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TROLL SPOTTING: A beginner's guide
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Dan Christensen
Jul 11, 2015, 12:10:10 AM7/11/15
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You will know a sci.math troll by these distinguishing features:
* His frequent demands that mainstream mathematics ("Old Math") be scrapped, usually in favour of his revolutionary, though very poorly thought out, New Math program
* Often claims to have a revolutionary new proof of a famous theorem or conjecture with laughable results
* Doesn't like formal rules or axioms -- much too restrictive
* Cannot produce even the most elementary results in his "New Math" system, e.g. cannot even prove 2+2=4
* His unfounded claims that various well accepted notions of mathematics are false, ill-defined, inconsistent or don't actually exist, e.g. claims that there is a fixed borderline between finite and infinite
* His bizarre redefinitions of commonly used terminology to suit his purposes, e.g. zero, infinity or limit
* His foul, abusive and threatening language
A word of caution to students: Do not attempt to use any troll's system of "New Math" in any course work in any high school, college or university on the planet. You will fail miserably. His system is certainly no shortcut to success in mathematics. It is almost certainly a dead end.
* His frequent demands that mainstream mathematics ("Old Math") be scrapped, usually in favour of his revolutionary, though very poorly thought out, New Math program
* Often claims to have a revolutionary new proof of a famous theorem or conjecture with laughable results
* Doesn't like formal rules or axioms -- much too restrictive
* Cannot produce even the most elementary results in his "New Math" system, e.g. cannot even prove 2+2=4
* His unfounded claims that various well accepted notions of mathematics are false, ill-defined, inconsistent or don't actually exist, e.g. claims that there is a fixed borderline between finite and infinite
* His bizarre redefinitions of commonly used terminology to suit his purposes, e.g. zero, infinity or limit
* His foul, abusive and threatening language
A word of caution to students: Do not attempt to use any troll's system of "New Math" in any course work in any high school, college or university on the planet. You will fail miserably. His system is certainly no shortcut to success in mathematics. It is almost certainly a dead end.
Simon Roberts
Jul 12, 2015, 11:09:54 PM7/12/15
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unnav...@gmail.com
Jul 12, 2015, 11:30:34 PM7/12/15
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Dan Christensen
Jul 14, 2015, 10:05:29 AM7/14/15
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TROLL OF THE WEEK: ARCHIMEDES PLUTONIUM
Yes, that is apparently his legal name. He takes his crankery VERY seriously. Some recent and not so recent pearls of troll wisdom from AP:
"0 is an infinite irrational number."
-- Archimedes Plutonium, June 28, 2015
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/sci.math/V3KCSKuls0Y
"0 appears to be the last and largest finite number"
-- Archimedes Plutonium, sci.math, June 9, 2015
Link: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topicsearchin/sci.math/$20AP$20axioms$20of$20Numbers$20versus$20Peano-Dedekind/sci.math/SRq9-cHtTY0
"0/0 must be equal to 1."
-- Archimedes Plutonium, sci.math, June 9, 2015
Link: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/sci.math/%220$2F0$20must$20be$20equal$20to$201%22%7Csort:date/sci.math/U6x4PEojzhs/BzlroMhJnNgJ
"The last and largest finite number is 10^604."
-- Archimedes Plutonium, sci.math, June 3, 2015
Link: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topicsearchin/sci.math/largest$20AND$20authorname$3A%22Archimedes$20Plutonium%22$20AND$20before$3A2015$2F06$2F07/sci.math/9ZlZKMFEt-Q
AP's silliness goes way back. In his heyday...
"The totality, everything that there is [the universe], is only 1 atom of
plutonium. There is nothing outside or beyond this one atom of
plutonium."
-- Ludwig (aka Archimedes) Plutonium, sci.math, April 4, 1994
Link: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topicsearchin/sci.math/faq$20and$20atom$20AND$20universe$20AND$20before$3A1996$2F01$2F01/sci.math/lIIVtZjeGhk
A word of caution to students: Do not attempt to use AP's "system" in any course work in any high school, college or university on the planet. You will fail miserably. His system is certainly no "shortcut" to success in mathematics.
Dan
Download my DC Proof 2.0 software at http://www.dcproof.com
Visit my Math Blog at http://www.dcproof.wordpress.com
Yes, that is apparently his legal name. He takes his crankery VERY seriously. Some recent and not so recent pearls of troll wisdom from AP:
"0 is an infinite irrational number."
-- Archimedes Plutonium, June 28, 2015
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/sci.math/V3KCSKuls0Y
"0 appears to be the last and largest finite number"
-- Archimedes Plutonium, sci.math, June 9, 2015
Link: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topicsearchin/sci.math/$20AP$20axioms$20of$20Numbers$20versus$20Peano-Dedekind/sci.math/SRq9-cHtTY0
"0/0 must be equal to 1."
-- Archimedes Plutonium, sci.math, June 9, 2015
Link: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/sci.math/%220$2F0$20must$20be$20equal$20to$201%22%7Csort:date/sci.math/U6x4PEojzhs/BzlroMhJnNgJ
"The last and largest finite number is 10^604."
-- Archimedes Plutonium, sci.math, June 3, 2015
Link: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topicsearchin/sci.math/largest$20AND$20authorname$3A%22Archimedes$20Plutonium%22$20AND$20before$3A2015$2F06$2F07/sci.math/9ZlZKMFEt-Q
AP's silliness goes way back. In his heyday...
"The totality, everything that there is [the universe], is only 1 atom of
plutonium. There is nothing outside or beyond this one atom of
plutonium."
-- Ludwig (aka Archimedes) Plutonium, sci.math, April 4, 1994
Link: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topicsearchin/sci.math/faq$20and$20atom$20AND$20universe$20AND$20before$3A1996$2F01$2F01/sci.math/lIIVtZjeGhk
A word of caution to students: Do not attempt to use AP's "system" in any course work in any high school, college or university on the planet. You will fail miserably. His system is certainly no "shortcut" to success in mathematics.
Dan
Download my DC Proof 2.0 software at http://www.dcproof.com
Visit my Math Blog at http://www.dcproof.wordpress.com
Dan Christensen
Jul 15, 2015, 10:35:14 AM7/15/15
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TROLL OF THE WEEK: JOHN GABRIEL
What newcomers to sci.math should know about Psycho Troll John Gabriel, in his own words as posted here at sci.math:
JG's God Complex:
"I am the Creator of this galaxy."
-- March 19, 2015
"I am the last word on everything."
-- May 6, 2015
"Whatever I imagine is real because whatever I imagine is well defined."
-- March 26, 2015
"Unless I think it's logic, it's not... There are no rules in mathematics... As I have repeatedly stated, if there were to be rules, I'd be making the rules."
-- March 17, 2015
JG's Final Solution:
"Hitler was a genius and a very talented artist... As from a moral point of view, again his actions can't be judged, because his morals are different." (Like JG's morals?)
-- March 18, 2015
"I will point out a few facts about Hitler that most of you arrogant idiots didn't know or refused to acknowledge because your Jewish overlords do not allow you...
"Unfortunately, Hitler's henchmen got the wrong Jews...
(Note: When repeatedly asked if they should have gotten Jews like Albert Einstein, JG has refused to comment. You figure it out, folks.)
"It would be a very good idea to round up all the academic idiots, gas them and incinerate the useless lot. Only those that pass John Gabriel's exam should be allowed to live."
-- July 13, 2014
"All those who don't accept New Calculus, you better say goodbye to your kids... Because John Gabriel is coming." (Charming fellow.)
-- July 9, 2014
JG's Just Plain Stupid:
"1/0 is not undefined."
-- May 19, 2015
"1/3 does NOT mean 1 divided by 3 and never has meant that"
-- February 8, 2015
"The square root of 2 and pi are NOT numbers."
-- May 28, 2015
"By definition, a line is the distance between two points."
-- April 13, 2015
"So, 'is a member of' = 'is a subset of.'"
-- May 16, 2015
"There is no such thing as a continuous real number line."
-- March 24, 2015
"Indeed, there is no such thing as an instantaneous speed -- certainly not with respect to the calculus." (Note: Instantaneous speed is indicated by the speedometer in a car. Another Jewish conspiracy, JG?)
-- March 17, 2015
"Proofs had nothing to do with calculus."
-- May 30, 2015
In his wacky system, JG cannot even prove that 2+2=4. It seems unlikely he would have anything worthwhile to say about mathematics. On the contrary, it seems he is deliberately trying to mislead and confuse any newcomers here.
A special word of caution to students: Do not attempt to use JG's "system" in any course work in any high school, college or university on the planet. You will fail miserably. His system is certainly no "shortcut" to success in mathematics. It is truly a dead-end.
What newcomers to sci.math should know about Psycho Troll John Gabriel, in his own words as posted here at sci.math:
JG's God Complex:
"I am the Creator of this galaxy."
-- March 19, 2015
"I am the last word on everything."
-- May 6, 2015
"Whatever I imagine is real because whatever I imagine is well defined."
-- March 26, 2015
"Unless I think it's logic, it's not... There are no rules in mathematics... As I have repeatedly stated, if there were to be rules, I'd be making the rules."
-- March 17, 2015
JG's Final Solution:
"Hitler was a genius and a very talented artist... As from a moral point of view, again his actions can't be judged, because his morals are different." (Like JG's morals?)
-- March 18, 2015
"I will point out a few facts about Hitler that most of you arrogant idiots didn't know or refused to acknowledge because your Jewish overlords do not allow you...
"Unfortunately, Hitler's henchmen got the wrong Jews...
(Note: When repeatedly asked if they should have gotten Jews like Albert Einstein, JG has refused to comment. You figure it out, folks.)
"It would be a very good idea to round up all the academic idiots, gas them and incinerate the useless lot. Only those that pass John Gabriel's exam should be allowed to live."
-- July 13, 2014
"All those who don't accept New Calculus, you better say goodbye to your kids... Because John Gabriel is coming." (Charming fellow.)
-- July 9, 2014
JG's Just Plain Stupid:
"1/0 is not undefined."
-- May 19, 2015
"1/3 does NOT mean 1 divided by 3 and never has meant that"
-- February 8, 2015
"The square root of 2 and pi are NOT numbers."
-- May 28, 2015
"By definition, a line is the distance between two points."
-- April 13, 2015
"So, 'is a member of' = 'is a subset of.'"
-- May 16, 2015
"There is no such thing as a continuous real number line."
-- March 24, 2015
"Indeed, there is no such thing as an instantaneous speed -- certainly not with respect to the calculus." (Note: Instantaneous speed is indicated by the speedometer in a car. Another Jewish conspiracy, JG?)
-- March 17, 2015
"Proofs had nothing to do with calculus."
-- May 30, 2015
In his wacky system, JG cannot even prove that 2+2=4. It seems unlikely he would have anything worthwhile to say about mathematics. On the contrary, it seems he is deliberately trying to mislead and confuse any newcomers here.
A special word of caution to students: Do not attempt to use JG's "system" in any course work in any high school, college or university on the planet. You will fail miserably. His system is certainly no "shortcut" to success in mathematics. It is truly a dead-end.
richard miller
Jul 19, 2015, 4:23:33 PM7/19/15
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On Monday, 13 July 2015 04:09:54 UTC+1, Simon Roberts wrote:
> On Saturday, July 11, 2015 at 12:10:10 AM UTC-4, Dan Christensen wrote:
> > You will know a sci.math troll by these distinguishing features:
> >
snipagio
> On Saturday, July 11, 2015 at 12:10:10 AM UTC-4, Dan Christensen wrote:
> > You will know a sci.math troll by these distinguishing features:
> >
>
> I believe there are many more trolls on this newsgroup that keep themselves disguised and don't fit your MO. Many more. It's a virtual nuthouse here.
On the other hand, I would defend this group simply because you, the reader, can make up your own mind, you are supposed to be intelligent enough to do this, and most do.
There is no moderator predjudice here, there is no vetting. If it is crap, it will be seen as so, if it is good, it will get some respect.
Nearly all who read this can make up their own minds, and do so - they are, as usual, the silent majority.
I can assure all that there are some very competent mathematicians who read this site, but they resist easy nutter provocation, and post/reply if/when necessary.
Yeah, sure, I got my own (crackpot?) theory to espouse. but this is mathematics, not physics, so it only needs rigorous logical proof, not reality.
Let sci.math continue indefinite. If you don't like it, you can adjust to taste.
Enjoy
Richard Miller
www.urmt.org
Dan Christensen
Jul 24, 2015, 9:49:11 AM7/24/15
to
TROLL OF THE WEEK: WOLFGANG MUECKENHEIM
Really stupid quotes from WM here at sci.math:
"In my system, two different numbers can have the same value."
-- Wolfgang Mueckenheim (WM), sci.math, 2014/10/16
"1+2 and 2+1 are different numbers."
-- Wolfgang Mueckenheim (WM), sci.math, 2014/10/20
"Axioms are rubbish!"
-- Wolfgang Mueckenheim (WM), sci.math, 2014/11/19
*** THIS JUST IN ***
"(What is potential infinity?) Every natural number has a successor....
"(What is actual infinity?) All natural numbers have a successor."
-- Wolfgang Mueckenheim (WM), sci.math, 2015/07/24
WM claims that mathematics is inconsistent, but he cannot formally state any of its contradictions, never mind prove them. For all his clumsy, repetitive arguments about potential vs. actual infinities, etc., he cannot formally define ANY notion of finite or infinite in his goofy system (see above).
A word of caution to students: Do not attempt to use WM's "system" in any course work in any high school, college or university on the planet. You will fail miserably. It is a dead end and would be a complete waste of your time.
Really stupid quotes from WM here at sci.math:
"In my system, two different numbers can have the same value."
-- Wolfgang Mueckenheim (WM), sci.math, 2014/10/16
"1+2 and 2+1 are different numbers."
-- Wolfgang Mueckenheim (WM), sci.math, 2014/10/20
"Axioms are rubbish!"
-- Wolfgang Mueckenheim (WM), sci.math, 2014/11/19
*** THIS JUST IN ***
"(What is potential infinity?) Every natural number has a successor....
"(What is actual infinity?) All natural numbers have a successor."
-- Wolfgang Mueckenheim (WM), sci.math, 2015/07/24
WM claims that mathematics is inconsistent, but he cannot formally state any of its contradictions, never mind prove them. For all his clumsy, repetitive arguments about potential vs. actual infinities, etc., he cannot formally define ANY notion of finite or infinite in his goofy system (see above).
A word of caution to students: Do not attempt to use WM's "system" in any course work in any high school, college or university on the planet. You will fail miserably. It is a dead end and would be a complete waste of your time.
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