Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Mathematics
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This is the talk page for discussing WikiProject Mathematics and anything related to its purposes and tasks. |
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To view an explanation to the answer, click on the [show] link to the right of the question. Are Wikipedia's mathematics articles targeted at professional mathematicians?
No, we target our articles at an appropriate audience. Usually this is an interested layman. However, this is not always possible. Some advanced topics require substantial mathematical background to understand. This is no different from other specialized fields such as law and medical science. If you believe that an article is too advanced, please leave a detailed comment on the article's talk page. If you understand the article and believe you can make it simpler, you are also welcome to improve it, in the framework of the BOLD, revert, discuss cycle. Why is it so difficult to learn mathematics from Wikipedia articles?
Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a textbook. Wikipedia articles are not supposed to be pedagogic treatments of their topics. Readers who are interested in learning a subject should consult a textbook listed in the article's references. If the article does not have references, ask for some on the article's talk page or at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Mathematics. Wikipedia's sister projects Wikibooks which hosts textbooks, and Wikiversity which hosts collaborative learning projects, may be additional resources to consider. See also: Using Wikipedia for mathematics self-study Why are Wikipedia mathematics articles so abstract?
Abstraction is a fundamental part of mathematics. Even the concept of a number is an abstraction. Comprehensive articles may be forced to use abstract language because that language is the only language available to give a correct and thorough description of their topic. Because of this, some parts of some articles may not be accessible to readers without a lot of mathematical background. If you believe that an article is overly abstract, then please leave a detailed comment on the talk page. If you can provide a more down-to-earth exposition, then you are welcome to add that to the article. Why don't Wikipedia's mathematics articles define or link all of the terms they use?
Sometimes editors leave out definitions or links that they believe will distract the reader. If you believe that a mathematics article would be more clear with an additional definition or link, please add to the article. If you are not able to do so yourself, ask for assistance on the article's talk page. Why don't many mathematics articles start with a definition?
We try to make mathematics articles as accessible to the largest likely audience as possible. In order to achieve this, often an intuitive explanation of something precedes a rigorous definition. The first few paragraphs of an article (called the lead) are supposed to provide an accessible summary of the article appropriate to the target audience. Depending on the target audience, it may or may not be appropriate to include any formal details in the lead, and these are often put into a dedicated section of the article. If you believe that the article would benefit from having more formal details in the lead, please add them or discuss the matter on the article's talk page. Why don't mathematics articles include lists of prerequisites?
A well-written article should establish its context well enough that it does not need a separate list of prerequisites. Furthermore, directly addressing the reader breaks Wikipedia's encyclopedic tone. If you are unable to determine an article's context and prerequisites, please ask for help on the talk page. Why are Wikipedia's mathematics articles so hard to read?
We strive to make our articles comprehensive, technically correct and easy to read. Sometimes it is difficult to achieve all three. If you have trouble understanding an article, please post a specific question on the article's talk page. Why don't math pages rely more on helpful YouTube videos and media coverage of mathematical issues?
Mathematical content of YouTube videos is often unreliable (though some may be useful for pedagogical purposes rather than as references). Media reports are typically sensationalistic. This is why they are generally avoided. |
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Attention needed at Brahmagupta's function
[edit]I came across this article in the new pages queue, but I don't have the technical knowledge to evaluate it properly. I can't tell if it overlaps at all with Brahmagupta's formula, and the two provided book references don't have page numbers. Any attention from project members would be appreciated! Lord Bolingbroke (talk) 04:53, 29 January 2025 (UTC)
- If it is independently notable at all it is not under this name. Google Scholar search for "Brahmagupta's function" did not match any articles. And we have no evidence Brahmagupta had any connection with this function, which is connected to modern number theory. I would almost suggest that it is a hoax, except that the function itself is a piece of actual mathematics. —David Eppstein (talk) 07:30, 29 January 2025 (UTC)
- Thank you for the reply. I have draftified the page pending the addition of sources to verify Brahmagupta's connection to the function. Lord Bolingbroke (talk) 18:18, 29 January 2025 (UTC)
Expressing certain symbols with math tags
[edit]I've been transcribing some equations for a work on Wikisource, and I need to draw a few symbols that appear in the equations: a semicircle (open, with the semicircle being the right half of the circle) and a rectangle (short and wide). I haven't figured out how to put them in, can anyone here help? Arcorann (talk) 05:54, 31 January 2025 (UTC)
- Maybe try https://detexify.kirelabs.org/ ? —David Eppstein (talk) 07:03, 31 January 2025 (UTC)
- Without context it is difficult to know exactly what the symbols you're talking about are. 100.36.106.199 (talk) 03:25, 1 February 2025 (UTC)
- Are any of the following characters good for the rectangle? Right side is the decimal value.
- ▭: 9645
- ▯: 9647
- ▮: 9646
- ▬: 9644 Apersoma (talk) 13:51, 6 February 2025 (UTC)
- Using decimal to identify Unicode is awkward; most readers familiar with Unicode will expect hexadecimal and some will interprete, e.g., 9656 as a reference to U+9645 际 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-9645 rather than to U+25AD ▭ WHITE RECTANGLE.
- Is there wiki LaTeX support for U+25AC ▬ BLACK RECTANGLE, U+25AD ▭ WHITE RECTANGLE, U+25AE ▮ BLACK VERTICAL RECTANGLE and U+25AF ▯ WHITE VERTICAL RECTANGLE? -- Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz Username:Chatul (talk) 16:01, 6 February 2025 (UTC)
- and seem to work here, but yield squares. - Jochen Burghardt (talk) 18:48, 6 February 2025 (UTC)
- Usually in LaTeX you could also use \fbox, \framebox, or similar, but I don't think any comparable thing is supported in Wikipedia's version of LaTeX. –jacobolus (t) 19:34, 6 February 2025 (UTC)
- Sometimes you can hack together pieces of rectangles by combining vertical and horizontal rules; it's not ideal, but it can be made to work. An example is the notation appearing in the history section of factorial. —David Eppstein (talk) 23:22, 6 February 2025 (UTC)
Sergio Albeverio page needs cleanup
[edit]Would anyone feel like de-CV-ifying the article Sergio Albeverio? XOR'easter (talk) 19:44, 1 February 2025 (UTC)
Waring problem
[edit]May someone look at the last comment in the talk page? thanks. 176.206.33.66 (talk) 13:34, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
- You mean the discussion of ? Dedhert.Jr (talk) 13:44, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
- yes. thanks again 176.206.33.66 (talk) 14:01, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
Algebraic normal form
[edit]There's a long-standing proposal to merge Reed–Muller expansion and Zhegalkin polynomial into Algebraic normal form, on the grounds of overlap and/or context. It would be helpful if someone with a little mathematic knowledge had a go at either completing the merge (given that it is currently unopposed), or objecting. You can contribute to the discussion at Talk:Algebraic normal form. Klbrain (talk) 16:46, 5 February 2025 (UTC)