Physics and Maths, Studied this Week.

Okay,  I have 3 pieces of work left for MST121, including two computer marked assignments.  The first is CMA41, a 20+ multiple choice paper on Statistics, yawn.  I have half completed this, but just need to read through MST121 Chapter D3 and D4, before I can finalise my responses this week.

The other pieces are papers on the whole MST121 course, covering all of the calculus, matrices, vectors, series etc.

I have also engaged in some fun diversions this week, including buying a Rubik's cube, which I plan to solve this month and then I will try and get my times down over the summer, to < 5min.  I have also purchased a group theory book, that is based around using the theories, to solve the cube.  It seems like a bit of a hoot, although a bit contrived in places.  The book is called Adventures in Group Theory.

I have also now finalised my next year's Open University, course choice.   I have decided to study, (drum role).....

M208 Pure Maths

This is instead of doing MST209, first.  A fellow O.U student and blogger, Chris, has helped me with this next decision and was kind enough to send me some samples of the M208 course, to assist.

I have also done some in depth analysis of my skills, needs and plans, for the next 3yrs, and realised the following things:

1. I seem to find it much easier to understand maths applications, if I, know / master, the abstract maths theories behind those applications.

2.  I know that I am wired up a little differently to most normal people (what ever normal is? / Is this part of my  Asperger's or Dyslexia? / who knows?).  As such, I have discovered this week,  that I can rotate / translate and manipulate objects, in my head, whilst reading through the stuff on Group Theory.  I don't know if many people can do this, but it seems to make that subject quite straight forward, for me.  Thus, it is probably a nice quick win intro to honours level maths.

3.  Doing applied calculus, without first doing the analysis behind the methods, is personally difficult for me.  I just can't grasp the rules all that well, without de-constructing the nuts and bolts behind integration / differentiation etc.

4.  Finally, I am almost certainly going to complete some of the O.U Maths MSc modules, as part of my studies; which, at the very least, means that I need to study M208 Pure Maths, M337 Complex Analysis and M303 Further Pure Maths.  I can then fit in some applied stuff, after these modules.

I did think about possibly not doing M303 and replacing it with the final presentations of Number theory and Logic, with Groups and Geometry.  Thus, by doing so, being able to work on the proofs of Godel's Incompleteness theorem.  However,  I am just not sure that this Brucie bonus, justifies the extra 3hr exam that would occur, if I replaced M303.  Also, is such self indulgence in Godel, distracting me from making progress towards PhD?   Never say never, but 303 looks favourite.

Anyway, this week's study has been:

Total 20hrs.

MST121
Chapter D2 Modelling Variation
CMA41 questions 1 - 16
Recap on Trigonometry identities

Other Reading
The Calculus Lifesaver, Banner Functions, Graphs, Lines, Review of Trig.
Feynman, Lectures Vol 1. Chapter 8. Motion.
Adventures in Group Theory Chapters 1-4.
M208 Intro part 1. Group Theory part 1.

S197 How the Universe Works
Finished and sent off EMA.  Course now complete.

Last night, I watched, 'A Beautiful Mind', the story of Schizophrenic Mathematician John Nash.  It was really sad!

Next week, Starting my EMA for MST121.