Mathematical Autodidact
As I grow older, I find myself getting drawn towards things that I
found interesting in the pre-university era. One such thing is
mathematics. I had a blast preparing for IIT-JEE, and mathematics was my
favorite subject.
Programming is about creativity and making something; mathematics is
about truth and the search of aesthetics in that truth. Last year I
picked up A
Book of Abstract Algebra by Charles Pinter and it blew me away. I
didn't manage to get to the end of it still, but the way it represented
the history of algebra - in 1700s-1800s mathematicians challenged each
other with some problem set. The winner got the coveted office position.
The problems typically involved single-variable polynomial equations of
increasing degrees, and they tried to find the general solution to
degree-2,3,4...
Apparently, degree 5 and above polynomials don't have a general
solution, and this is shown by abstract algebra! It was fascinating that
something like that could be proved.
I've decided to self-study mathematics over the next couple of years. I'm interested in statistics, analysis, abstract algebra, type theory, complex numbers. Probably a long list. I'll pick and use a book, try to go through it and solve problems to cement understanding. I'll update bits here as I go...maybe just some exceptional things I read or general updates about how this is going.