Back to AtD Zeta functions

[Paul Mackin]

On 7/16/2012 12:09 PM, Prashant Kumar wrote:
> I like to say that entropy is a trope present in every work of fiction 
> (especially Things Fall Apart, amirite? Anyone? Anyone? Ok fine...) 
> insofar as everything is subject to the thermodynamic arrow of time. 
> (over a long enough timescale)

Urrite.

P
>
>
> On Monday, 16 July 2012, Mark Kohut wrote:
>
>     The Annie Liebowitz reminder was wonderfully ironic about a solid
>     woman thinker/writer who was NOT as ironic as TRP, imho.
>     And, short Wittgenstein answer is we need a longer answer and time
>     but that TRP might use the ideas creatively, metaphorically, as
>     he does the concepts of entropy and other concepts is still possible.
>
>     *From:* Paul Mackin <mackin.paul at verizon.net <javascript:_e({},
>     'cvml', 'mackin.paul at verizon.net');>>
>     *To:* pynchon-l at waste.org <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
>     'pynchon-l at waste.org');>
>     *Sent:* Monday, July 16, 2012 6:57 AM
>     *Subject:* Re: Back to AtD Zeta functions
>
>     On 7/16/2012 12:08 AM, Prashant Kumar wrote:
>>     So actually the imaginary numbers used in representing voltage
>>     don't represent real or /measurable/ quantities. It's just a
>>     mathematical convenience. The salient point is this: we can't
>>     directly measure anything with an /i/.
>>
>>     Strangely, physical entities with imaginary components do exist,
>>     such as the wavefunction of a quantum mechanical system. There
>>     was a result in Nature recently that proved that the wavefunction
>>     is not just a statement of knowledge, it represents more than
>>     just probabilities. If anyone is interested I can go into this,
>>     but the short answer is Witt was wrong
>
>     Thanks, Prashant.  I withdraw my voltage example.
>
>     Luddy wrong too.  I'm in such good company.
>
>     P
>>
>>     On 16 July 2012 11:01, Lemuel Underwing <luunderwing at gmail.com
>>     <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', 'luunderwing at gmail.com');>> wrote:
>>
>>         As someone who suffers from an inability to properly
>>         understand maths I thank you, 'twas certainly helpful.
>>
>>         It is hard for me to imagine who any of this has to do with
>>         Annie Leibovitz... I take it some folks have a hard time
>>         figuring out what is just /White Noise/ in Pynchon...?
>>
>>
>>         On Sun, Jul 15, 2012 at 8:25 AM, Prashant Kumar
>>         <siva.prashant.kumar at gmail.com <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
>>         'siva.prashant.kumar at gmail.com');>> wrote:
>>
>>             First we're gonna need complex numbers, made of a real
>>             part (normal numbers) plus an imaginary part. Imaginary
>>             numbers are defined by multiples of /i/=squareroot(-1).
>>             Imagine a 2D graph, the vertical axis marked with
>>             multiples of /i/ and the horizontal axis with real
>>             numbers. So on this 2D graph we can define a complex
>>             number as a point. Call such a point s = \sigma + \rho,
>>             \sigma and \rho being real and imaginary numbers resp.
>>
>>             Since it takes real and imaginary inputs, and we plot the
>>             output in the third dimension, the Riemann Zeta function
>>             can be visualised as a surface sitting above the complex
>>             number graph; that's what you saw, Mark (see here
>>             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riemann_zeta_function for
>>             the same thing with magnitude represented as colour).  If
>>             I have a RZ function, writing R as a function of s as
>>             R(s), the zeroes are the values of s for which R(s)=0.
>>              The Riemann Hypothesis (unproven) states that the zeroes
>>             of the RZ function have real part 1/2. Formally, R(1/2 +
>>             \rho) = 0. This gives you a line on the surface of the RZ
>>             function (known as the critical line) along which the
>>             zeroes are hypothesised to lie. That wasn't too bad, right?
>>
>>             Verifying this hypothesis is notoriously hard.
>>
>>             On 15 July 2012 21:27, Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com
>>             <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', 'markekohut at yahoo.com');>> wrote:
>>
>>                 "Except that this one's horizontal and drawn on a
>>                 grid of latitude and longitude,
>>                 instead of rel vs imaginary values---where Riemann
>>                 said that all the zeroes of the
>>                 Beta function will be found."
>>
>>                 p. 937 Don't know enough math to have a feel for Zeta
>>                 functions but Wolfram's
>>                 maths guide online shows Beta functions kinda graphed
>>                 in three dimensions,
>>                 with raised sections, waves, folds etc....
>>
>>                 And all I can associate at the moment are the raised
>>                 maps, showing land formations,
>>                 and the phrase
>>
>>                 History is a step-function.
>>
>>                 Anyone, anyone? Bueller?
>>
>>
>>
>>
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