A funny quote on a problem in Abstract Algebra (was it in Herstein's "Topics in Algebra"?)
Rogério Brito
My memory is failing me here, but I have skimmed on my copy of Herstein's
"Topics in Algebra" and couldn't find it, but I seem to recall that there was a
text on Abstract Algebra that had an *amusing* exercise where the author put a
note saying that, with the material covered up to that poing, he wasn't able to
solve the problem. :-) But he put the problem anyway. :-)
Is there anybody here who knows what this reference is? I'm collecting funny
quotes from the books that I've been reading and this one can't be missing.
Thanks for any help, Rogério Brito.
--
Rogério Brito : rbrito@{mackenzie,ime.usp}.br : GPG key 1024D/7C2CAEB8
http://www.ime.usp.br/~rbrito : http://meusite.mackenzie.com.br/rbrito
Projects: algorithms.berlios.de : lame.sf.net : vrms.alioth.debian.org
Rogério Brito
I think that the subject that I used for this post is not the most appropriate.
I'm leaving the message below, as the content is what I am looking for.
On 07/27/07 06:24, Rogério Brito wrote:
> Hi there.
>
> My memory is failing me here, but I have skimmed on my copy of Herstein's
> "Topics in Algebra" and couldn't find it, but I seem to recall that there was a
> text on Abstract Algebra that had an *amusing* exercise where the author put a
> note saying that, with the material covered up to that poing, he wasn't able to
> solve the problem. :-) But he put the problem anyway. :-)
>
> Is there anybody here who knows what this reference is? I'm collecting funny
> quotes from the books that I've been reading and this one can't be missing.
>
>
> Thanks for any help, Rogério Brito.
>
Thanks again, Rogério Brito.
Angus Rodgers
<rbr...@ime.usp.br> wrote:
>My memory is failing me here, but I have skimmed on my copy of Herstein's
>"Topics in Algebra" and couldn't find it, but I seem to recall that there was a
>text on Abstract Algebra that had an *amusing* exercise where the author put a
>note saying that, with the material covered up to that poing, he wasn't able to
>solve the problem. :-) But he put the problem anyway. :-)
>
>Is there anybody here who knows what this reference is? I'm collecting funny
>quotes from the books that I've been reading and this one can't be missing.
I think you are probably remembering the parenthetical
remark which was added to Problem 2.5.26 on page 48 of
the second edition:
"Don't be discouraged if you don't get this problem
with what you know of group theory up to this stage.
I don't know anybody, including myself, who has done
it subject to the restriction of using material
developed so far in the text. But it is fun to try.
I've had more correspondence about this problem than
about any other point in the whole book."
(I must admit I haven't even started reading Herstein
yet, but I skimmed over it recently and noticed this.)
--
Angus Rodgers
(twirlip@ eats spam; reply to angusrod@)
Contains mild peril
amzoti
> Hi, people.
>
> I think that the subject that I used for this post is not the most appropriate.
> I'm leaving the message below, as the content is what I am looking for.
>
> On 07/27/07 06:24, Rogério Brito wrote:
>
> > Hi there.
>
> > My memory is failing me here, but I have skimmed on my copy of Herstein's
> > "Topics in Algebra" and couldn't find it, but I seem to recall that there was a
> > text on Abstract Algebra that had an *amusing* exercise where the author put a
> > note saying that, with the material covered up to that poing, he wasn't able to
> > solve the problem. :-) But he put the problem anyway. :-)
>
> > Is there anybody here who knows what this reference is? I'm collecting funny
> > quotes from the books that I've been reading and this one can't be missing.
>
> > Thanks for any help, Rogério Brito.
>
> Thanks again, Rogério Brito.
>
> --
> Projects: algorithms.berlios.de : lame.sf.net : vrms.alioth.debian.org
Looks like Angus replied to you specific request.
Maybe these sites can help you dig up others?
1. http://www.onlinemathlearning.com/funny-math-quotes.html
2. http://www.juliantrubin.com/mathjokes.html
3. http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/91q3/logprof.html
4. http://www.math.utah.edu/~cherk/mathjokes.html
5. http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/87/5678.html
6. http://quotes.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/quotes-famous-quotes-math-quotes-paul-erdos-quotes/
7. http://www.nervana.montana.edu/~kirkpatrick/quotes/
8. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060810113519AAgYrD6
9. http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/pulse/faculty_at_mit/professor_quotes.shtml
10. http://math.sfsu.edu/beck/quotes.html
Enjoy - A
Michael Press
<vfoja31jgkss8utjl...@4ax.com>,
Angus Rodgers <twi...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
Therefore the problem appears in the first edition,
which is the only one at hand to me presently. Problem
2.5.26 does not exist in the first edition. Section 2.5
covers normal subgroups and quotient groups. So the
question: what is the problem?
--
Michael Press
Angus Rodgers
"If an abelian group has subgroups of orders m and n,
respectively, then show it has a subgroup whose order
is the least common multiple of m and n."
(It's in the section entitled "A Counting Principle".)
Ken Pledger
Angus Rodgers <twi...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 28 Jul 2007 17:34:48 GMT, Michael Press
> <rub...@pacbell.net> wrote:
> ....
> >Therefore the problem appears in the first edition .... So the
> >question: what is the problem?
>
> "If an abelian group has subgroups of orders m and n,
> respectively, then show it has a subgroup whose order
> is the least common multiple of m and n."
>
> (It's in the section entitled "A Counting Principle".)
In the first edition, that's problem 2.5.11 on p. 41.
Ken Pledger.
Rogério Brito
On 07/27/07 11:56, amzoti wrote:
> On Jul 27, 4:48 am, Rogério Brito <rbr...@ime.usp.br> wrote:
>> On 07/27/07 06:24, Rogério Brito wrote:
>>
>>> My memory is failing me here, but I have skimmed on my copy of Herstein's
>>> "Topics in Algebra" and couldn't find it, but I seem to recall that there was a
>>> text on Abstract Algebra that had an *amusing* exercise where the author put a
>>> note saying that, with the material covered up to that poing, he wasn't able to
>>> solve the problem. :-) But he put the problem anyway. :-)
>
> Looks like Angus replied to you specific request.
Unfortunately, I did not receive any post here on my server. :-( I had to go
through Google Groups to see that there were answers.
But then, everything is explained: I didn't find that quote because I have the
first edition here.
Oh, it was such an amazing thing to laugh out loud while reading an abstract
algebra book. :-)
> Maybe these sites can help you dig up others?
(...)
Thanks for the list of sites, Rogério Brito.