tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9469908.post110669551203083260..comments2023-09-21T02:09:59.105-04:00Comments on the (Frustrated) Over-Analyst: Growing up with C-C Spaces.janushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480388456822784209noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9469908.post-1106938601515321232005-01-28T13:56:00.000-05:002005-01-28T13:56:00.000-05:00Perhaps Nash was right. Undergraduates are amazin...Perhaps Nash was right. Undergraduates are amazingly capable, because they may not know the technical difficulties of a specific problem, and are willing to try anything.<br /><br />When someone first showed me this problem, I thought that it could be solved in a matter of weeks. After a few years of looking at the problem, I'd say it's somewhat harder than that.janushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07480388456822784209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9469908.post-1106900311673755202005-01-28T03:18:00.000-05:002005-01-28T03:18:00.000-05:00An interesting idea, to assign the Heisenberg isop...An interesting idea, to assign the Heisenberg isoperimetric problem to undergraduates. Reportedly, Nash did the same with FLT, and justified it by saying that "people have a mental picture that this is a difficult problem. Maybe that's the stumbling block. Maybe, if people didn't realize that the problem was hard, they could solve it". Wasn't Nash running that REU by any chance?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9469908.post-1106897390610014212005-01-28T02:29:00.000-05:002005-01-28T02:29:00.000-05:00Thanks, K. Much appreciated! Before, I wasn't su...Thanks, K. Much appreciated! Before, I wasn't sure if the topic would go well.<br /><br />As for the 'calculus' example, I figured that it would be something that everyone could appreciate: geometers, algebraists, analysts, or applied people, too .. well, as long as they remembered their calculus, that is.<br /><br />Once upon a time I was participating in a summer research project, and that 'calculus' example was the first exercise that my undergrad advisor assigned to me. I ended up stuck at the last step, and that was when I first heard about the notion of an Isoperimetric Theorem. <br /><br />Oddly enough, that was the original goal of that summer: to prove a sharp isoperimetric theorem for the Heisenberg group, and determine the extremal set. As far as I know, the problem remains unsolved.<br /><br />Oh, as for the first comment on this post: I can say for certain that there exists one member of the audience who liked my talk. Let's hope that he is not unique!janushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07480388456822784209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9469908.post-1106885308606202132005-01-27T23:08:00.000-05:002005-01-27T23:08:00.000-05:00It was great! Really, a very fine presentation. ...It was great! Really, a very fine presentation. I particularly enjoyed your "calculus" example. I'm looking forward to next weeks continuation. Thanks!Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14690008177294297497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9469908.post-1106792412734072142005-01-26T21:20:00.000-05:002005-01-26T21:20:00.000-05:00So, how was it?So, how was it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com