The fax numbers of the beast, and other mathematical sports
5 days ago
- #mathematics
- #number sequences
- #OEIS
- Neil Sloane started the Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS) in 1964, initially as a personal collection of interesting number sequences.
- The OEIS has grown to over 250,000 entries and is considered the most influential math website in the world, used by professionals and recreational mathematicians alike.
- Sloane's initial motivation came from his PhD work on neural networks, where he encountered sequences that weren't documented in existing literature.
- The OEIS serves as a reference similar to the Oxford English Dictionary, providing technical definitions, visualizations, and even musical representations of sequences.
- Submissions to the OEIS are vetted by a global team of editors, who determine whether a sequence is mathematically significant or culturally relevant.
- The database includes sequences from various fields beyond pure mathematics, such as chemistry, physics, and even cultural references like subway stops or dartboard numbers.
- Recreational mathematicians and amateurs contribute to the OEIS, though overly contrived sequences are often rejected.
- Notable sequences include Hofstadter's Q Sequence, which remains unproven to be infinite, and Chai Wah Wu's enigmatic prime number sequence.
- The OEIS continues to expand, revealing that many basic questions in mathematics remain unsolved.