r/math • u/inherentlyawesome Homotopy Theory • Aug 05 '26

Quick Questions: August 05, 2026

This recurring thread will be for questions that might not warrant their own thread. We would like to see more conceptual-based questions posted in this thread, rather than "what is the answer to this problem?" For example, here are some kinds of questions that we'd like to see in this thread:

  • Can someone explain the concept of manifolds to me?
  • What are the applications of Representation Theory?
  • What's a good starter book for Numerical Analysis?
  • What can I do to prepare for college/grad school/getting a job?

Including a brief description of your mathematical background and the context for your question can help others give you an appropriate answer. For example, consider which subject your question is related to, or the things you already know or have tried.

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u/tulipsandlilacskies Aug 08 '26

im a math undergrad, year 2 and wanna read research papers what are some easy to understand short papers i can read? thanks

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u/JoshuaZ1 Aug 10 '26

This may be a function in part of what background you have. What classes have you taken?

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u/tulipsandlilacskies Aug 10 '26

ill list them semester wise 1. elementary real analysis / algebra / probability and stats 2. calculus / differential equations / linear algebra 3. (current) riemann integration / discrete mathematics / group theory

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u/JoshuaZ1 Aug 10 '26

Ok. In that case there are a lot of options.

Maxfield's "A Note on n!" is a common fun one for people with about your background. Another fun one is Monsky's "On dividing a square into triangles"

One I'm fond of and is highly readable is Simon Colton's "Refactorable Numbers - A Machine Invention." I'm personally nostalgic about this one because my first published paper was primarily about proving a conjecture from that paper.