Re:Monumental advance in number theory posted to the ArXiv b...
by mlyle on Monday November 07, 2022 @10:18PM
(#33515538)
Physics is limited by having to represent phenomena in our physical world simply.
Mathematics is not just a small integer multiple larger than this.
Re:Monumental advance in number theory posted to the ArXiv b...
by joe_the_user on Tuesday November 08, 2022 @12:19AM
(#33516111)
This is almost correct.
It's not that math is vastly larger (or more sophisticated) as a field. Both fields infinitely large in many senses. Rather, the number of respectable starting points where you can do interesting things is much larger, orders larger in math.
Re:Monumental advance in number theory posted to the ArXiv b...
by romwell on Tuesday November 08, 2022 @05:37AM
(#33517823)
There are plenty of unexplored things in physics too; the key word is "respectable".
Looking from the outside, physics suffers a lot from fashion/hot trend tendencies, where you need to be doing the "hot" thing to make the jumps necessary to the coveted Tenure Track — and otherwise, you get kicked out.
Math as a whole may last longer, but this list reminds us how far we’ve come in a mere few millennia: https://usercontent.irccloud-cdn.com/file/SaI50Q1d/166786520...
On the timescale of civilization, it seems less and less likely that lone mathematicians can revolutionize the field.
We’re fortunate to have been born so early, relatively speaking.