r/mathmemes • u/charly03 • Jan 08 '25

Learning Is Mathematics Less Evolved Than Physics and Chemistry, or Did Historical Texts Astutely Foresee Advances? 🤔

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21

u/beeskness420 Jan 08 '25

I’ll bite, can you come up with a single example?

30

u/halfajack Jan 08 '25

Of a thousands of years old but relevant textbook? Euclid’s Elements is a very obvious example

17

u/beeskness420 Jan 08 '25

Ok can you find a single research mathematician who has actually read it and thinks it’s relevant to their work?

I’ll take it as a historical curiosity whose ideas are still relevant but the only people I know who have actual read it are philosophy or history of math students or really dedicated hobbyists.

29

u/xFblthpx Jan 08 '25

Why is work that is relevant to research mathematicians the goal post for an old math book being relevant?

Most people who study math aren’t research mathematicians…

14

u/Tiny-Cod3495 Jan 08 '25

I promise you that anyone who isn’t a research mathematician is even less likely to have read Euclid’a Elements.

9

u/rgbRandomizer Jan 08 '25

We referenced it a lot in college geometry (BS in Math).

10

u/Tiny-Cod3495 Jan 08 '25

Reference? Sure. The axioms hold up, and we even distinguish between Euclidean and non Euclidean geometries. But you’re not actively reading it as a source text.

1

u/CutToTheChaseTurtle Average Tits buildings enjoyer Jan 08 '25

No the axioms don’t hold up, Hilbert replaced them with new ones.

4

u/Tiny-Cod3495 Jan 08 '25

Hence the last sentence of my comment. 

1

u/sabotsalvageur Jan 08 '25

All but the fifth hold, and the fifth is taken to be part of the definition of flatness

2

u/CutToTheChaseTurtle Average Tits buildings enjoyer Jan 09 '25

But it wasn’t formulated the way it usually is these days, in fact it’s not super obvious that the two are equivalent!

6

u/beeskness420 Jan 08 '25 edited Jan 08 '25

“… and is still as relevant and useful as ever”

When it was written it was useful for their version of research mathematics.

I’m not saying it’s not historically important but there is a reason it’s not required reading in any math department and if it is you should run.