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Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Mathematics/2012 January 4

January 4[edit]

Hiya. I know very little about maths. However, due to a question on the help desk about "how to display an epsilon" I got involved with trying to tidy up the article. I've made some progress, but unfortunately have no idea if the mathy bits are correct. Could someone who actually understands this stuff take a look please? Thanks. fredgandt 02:57, 4 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You'll be better off making this post at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Mathematics. That's where article content discussions take place. The reference desk is a reference desk. People post their mathematical questions here in the hope of being directed towards appropriate articles. — Fly by Night (talk) 21:10, 5 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Who was the original founder or builder of the Pyramid of Giza? Was he/she an african with kinky hair as those of Sub-saharan Africa, as Prof Deop of Senegal claims in a UNESCO publication, a series consisting of several volumes about the history of Africa? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.96.15.108 (talk) 08:38, 4 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

This is the mathematics reference desk. If you'd like to pose a question about kinkiness of hair in terms of the Frenet–Serret formulas then you're at the right place otherwise I think miscellaneous is the riught place. Dmcq (talk) 09:15, 4 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

This question does not fall within the purview of the mathematics desk, so I have moved it to the Wikipedia miscellaneous reference desk at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous#The founder of the pyramid of Giza (now archived here). -- ToE 09:17, 4 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Why are some variables used for specific types of things? Why did they make those specific choices? (e.g. theta and phi for angles, epsilon for a very small number, etc.) --207.160.233.153 (talk) 21:18, 4 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Often this is caused by an influential writer choosing some notation arbitrarily, others follow his lead and eventually a tradition to use some letters for some purposes is formed. Sometimes the original choice was arrived at as the initial of the object in question. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 21:27, 4 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It makes it easier to get into things. We'd all be confused if the sides of a triangle were alpha beta gamma and the angles were x y and z. Sloth is a virtue. (my version of greed is good). Dmcq (talk) 21:44, 4 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Right, accident of history, combined with convenience and ease of recognition explain many of the conventions. This is especially useful for students. Professors don't mind "weird" notation such as x(f)=f^2, dx/df=2f, but freshman calc students (WP:OR warning) get really disturbed :) SemanticMantis (talk) 20:20, 5 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]