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A comment on Decades-Old Graph Problem Yields to Amateur Mathematician. Parent comment

Re:Decades-Old Graph Problem Yields to Amateur Mathematician by Eldandan on Tuesday April 17, 2018 @08:20PM (#16863570)
I think amateur in this case refers to non-professional / research mathematician with a PhD working at a University or a Research Institute. You still need to have some serious math chops to get this kind of result, it just isn't reflected in your official title or degree.
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Re:Decades-Old Graph Problem Yields to Amateur Mathematician by userbinator on Tuesday April 17, 2018 @10:28PM (#16864150)
"Independent" might be a better adjective for someone like that.
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Re:Decades-Old Graph Problem Yields to Amateur Mathematician by Jtsummers on Tuesday April 17, 2018 @11:37PM (#16864424)
If you're not doing it for profit, you're an amateur. Independent would suggest he could still doing math professionally but on a contract or otherwise unaffiliated basis.
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Re:Decades-Old Graph Problem Yields to Amateur Mathematician by pbhjpbhj on Wednesday April 18, 2018 @02:56PM (#16869979)
Hmm, that is a definition of amateur; just as "professional" can mean you make a living from it.

However amateur often means - in British English - simply "low skilled" as professional can mean "formally carried out with high competence".

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