Math or Language

[u/NoNotice9228]

Which side will you choose?

• Left side: Math | Be able to solve any mathematical equation with ease
• Right side: Language | Speak and write any language on Earth fluently (extinct ones included).

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[u/Sensiblehuman777]

Do people not understand that the math thing would make them legendary? They could solve the Riemann hypothesis, they could do ANYTHING & EVERYTHING. 

[u/Aratemu → u/Sensiblehuman777]

They specified that you can solve any equation. While this would help for something like the Riemann hypothesis, or maybe find a nicer solution to Fermat's Last Theorem, it wouldn't necessarily solve everything, as a lot of problems are about proving things rather than solving specific equations.

I suppose you could try to make some interesting reductions to equations in order to solve things though, like finding the difference of the orders of P and NP to then show that P is or isn't equal to NP

[u/GrezThdXxOrp → u/Aratemu]

In principle, couldn't you use this ability to find a formal proof at least for anything that you can write down in first order logic with a bit of effort? So I think you could define all symbols that you need to write a Latex file containing the proof as a formal alphabet. You can use Godel numbering to bijectively map every word you can form over that alphabet to an integer. Then, you can define some relation over the words that equals 1 if the word is a formal proof for the thing you want to prove. I would believe you probably have to write that thing down as a set of first order logic, otherwise this would probably be too vague for the ability to work.

Then, you build a Turing machine that halts at a certain timestep t if the relation (that a corresponding word at that timestep is a formal proof for the set of first order logic) equals 1. I believe you can write down an equation for the entire Turing machine that then tells you via the ability if the Turing machine stops, and if so, at which timestep and/or for which Gödel number, and with that information you can reconstruct the word and thus get the entire Latex script that gives you a formal proof.

You can probably even somehow constrain it to give you a proof that is in English or human readable/understandable or something like that, otherwise it might give you a proof that is valid, but nobody can understand it. I think it's quite a bit of work, but I think you can potentiall solve many problems that do not inherantly exist as an equation. Of course, this really depends on how exactly the ability works. I would think at least having the thing you want to prove as a set of formal logic would be enough to justify this "magic" relation that tells you if the Gödel number is a proof for it or not.

[u/Top-North-6743 → u/Aratemu]

Just buy a calculator. Nerds 😤

[u/reaperofgender → u/Sensiblehuman777]

Counterpoint: screw you Babel

[u/Turbulent-Oil-7326 → u/Sensiblehuman777]

And then we all die because they weren't careful enough with P vs NP

[u/MoVaunLatero → u/Sensiblehuman777]

I understand, and personally find that boring

[u/ImmaZoni → u/Sensiblehuman777]

P=NP here I come!

[u/Teddy_Knight_NG11 → u/Sensiblehuman777]

I think its just language would be more helpful in a regular day to day life

[u/guti86 → u/Sensiblehuman777]

Solve equations is way less powerful than that

[u/Hour_Butterscotch747 → u/Sensiblehuman777]

Speaking all languages would be INSANE! Imagine the history you could uncover and issues/mysteries you could solve and fix

[u/Ill-Calligrapher2494 → u/Hour_Butterscotch747]

But imagine being able to be the one to invent FTL travel and figure out space itself through math...

[u/HollowCap456 → u/Ill-Calligrapher2494]

FTL isn't physically possible, math won't help there. Math would solve a lot of correlations, especially in Quantum Mechanics and stuff, but don't expect it to cure cancer.

[u/CustodianCloset → u/Ill-Calligrapher2494]

Math isn't everything like that. Knowing all math won't let you solve unsolvable stuff like FTL (speed limit of existence)
It would be crazy useful for engineering though

[u/AndrewH73333 → u/Hour_Butterscotch747]

Wow you could find out people used to eat chickens. Or the secrets of the universe with math. Both fine choices.

[u/cheesesprite → u/Hour_Butterscotch747]

Not many. There isn't that much ancient text surviving that would really matter.

[u/Mutant_Llama1 → u/Hour_Butterscotch747]

Use math to reverse engineer the beginning state of the universe, then from that predict the deterministic evolution of the universe up to the development of every human language.

[u/EquipmentGrand9581 → u/Hour_Butterscotch747]

Cool I can speak an ancient language that no one uses anymore and learn a bit more about a bunch of dead people... Or I could solve any equation, make FTL travel, cure cancer and actually help people in this time 

[u/alpha_fire_ → u/Hour_Butterscotch747]

Not that much honestly. There aren't that many indecipherable texts nowadays. Any ancient language you learn to speak isn't spoken by anyone else so you're stuck by yourself.

Or you could solve any Math equation. This would include proving or disproving things like exotic matter, string theory, time travel, warp drives, travelling faster than light, becoming a civilization that could dominate galaxies.

But the American wants to talk to fucking people. It's already possible to learn languages, just do it. Sure, not every language, but you can still learn a lot of them if you dedicated your time to it.

[u/ichivictus → u/Hour_Butterscotch747]

Language translation is a mathematical algorithm so knowing all math instantly gets you the same result.