Do you have any interests or activities that other people might find absurd/weird?

[Bilboes]

[DrPepper12]

Ok you got me. I LOVE ancient cookbooks worldwide and recipes as a means of reviving the past as well as learning about the pageant of humanity through food and it's preparation, serving, preservation, etc. Im a history teacher! Don't judge!!!

[abc3643]

Ever thought about collecting old editions of Joy of Cooking?

[normalice]

I write porn prologues on wattpad to amuse myself but no one else reads them.

[Ladsin2]

All of them? I farm, raisin rabbits, chickens, and pigs which most folks are thrown off by. For fun I read books and talk shit on GaG. Everything is pretty absurd.

[Goahead76]

I have enormous music collections that might seem a little absurd to some people. Boxes and boxes of EDM music mainly but a lot of other stuff too.

[LiamJHayden]

I collect LOTR, Marvel, and DC action figures.

[Ironco]

I like peanut butter and dill pickle sandwiches, don't knock it till you try it

[NathanDavis]

probably so, yes...

[FenixG45]

Writing Japanese poetry

[abc3643]

Number Theory

[FenixG45]

Please explain?

[abc3643]

@FenixG45 Number Theory is the mathematical discipline involving numbers and their patterns.

Google Gemini's response:

PROMPT: What is Number Theory?

Number Theory: The Queen of Mathematics
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and their properties. It's often referred to as the "queen of mathematics" because of its elegance and the depth of problems it explores.

What do number theorists study?
Prime numbers: These are numbers divisible only by 1 and themselves (e. g., 2, 3, 5, 7, 11). Their distribution and properties are a central focus.
Divisibility: How numbers relate to each other through division.
Congruences: Relationships between numbers based on remainders when divided by a specific number.
Diophantine equations: Equations with integer solutions.
Algebraic number theory: Extending the concept of integers to more abstract number systems.

Why is it important?
Foundation of mathematics: Number theory underpins many other areas of mathematics.
Cryptography: Many encryption methods rely on number-theoretic concepts.
Computer science: Algorithms in computer science often involve number theory.
Pure intellectual curiosity: The beauty and complexity of number theory have fascinated mathematicians for centuries.

(more)

[FenixG45]

FASCINATING!

[abc3643]

Here's an example from Number Theory...

Fermat's Last Theorem:

For X, Y, Z, N positive integers, there are no solutions to:
X^N + Y^N = Z^N for N>2.

That went unproven for over 350 years.

Number Theory is rife with unsolved problems.
For instance, one famous one is "Goldbach's Conjecture":
Every positive integer > 2 can be written as the sum of two prime numbers (prime numbers are now considered starting at 2, not 1).
This conjecture was formulated in 1742 and is still unsolved.

Another is the Collatz Conjecture. From Gemini:

The Collatz Conjecture
The Collatz Conjecture

is a deceptively simple yet incredibly complex mathematical problem.

Here's how it works:

Start with any positive integer.
If the number is even, divide it by 2.
If the number is odd, multiply it by 3 and add 1.
Repeat the process with the result.
The conjecture states that no matter what number you start with, this process will eventually reach the number 1.

Despite its simple rules, mathematicians have been unable to prove or disprove this conjecture. It's a fascinating problem that has captured the imagination of many.

(more)

[abc3643]

I don't know why but Gemini won't answer about Goldbach. It does and then instantly says it can't help. Bullshit. I think maybe because Goldbach is a Jewish-sounding name and it doesn't want to offend anyone,.

Anyway, I like to try and solve the Collatz Conjecture.
a lot of people are working on that one.

[abc3643]

Back in 1997, I independently discovered a minor theorem about Mersenne Primes. I went to my college's library and discovered the theorem in a book. I was happy because this meant I had my shit together enough to discover stuff like this on my own.

[abc3643]

Here's an example of the Collatz Conjecture which I will restate:

Let X[i] be a positive integer sequence for i, also a positive integer, starting at 0.
The next number in the sequence is defined as this:
If X[i] is even, then X[i+1] = X[i] / 2.
If X[i] is odd, then X[i+1] = 3 * X[i] + 1.

For any starting value of X[0], the sequence will eventually become...4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1,...

Here's an example:
X[0] = 5
5.
5 is odd, so X[1] = 3 * X[0] + 1 = 3 * 5 + 1 = 16
16 is even, so X[2] = X[1] / 2 = 8
8 even...4
4 even...2
2 even...1
1 odd... 3*1 + 1 = 4
4 even...2
2 even...1
1 odd... 4
etc.

We'd write this:
5 -> 16 -> 8 -> 4 -> 2 -> 1 -> 4 -> 2 -> 1 -> ...

Here's another example:
X[0] = 17

17 -> 52 -> 26 -> 13 -> 40 -> 20 -> 10 -> 5 -> 16 -> 8 -> 4 -> 2 -> 1 -> 4 -> 2 -> 1 -> 4 -> 2 -> 1 -> ...

Sometimes the sequence can take a long time. Try it yourself starting with X[0]=29. If I recall, it will be a few dozen steps in the sequence before reaching 4,2,1,4,2,1... but it will. It always does. But nobody has proven that.

[abc3643]

The Collatz Conjecture is "young". Lothar Collatz proposed it in 1937.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collatz_conjecture

[NOTHINGEVERHAPPENS]

Plenty.

[jahaims]

Probably