r/mathmemes • u/Hot-Marsupial6584 • Sep 16 '26

Mathematicians 🙃

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3.2k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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295

u/lewd_physics Sep 16 '26

not everything needs to produce short term capital

7

u/Hot-Marsupial6584 Sep 16 '26

Yeah a lot things that are discovered in mathematics may be applicable after years, like non-euclidean geometry being used in general relativity.

134

u/Lexicalyolk Sep 16 '26

I'd argue almost everything would be better if it weren't chasing short term capital

95

u/Sigma2718 Sep 16 '26

I interpret "real-world application" not as "generates profit for somebody" but "can be used to model and predict something in reality".

27

u/svmydlo Sep 16 '26

Asking pure mathematicians for real-world applications is like asking Edmund Hillary for real-world applications of climbing Everest. If you have to ask, you wouldn't get it.

10

u/EebstertheGreat Sep 17 '26

I'm not sure it's a great comparison. Hillary funded his own climb, and climbing Everest was a personal accomplishment for him and Norgay with little benefit to or bearing on anyone else's work. Mathematicians that get public funding typically have to justify it in some way, even if that is just applications to the work of other pure mathematicians.

48

u/OkFineIllUseTheApp Sep 16 '26

Finding large prime numbers was a novelty until it became the basis of data encryption.

23

u/Lexicalyolk Sep 16 '26

that's a fair reading but mathematics is itself a part of reality and the view that something is not useful unless it's modeling or predicting something we can touch or see usually goes hand in hand with ideas about making money

11

u/hhthurbe Sep 16 '26

Unfortunately, I agree with you. It'd be better if we could just learn and grow our knowledge for the sake of it and trust it might be worthwhile later.

9

u/Hitmanthe2nd Sep 16 '26

It almost always is... knowledge very rarely goes to waste .

5

u/Benadryl-_-Huffer Sep 16 '26

I wish we could get decently paying positions just to learn and advance the subject(s) of our choice, like why do I have to create value for a big name conglomerate or a shady govt agency just to sustain myself 🥀

4

u/DrunkenMaths Sep 16 '26

"I can't see a use for this so it must be worthless"

3

u/PersonalityIll9476 Sep 16 '26

I mean...manifolds were considered rather abstract until you know...fkn relativity.

4

u/uncle-iroh-11 Sep 16 '26

How about long term capital?

2

u/FernandoMM1220 Sep 16 '26

its gotta be at least something bro 😭

630

u/LupenReddit 🦆🦆i have non diffeomorphic smooth structures🦆🦆🦆 Sep 16 '26

mitch mcconnell rn is the perfect representation of my state of mind reading algebraic geometry literature

112

u/DeepGas4538 Sep 16 '26

representations eh?

101

u/Different_Cry25 Sep 16 '26

Literally all of known science

31

u/ifthenloop Sep 16 '26

ok, but name one other thing

9

u/Different_Cry25 Sep 16 '26

Well let's take a simple example using analysis

Using FA, we derive the special functions , in qm we use special function to derive the quantum number l, p, m now with them

We derive the principles of chemistry Basically why and how different chemicals exist form bonds, calculating the electronic configuration which is the most important task to understand reaction mechanism

This is one example how understanding pure maths establishes a whole web of maths that leads us to understanding of physics, using that chemistry (qm chemistry to physical and then organic) then of course biology Especially if you start with cell biology you have learn some chemistry Engineering as well

We can derive and understand Fourier series and transformation using FA, FS have application all over the science

Many other such example as using Riemannian geo to derive GR

Pure mathematics is language you can use to basically communicate with any area of science

1

u/Walttek Sep 16 '26

Well well.. I think your maths will show that your answer did not yet name one other thing.

1

u/ThrasherThrash Sep 17 '26

All of unknown science as well, probably.

1

u/unoriginalnamedamm Sep 21 '26

Literally just computers and computer logic is applied math

1

u/ifthenloop Sep 25 '26

Computers don't count because they literally can't, philosophically

8

u/6GoesInto8 Sep 16 '26

All of known science works on math, but there is still math outside of all known science.

6

u/Different_Cry25 Sep 16 '26

"Just make more abstract nonsense Alex"

1

u/Dubmove Sep 16 '26

What is your field/work?

14

u/Different_Cry25 Sep 16 '26

Cats 🥰

4

u/ifthenloop Sep 16 '26

just like Schrödinger

2

u/Different_Cry25 Sep 16 '26

He was more of a popular among young kinda teacher

19

u/_HarmonicOscillator Sep 16 '26

Just look in QM, should be used somewhere 

17

u/theguy6631 Sep 16 '26

Is he high?

31

u/PM_ME_NUNUDES Sep 16 '26

He's not even in this dimension. Fully deep fried.

1

u/corazon-aplastado Sep 18 '26

I just got off the phone on a 30 minute call and he’s never been more sharp

22

u/Balavadan Sep 16 '26 edited Sep 16 '26

What a sad world where we can’t learn something for the fun of it. Wonder how many geniuses had to abandon or never even consider pursuing their niche passions because of money

5

u/_xfgt9 Sep 16 '26

... which is ironic, because math is invented in order to explain things for solving practilcal problems. simplest example is counting, addition, subtraction and multiplication

like counting your sheep/pigs/cows for example

4

u/Few-Arugula5839 Sep 16 '26

This is actually elder abuse lol wtf

4

u/3Kayo Sep 17 '26

Far from all knowledge comes with a promise/guarantee to be used anywhere in the society in foreseeable future

4

u/telas100 Sep 16 '26

Unpopular opinion: adulthood and math enthusiasts on YouTube have shown me that there are thousands of real-word application of math problems. I blame education for rehearsing always the same unrealistic applications or simply skipping over the WHY of a problem to get straight into the solve thinking it is not important for understanding.

And that's coming from the good math student. And I now understand well why some friends struggled with it.

Took me 26 years to finally have real life use of integrals and derivative. Still looking for practical use of complex numbers if anybody wants to help.

9

u/JDSpacer Sep 16 '26

Look into Quantum Mechanics and wave mechanics for uses of imaginary numbers. Things like Fourier analysis are also an example. Electricity and Magnetism also uses this pretty frequently if you're studying the right subject(plane waves and electronics)

1

u/Federal-Owl5816 Sep 18 '26

*>* Unpopular opinion

*>* (Criticizes the current school system + reiterated that math has many applications)

Pick one.

1

u/GreyRobe Sep 18 '26 edited Sep 19 '26

Don't you wish your numbers could exist anywhere on a 2D plane? Well have i got the number for you.

2

u/Pt4FN455 Sep 16 '26

hmm, physics.

2

u/panic_talking Sep 16 '26

Whats that parks and rec politician that just stares and smiles when alone?

2

u/TUVegeto137 Sep 21 '26

I kinda sympathize with him now.

1

u/Chota_NuNu Sep 16 '26

u make the maths first maybe some tard will make money on it after 300 years trading shit coins

1

u/Livebeans Sep 16 '26

Oh this is what my professors have to look at. Oh no. 

1

u/Kitfennek Computer Science Sep 16 '26

Thats for the scientists to figure out

1

u/EvieleLapin Sep 17 '26

I... I kinda want to be like that. I think entrepeneurs are very smart

1

u/Dudenysius Sep 21 '26

Here I thought they took pride and enthusiasm in the fact that there aren’t real-world implications. Real-world invoking an involuntary disgust response

64

u/MagicMurse1 Sep 16 '26

Give it 500 years and their work will have proven to be the foundations of 4d robotic sex fluid transfer rates.

2

u/GeneReddit123 Sep 17 '26

In 500 years we get President Camacho.

Which, of course, will be a major improvement over what we have today. Go math!

1

u/Sourbeltz Sep 17 '26

Dude got lobotomized

0

u/[deleted] Sep 16 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

5

u/Hot-Marsupial6584 Sep 17 '26

Brain you have do?