Timeline for Examples of common false beliefs in mathematics
Current License: CC BY-SA 2.5
8 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 2020 at 17:00 | comment | added | shuhalo | One of the most important answers here. Every mathematician should think about this answer. | |
| Dec 14, 2018 at 7:04 | comment | added | Adam P. Goucher | It depends what you mean by 'correct'. If a proof has an error which can easily be avoided, that's not too problematic: these show up often enough in published papers. An irreparable proof of a (true) statement is much worse. An (irreparable) proof of a false statement is even worse still. | |
| Aug 11, 2017 at 13:49 | comment | added | James Smith | I'm not I like the usage of 'metamathematical' here because the word can have a precise and formal meaning. I can't think of anything else credible, though. Somewhere between mathematical and pedagogical? | |
| May 29, 2017 at 5:17 | comment | added | co.sine | @Michael: Victor and you are both right: you should be correct $\mathbf{and}$ understandable. So that the audience can understand, that you are correct. | |
| Sep 2, 2015 at 3:00 | comment | added | tomasz | @GregMartin: When you are giving a talk, sure. When you are giving a lecture, maybe, but you should give an indication of where you are imprecise. When you are writing a paper, most definitely not. | |
| Mar 5, 2015 at 20:15 | comment | added | Greg Martin | I definitely agree with the OP that "It is more important to be correct than to be understood" is false - in the context of giving mathematical talks. Or perhaps, it's fairer to say that being understood is more important than being 100% correct. Talks are about the listener, not about the speaker. | |
| Oct 16, 2014 at 18:32 | comment | added | Michael | IMO "It is more important to be correct than to be understood" is not a false belief. | |
| May 5, 2010 at 6:50 | history | answered | Victor Protsak | CC BY-SA 2.5 |