Number theory inspired by computation, confusion, and weird questions (series unlisted)

Abstract: In textbooks and journal articles, it often seems like the authors had a clear vision and a plan for how to approach the problems or like they knew exactly what results they wanted to prove before they even started. They're very organized. But the actual practice of doing mathematics is very messy! In this talk, I will discuss my usual research process: ask a weird question, run some computations, get confused, and then repeat as necessary until reaching that beautiful "aha!" moment that we're all searching for. I will include real examples of how this has played out in my research projects with Brooklyn College students.

Mathematics

Audience: undergraduates

Brooklyn College Math Department Events

Series comments: The Brooklyn College Math Department hosts a lot great events for undergraduates and faculty! These events are organized by The Math Club, The Putnam Club, and faculty in the Math Department.