie lines will keep me amused! (Yes, it seems I am easily

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-34024264885259512642008-10-20T02:04:00.002+01:002008-10-20T02:55:57.838+01:00

I hereby declare that I will not complain about being tired tomorrow after having six hours of Maths lectures, including a 9am start (which is followed by a further three hours!). However, I will most likely be complaining that Mathematics (Measure and Graph Theory in particular) are to blame for my current plight.Today, Sunday, I have been very very sleepy and it's all because of a certain

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-10999473209967938902008-10-17T23:23:00.002+01:002008-10-18T01:50:29.295+01:00

I realised today, that when one isn't feeling particularly happy, the world seems to slow down completely. The cars on the roads, people walking on the pavement, the lecturer's mouth talking in another language all seem to be happening in slow motion.You hide this sadness quite well and no one knows how your insides shudder in turmoil, wondering what to do next. No one else sees this slowness.

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-42341092117845570742008-10-16T22:20:00.003+01:002008-10-16T22:44:47.300+01:00

This is life, or so I'm told. You meet some dead ends, crash into everything and then face more bumps. But hey - the "life" bit tells us that we have to deal with such things and get on with it.What happens though when you are not willing to deal with things any more? Does one stop "living"?Or does the thing that you're struggling towards cease to exist? Does that venture die. And a part of you

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-78594823163694467892008-10-14T22:48:00.003+01:002008-10-14T23:31:31.936+01:00

Someone rudely disturbed me whilst I was on planet Mars, having a nap. I have truly become a monster now - a very sleepy one. Muhahaha.I left the AT building at some time after 5pm and got home at 7pm-ish. Did I mention that buses and public transport can be quite horrible at times? My best bet would have been to actually camp in the AT building today, for upon coming home tea is the only thing I

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-60659825391708096092008-10-14T16:17:00.003+01:002008-10-14T16:34:10.052+01:00

I talk at an unnaturally fast speed and I always have done so. I have a perfectly "acceptable" excuse for this, but I'm not the in the "perfectly acceptable mood" to disclose it.I'm still in the AT building waiting to dump the refreshments in Dr. C's office. He wasn't in before but I do hope he sends me an email when he's free (as unlikely as that sounds).As you can tell (perhaps) from my "short

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-23012987814889157152008-10-13T21:55:00.003+01:002008-10-13T23:05:21.328+01:00

Firstly I must apologise for actually posting a picture of my "rough notes" on my blog the other day. That's no way to write mathematics and I was being very rough and vague (in a manner of speaking).Today was a Monday. The dreaded Monday. Six hours of sheer \sout{delight} torture! Why doesn't it surprise me that I can hear someone else's evil laugh on this occasion. Meh.It was the usual 9am

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-89299124458521900622008-10-12T15:53:00.004+01:002008-10-12T16:44:00.606+01:00

Today I have woken up on the wrong side of bed.Normally I would make a big deal about that statement for it isn't physically possible for me to do such a thing, but today you'll have to forgive me for not trying to be remotely funny.Once again I have been a couch potatoe since I woke up, but at 2pm I forced myself off the sofa and made a cup of tea for myself. This was an achievement indeed for I

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-27538026949571536692008-10-12T00:46:00.004+01:002008-10-12T01:22:37.453+01:00

If you are all waiting patiently for an intelligent post that I might one day make, then please continue waiting as today is not that day. I guess I should be quite happy that I am slowly making a routine for my sleeping patterns, but it's the weekend so I'm not happy!! Meh - I have been falling asleep at this time for the past few days, hence why I am now feeling very heavy and droopy.The

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-86941341858414356652008-10-10T22:13:00.002+01:002008-10-10T23:16:26.559+01:00

Hurrah tis the weekend and that means my alarm clock will suddenly disappear, and I will awake at some unreasonable time having caught up on my sleep. It also means a few other non-trivialities (MATHS!) but let us first relax ourselves.I have finished the damn book I was reading - Memoirs of a Geisha - which turned out to be a damn good book too! I would definitely recommend it, namely because

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-43250664259305339222008-10-10T00:14:00.004+01:002008-10-10T00:23:23.291+01:00

Please see below for more information. (I have sufficiently calmed down after my "rants" in my other post today!)"Dear all,A quick recall for those who might have forgot: The Galois Group is an undergraduate Mathematics society at The University of Manchester who organise general audience lectures throughout the year, given by lecturers and students. It's aim is to generate some mathematical

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-18265940138925489612008-10-09T22:46:00.003+01:002008-10-10T00:13:01.869+01:00

Today (Thursday) has been a nice-ish day. Yesterday was good too...well apart from when I was very nearly killed! I had joked with Dr. C that I had to run otherwise I would "be killed", and I was surprised when this joke very nearly became reality. I didn't enjoy the "sensation of trying to be killed", so as you can imagine I wasn't myself for 15 seconds. It can't have been more than fifteen

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-67486029411596656252008-10-07T23:39:00.004+01:002008-10-08T00:59:57.115+01:00

Two days. Two nine am starts. Eleven hours. Rushed lunch. No breakfast. Food?! Pain. Aahh.The above paragraph very nicely describes the words I am able to splutter to anyone asking.Now I'm going to write a lot of mumbo jumbo, and make a big deal out of trivial things. I don't believe that you would expect any different from me, but don't say that you weren't warned.When one says "I'm tired", one

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-39253161799338425872008-10-06T14:27:00.000+01:002008-10-06T20:28:47.675+01:00

EDIT: Another update from my "mystical ball" (thanks to a member of the maths department): Thurs 9th Oct 0900-0945 rep 2100-2130 Radio 4 Bragg/De Sautoy Godel's IC Theorems Mon 6th/13th/20th/27th 2100-2200 BBC 4 TV De Sautoy The Story of Maths See Radio Times and/or BBC website.It's on TV tonight (unfortunately it had to be a Monday!) and if you can watch it please do so!My mystical ball (read:

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-59436779705310834272008-10-04T22:50:00.003+01:002008-10-05T03:07:20.696+01:00

Hello there. Today I am unwell. Perhaps I would have actually been quite jolly had it not been for the jab I had in the morning (which I obviously contested, but was persuaded otherwise). Anyway, today I attended the workshop on Philosophy of Mathematics which I mentioned in my previous post and the day was quite great! This post is going to a be a brief summary about what happened, and tomorrow

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-55419657446694095482008-10-03T22:42:00.003+01:002008-10-03T23:10:17.276+01:00

This should be a short post (but we all know what happens when I say that)!Anyway - today I had a 12pm start in the morning, and believe it or not I ended up being late! Once again I am blaming public transport - in particular the bus. (I've been getting the bus in mornings now for Pops is still not feeling too good). I sprinted like an Olympic runner (but not quite like Usain Bolt!) and the

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-29067651335483331692008-10-02T19:41:00.003+01:002008-10-02T22:39:38.438+01:00

Sometimes one starts posts by talking about complete and utter random nonsense (perhaps), and this happens to be one of them occasions. However I must warn you that due to yesterdays oscillations I didn't eat or sleep much. Well I had to skip breakfast because I had to catch the bus for a nine am lecture, and I only had time to grab two bananas to take with me. During the day all I have eaten is

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-60109538210447559502008-10-01T18:17:00.002+01:002008-10-01T18:22:39.201+01:00

Surely there is some law which states that a child is never allowed to see his parent in diabolical pain, and should not have to stand there watching helplessly.Today was a rosy day. The rain had subdued and the sun was beaming down on us all. The dark clouds were lurking somewhere, but not near enough to put a damper on us all. Po and myself enquired about my Dad's jacket and how he was looking

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-74288536305301957302008-09-30T23:59:00.001+01:002008-10-01T02:00:31.743+01:00

Yesterday I mentioned that I was very tired and when I came out of my midday slump, my energy reserves were overflowing. Today they continued to overflow. Although I was very tired again, today they had to be there and help me through the day.I probably do come across as slightly mad when I am hungry and tired at the same time, but I always talk to myself on normal days and generally try to be at

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-19732533806623646412008-09-29T22:34:00.002+01:002008-09-30T00:14:30.541+01:00

After much thought and head scratching, we have come to the conclusion that to avoid suffering through a 9am lecture on Monday, you simply choose a different module.Perhaps it is just my luck, for the Combinatorics and Graph Theory course has become full and I can't enrol onto it! (This means no 9am lecture, but I had decided to suffer on Monday mornings!)Well I shan't be too hasty just yet, for

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-62463199646061491602008-09-28T00:20:00.004+01:002008-09-28T01:21:45.554+01:00

LaTeX!Hopefully that hurt your eyes as much as it has been hurting my head (in the nicest way possible of course)!Times like these I wish I had Scientific Writer/Author* (a WYSIWYG LaTeX editor), which Dr. C uses and that I desperately am in need of myself, or something similar. *(I can't remember which of the two he has!)The only thing that has been causing me to "not work" on Infinite blimmin'

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-6485242928780068062008-09-26T17:29:00.002+01:002008-09-26T17:36:12.521+01:00

A comment left on an old post of mine by Nick, might be relevant to anyone looking to buy books (well someone like me!):"Book buying can be very therapeutic. Warron Zevon once said that 'when we buy books we imagine we are buying the time to read them.' "I am guilty as charged your honour! I am also finding out what it feels like to buy too many books and then not find the time to read them. (My

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-57561561771436691622008-09-26T00:25:00.004+01:002008-09-26T00:38:26.611+01:00

My fellow mathematicians, young and old, firstly please forgive me for taking my sweet time in posting this, but please find below a post of Professor Borovik's blog which I have "discreetly" copied... (The idea being that you might not have seen it there, as unlikely as that is!)Anyway, hopefully I will get my lazy self outta bed on that Saturday but that will depend on events that may take

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-65069350809701961912008-09-25T00:49:00.004+01:002008-09-25T02:11:17.418+01:00

Today was unofficially my first day back at University for the PASS first year lunch. I didn't eat anything and I didn't get to scare that many first years. In the end, Milo and Dr. Coleman ended up being first year students who I then went on to "aggressively" ask: "So are you enjoying it in Manchester", "Do you like Manchester?" and so on. Yes - Dr. C got slightly scared which was encouraging

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-20316390823304006462008-09-19T01:15:00.003+01:002008-09-19T03:14:56.980+01:00

Yesterday I said some very hurtful things and they affected me in a bad way. I might have on occasions mentioned how I very rarely lose my temper, and that I'm most dangerous when upset. However yesterday it was a mixture of everything.I have since apologised, but I can only imagine how the other person might have felt after my outburst for it was simply not nice. My anger wasn't directed at the

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-34946444115680433322008-09-18T01:24:00.003+01:002008-09-18T01:59:07.324+01:00

" Is it really neccesary to spam the whole of the maths dept with a 'high priority' email."Ouch.I have a lot of explaining to do about my absence, and apologise for not replying to emails, but everything will make sense tomorrow (and the replies should start coming then too!). The only emails I have been able to check are my university ones, hence the above peach of an email I just read now. I

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-22499283637821754292008-09-11T20:59:00.003+01:002008-09-11T21:12:10.602+01:00

Prof. Dold is our first year lecturer for the Calculus and Vectors course. He's a pretty cool lecturer and a very friendly and nice guy. I always enjoy a good chat with him, when on chance I bump into him, and now you can see him in his office talking about fires.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7532024.stmI love what that man (Brain Cox?) said at the sight of them equations - "even I remember

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-29434440984317592132008-09-10T01:12:00.000+01:002008-09-10T02:45:25.986+01:00

FINALLY - I can cross one thing of my damn "to do list"! This calls for a celebration. So what are the chances of me completing the rest of the things mentioned on my list? (Do I hear an impossible somewhere?)What exactly have I done, you ask? Well, take a deep breath now for I have finally been to the dentist and to the optician too!Meh - can I stop pretending to be overjoyed now? They want to

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-49686231557082122702008-09-04T00:11:00.002+01:002008-09-04T01:45:51.910+01:00

I went into University with the wrong attitude. It was clear from when I stepped into the AT Building - shoulders hunched, eyes darting to and fro - that today wasn't going to be a pleasant day.Perhaps I should have made more of an effort to be "hunky dory", but today that wasn't to happen. Even if I wanted to, my eyes couldn't disguise the uncertainty and panic behind them. Or perhaps I should

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-85235945115440553932008-09-02T22:23:00.001+01:002008-09-02T22:53:55.724+01:00

At this moment in time, I have to inform you that I have been seriously contemplating taking a year out. A lot has happened for me to be wanting to make this decision.For the first time in my life I don't want to start school/college/university. Previously you would have been found me annoyed at the length of the holidays and itching to get back. However today I'm singing to a different tune. The

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-8338612749399235222008-08-23T23:24:00.003+01:002008-08-23T23:56:13.875+01:00

A five minute rant. I hate (with a fiery passion) making web pages. The outcome is clear to me - I see what I want to achieve however I can't make it blimmin' work. Humbug. Drat and double drat. Wymi? (Can you think of any other cartoon character phrases that I might have missed?)For those who know my University address (or my name) you can see for yourselves what I mean. The current mess I have

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-12944199518730812752008-08-23T20:03:00.003+01:002008-08-23T20:13:47.789+01:00

Nuno is my new best friend. He defended my mathematical honour as others suggested I was an incompetent fool (rightly so on this occasion, but Nuno wasn't to know)! They mocked the fact that I was studying for a Mathematics degree, as I hung my head in shame unable to meet anyone's eye. My mistake had been something unmentionable and will be left to ones imagination.Nuno though, set me a question

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-51541383019970990162008-08-23T01:49:00.006+01:002008-08-23T02:46:49.904+01:00

I was sent a link for The National Year of Reading so I thought I would point this out to anyone who wasn't aware of it. How many books have you completed this year, and how many have you started but not finished? Well the only fiction book I can recall reading is The Good Earth which was a birthday present last year. Apart from that - zilch. I bought a few fiction books and put them on my shelf,

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-57170588699571806682008-08-20T21:38:00.004+01:002008-08-20T22:04:02.408+01:00

Aaahhhh. Tomorrow everyone will be getting their GCSE results at 10am, but not me. However, silly Po is getting his results tomorrow and the daft duffer has my heart racing too! Pfft. Hopefully Po will have done fine, and best of luck to everyone else who is waiting for their results.It seems like only yesterday that I got my GCSE results, and them were the days when I used to go to sleep at

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-90809665403097086632008-08-19T21:46:00.002+01:002008-08-19T22:00:36.682+01:00

"Dear all,Firstly I would like to thank you all for your support last year, when The Galois Group first started organising lectures. Hopefully you will continue attending lectures next year as well.As previous emails have mentioned, we are hoping to create a Maths Magazine (Infinite Descent) for the department which will be published YEARLY. However, for this to be a success your contributions

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-20888662096851072002008-08-18T15:45:00.002+01:002008-08-18T15:52:44.437+01:00

Without a doubt Recorded Delivery should only have cost £1.32; well it had to be less than £1.50. I was erm very very tired when I came home today (nothing to do with the Internet!) and asked Po to send a letter for me by recorded delivery. I left two pounds near the letter and as a bribe I said he could keep the change! Sweet.Well until I was conned into coughing out another 75p! Pfft. The youth

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-24807136441269163412008-08-18T01:27:00.000+01:002008-08-18T04:00:18.597+01:00

Are we all ready for another weird post, that will talk about all things but maths? Damn... I shouldn't have said that too loudly! (Well there might be an epsilon amount of maths so don't be too hasty in your exits...)Today I was watching a very interesting programme on TV, i.e. I was watching a documentary! It was about the human nervous system and how our bodies might react to pain. Pain is

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-36764178544968328662008-08-15T18:46:00.002+01:002008-08-15T19:03:50.261+01:00

According to the site mathmo.org, the word mathmo is an "offensive-ish" term! I always used it as a short hand for a mathematician, but the site states the following:"The term mathmo came into being during the last century. It signifies a certain kind of living entity which can most easily be met in its refuges at universities and libraries. As they are known to be extremely shy, it is

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-22880674010953999372008-08-15T01:36:00.001+01:002008-08-15T04:02:22.384+01:00

This post was really meant to comment on the cost of education in England, namely because it is the time of the year when one wonders about student loans.I'll try though, to keep to the post title, but before doing that I would just like to congratulate everyone who received their A Level results today. I would also like to congratulate the teachers for their efforts too. If any future Manchester

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-9234620815482796962008-08-10T02:04:00.002+01:002008-08-10T02:37:36.103+01:00

From Ars Mathematica I have found the following link which has nominated the top 10 Mathematicians of all time. I'll quote the first paragraph of that site:"Being the nerds that we are, it was only a matter of time before Old-Wizard released a Top 10 Mathematicians of all time list. The only question would be what criteria we would use when determining the order of the list. Would it be based on

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-41621580451366643302008-08-09T19:00:00.004+01:002008-08-09T23:42:13.993+01:00

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages... hi. A simple greeting escaped my mouth, as the long barrage of sentences wanting to escape my mouth remain deadlocked in a fierce battle. Well long being "Hiya" and "Good evening".So what brings me to my blog today? To this haven of some sort, which has been lost for quite a while in my ickle mind. Today is the weekend you see and after five weeks I

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-46093115415731767262008-08-05T18:45:00.003+01:002008-08-05T19:42:44.176+01:00

It has been a while since I last blogged, but that is not because I haven't wanted to (if you follow me).I gathered that an "August post" was needed, and I seem to be finally sat uninterrupted which is a bonus. Last week has been a weird week. I was under the weather for a couple of days which was unpleasant, however this gave me a chance to do some catching up with something. Well this something

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-21775422886931187882008-07-29T15:56:00.002+01:002008-07-29T16:13:54.831+01:00

A Blade of Grass by Brian PattenYou ask for a poem.I offer you a blade of grass.You say it is not good enough.You ask for a poem.I say this blade of grass will do.It has dressed itself in frost,It is more immediateThan any image of my making.You say it is not a poem,It is a blade of grass and grassIs not quite good enough.I offer you a blade of grass.You are indignant.You say it is too easy to

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-46907123624497209522008-07-25T01:19:00.003+01:002008-07-25T02:22:39.727+01:00

I found a book which seems interesting and is called: Writing to Learn Mathematics... You can actually read the first few pages of it, which I strongly recommend. The synopsis of it says, "This text demonstrates that the use of journals, learning logs, letters, autobiographies, investigations, and formal papers can improve the reasoning abilities of maths students“. I found the book link thanks

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-83950051741603988682008-07-24T01:24:00.003+01:002008-12-09T09:29:41.703Z

It is that time of the year again, when I can become very frustrated. Today was my one day off and I had planned to do nothing (which means watch Dr. Who and be a couch potato)! However my Dad happened to ask me to study maths with my ickle (and annoying!) little brother. (I guess the annoying factor runs through the family). Grumbling I muttered that I will do so later, as apart from my dad, no

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-56320998255310264792008-07-22T22:10:00.002+01:002008-07-22T22:45:36.484+01:00

Well I am guessing that Nesin Matematik Koyu translates to Nesin Mathematics Village. This is the very same Summer School whose activities made us happy, when reported by Professor Borovik last year. However soon an outrage followed as the school was made to close, due to some "dodgy" reason or other. As Stuart Little once said (or was it his dad?) there's always a silver lining in the cloud, and

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-75462824517149335912008-07-20T18:30:00.003+01:002008-07-20T19:04:05.705+01:00

I have on numerous occasions, commented on peoples reactions upon hearing that I study Maths. These range from shock, admiration, disgust, paranoia and on I can go. The most common reaction though tends to be: "You must be really clever then. I can't do Maths if my life depended on it. Brain box..." And on they go, embarrassing us in the process. (If you were suffering from low self esteem or

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-42953832080345687012008-07-18T22:35:00.003+01:002008-07-18T23:37:49.155+01:00

Someone just told me: "Okay Doctor, what now?"That's the most fantastic thing to say to a Dr. Who fan (and someone whose read The Metamorphosis!) What's wrong with the world today? Is tomorrow going to be a horrible day, hence the sweetness today? Oh, I have been invited to a birthday bash tomorrow, and it's for a four year old--mini bear, a fellow Dr. Who fan. He normally runs to my room as soon

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-34959960664928433852008-07-18T21:33:00.004+01:002008-07-18T22:08:24.657+01:00

I don't normally do "pop quizzes" like what kind of fruit are you, but a friend sent me a curious link which I couldn't resist attempting. Namely because it was called: What one word embodies you? I like playing with words, and my curiosity got the better of me, but still I normally wouldn't post such things on my blog. However I will post the result on this occasion because it is somewhat freaky

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-4049769316673124382008-07-18T20:12:00.003+01:002008-07-18T20:31:13.225+01:00

The following limerick can be found at the beginning of George Gamow's book, One Two Three... Infinity.There was a young fellow from TrinityWho took .But the number of digitsGave him the fidgets;He dropped Maths and took up Divinity.Rolls of the tongue nicely. Trinity by the way, is a college at The University of Cambridge, famous for its famous mathematicians!I found the limerick in Paul Nahin's

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-30086092762326453002008-07-17T21:32:00.001+01:002008-07-17T21:54:37.363+01:00

Countdown is a programme viewed on Channel Four, and presented by the ITV sport presenter (Des Lynam?!) the last time I checked. Obviously after writing this paragraph I'm going to google "countdown" so I can link it, and will know about the current situation..... *googling*Well here's the link for Countdown, and a new guy is presenting it. They didn't have this name anywhere on the Index page

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-58159657576447256812008-07-15T21:11:00.002+01:002008-07-15T21:17:54.317+01:00

Latin abbreviations do tend to pop up quite often, and I recall googling "et al" once upon a time! So below is a list of some abbreviations and the meanings, which I found on the internet.a) cf -- compareb) etc. -- and so onc) viz. -- namelyd) c. -- around, aboute) N.B. -- note well, pay attentionf) et al. -- and the othersg) ibid. -- in the same placeh) i.e. -- that isi) e.g. -- for exampleI

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-86595885109692252912008-07-15T20:12:00.002+01:002008-07-15T20:38:26.178+01:00

The following is something my Dad told me at a very young age. Well I was in secondary school and about to give my first "public speech", and was discussing the topic with my Dad. He then decided to "improvise" on my topic, so I quickly jotted down whatever he started saying, and tried to incorporate that into my speech.The saying:Tell them what you’re going to tell themTell themTell them what

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-70039191728744172052008-07-13T15:09:00.003+01:002008-07-13T15:28:29.036+01:00

(Tune: The Battle Hymn of the Republic) Mine eyes have seen the glory of the Argand diagramThey have seen the i's and thetas of De Moivre's mighty planNow I can find the complex roots with consummate elanWith the root of minus one (Chorus)Complex numbers are so easyComplex numbers are so easyComplex numbers are so easyWith the root of minus one In Cartesian co-ordinates the complex plane is

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-90359675148913824622008-07-09T22:05:00.002+01:002008-07-09T22:40:04.357+01:00

"And teleport?""Gah, just *.....* We're trying to watch something here!" (I'll leave the blank to your imagination!)Fine I confess. I've been watching too much Dr. Who lately, but you've got to let me have my one second of "sense of achievement". "I'll just teleport outside..." No? I see you are "not amused" then*. :D But I like it and I'm using it (but perhaps I should wait for my ankle to heal

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-85716359563458701632008-07-07T22:02:00.002+01:002008-07-07T22:29:52.486+01:00

This post is basically for the following quote: "Since we cannot know all that there is to be known about anything, we ought to know a little about everything." - Blaise PascalWhich I think is a very nice way of putting things.I was supposed to go back to that school this week but I still can't walk "fluently" so that hasn't been possible. I have been hobbling but I can't run or jump, which is

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-47053906735778566292008-07-07T02:49:00.005+01:002008-12-09T09:29:41.921Z

I found this very "nice" post about what license plate a mathematician might want to have. As someone suggested, I wouldn't erm mind having abelian as mine! (Come on now, admit that it's cool!) If someone's scratching their head about that then please follow that link...Anyway, does anyone else have any bright suggestions? (I can't really think of anything at the moment, apart from trying to use

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-52843621751059048632008-07-07T02:04:00.003+01:002008-07-07T02:08:55.744+01:00

If you have a blog please could you post a comment, so that I can add you to my new blog roll on the column to your right hand side. Surely there can't only be about four student mathematics blogs out there? (It's nothing really that fancy but it tells me when blogs are being updated which is a bonus!)Or if you know of any other undergraduate maths blogs, please do let me know so I can have a

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-90452945696834898922008-07-05T21:40:00.005+01:002008-07-05T23:20:35.779+01:00

The following questions are taken from "Some myths and analyses on learning and teaching mathematics" by George Brown (Teaching methods and Educational Technology, Nottingham University). I have written the questions and then tried to give my answer to some in another colour. I welcome others to answer the questions too.1) Do students learn mathematics during lectures?We do learn mathematics

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-84923075764955558902008-07-04T01:56:00.003+01:002008-07-04T02:27:00.949+01:00

I have learnt a lot about myself these past few days, which is rather unfortunate. I would have preferred learning about something more interesting, say Maths, but I have been unable to do so.Sitting in one place for most of day and being unable to move is very restricting. I learnt that I am perhaps a tad impatient. Well if you have three letters that require posting (by recorded delivery) and

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-76709760061528748452008-07-02T00:40:00.002+01:002008-07-02T00:46:00.340+01:00

I received the following email, which I would like to share with you. Hi Beans,I have just released the Fractal Science Kit 1.0 and thought you might be interested in taking a look. The Fractal Science Kit provides an interactive programming environment with windows for viewing the fractal image, modifying the properties that define the fractal, examining the data behind the fractal, and

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-7067096298153729002008-07-01T16:57:00.002+01:002008-07-13T15:34:49.490+01:00

Many \sout{people} mathematicians tend to use Wordpress to blog due to the simplicity of using LaTeX to type maths. I obviously don't post that much maths (!) but whenever I do, it is not as difficult as it once used to be.I started of by using the TeXer to create images, which I then would upload into the post. This wasn't a particularly good method because firstly I didn't know much about LaTeX

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-1351873597745951642008-06-30T18:00:00.004+01:002008-12-09T09:29:42.066Z

I can't walk for "four to five days". I can hop and I can crawl (!) but no walking. My ankle is badly sprained, but thankfully nothing broke. (I keep on being told of by Po for moaning about this, whereas I should be grateful...)Isn't that the most ridiculous thing that you have ever read-- me not walk?! So you can probably understand my uncontrollable anger yesterday, as all I did was sit on the

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-52880843131341695882008-06-29T00:22:00.003+01:002008-06-29T01:11:01.455+01:00

Ice-skating has one very important element. If someone doesn't have this thing then they shouldn't even bother putting skates on. This main element happens to be balance.You also have to have some sort of brain, which is where I failed. Yes, today I went ice-skating with a group of many people and a friend. I was looking forward to this challenge and wasn't scared of falling down. As we put our

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-68618619576104835052008-06-27T21:50:00.002+01:002008-06-27T22:39:00.829+01:00

Finally my placement at a secondary school has ended. The weight that has been making me shorter is no longer on my shoulders.However there is another reason as to why my sleep should hopefully return. We got out exam results yesterday. How I did will obviously be dragged out in this post (what more can you expect from me?!) but they could be the reason as to why I have the cold/flu again. (I'm

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-65328793662807385522008-06-26T00:15:00.002+01:002008-06-26T00:54:41.262+01:00

A non-mathematician friend of mine graduates tomorrow, from a different university to myself. My friend wanted me to attend the graduation ceremony (with my camera of course!) and was going to inform me if she managed to get a ticket for me. It would be cool to attend such a thing because my friend has achieved something phenomenal (considering her circumstances).Anyway, as I once again crashed

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-13569905703291003572008-06-24T21:45:00.003+01:002008-06-24T22:41:09.081+01:00

The shorter this post the better it is, but since I am tired and cranky I doubt it will be short. I am also going to let a lot of steam out here, so be warned.Firstly I HATE people who become attached to you and don't stop clinging on to you. I am not that type of person you see, and I always need my epsilon neighbourhood of some sort (more on that later too!) I don't want to feel like I'm

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8802409156539028398.post-83168244097306908932008-06-23T21:14:00.004+01:002008-06-23T22:12:21.644+01:00

At 5:30am my alarm clock went on and off in quick succession. My lightning reflexes meant that I could snooze for ten minutes. After this snooze my reflexes once again granted me another ten minutes of "snoozing", and this continued until 6am. It makes you wonder though, why the heck don't I just set the alarm for 6am instead?I was waking up at that time because last night I was unable to do my

Beanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904981096644224428noreply@blogger.com2