Should I continue doing research in mathematics?

[upsciLLion]

I think you'd like actuarial science. It's a good blend of calculus, probability, statistics, economics, finance, and computer science. CWU has an excellent AS program.

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: upsciLLion
I think you'd like actuarial science. It's a good blend of calculus, probability, statistics, economics, finance, and computer science. CWU has an excellent AS program.

Quit trying to persuade me, peon!

 

[Orsorum]

And, yes, I have considered a career as an actuary; I'd need to retake my probability classes to have any grasp of the material, though.

 

[upsciLLion]

Originally posted by: Orsorum

Originally posted by: upsciLLion
I think you'd like actuarial science. It's a good blend of calculus, probability, statistics, economics, finance, and computer science. CWU has an excellent AS program.

Quit trying to persuade me, peon!

The impression I am under is that you're pretty good at a lot of things but not really good at any one thing (much like me). I just figured I'd give some advice.

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: upsciLLion

Originally posted by: Orsorum

Originally posted by: upsciLLion
I think you'd like actuarial science. It's a good blend of calculus, probability, statistics, economics, finance, and computer science. CWU has an excellent AS program.

Quit trying to persuade me, peon!

The impression I am under is that you're pretty good at a lot of things but not really good at any one thing (much like me). I just figured I'd give some advice.

Dammit, you've figured me out.

I'm quite serious. Now how does one cope with such a realization?

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: Orsorum

Originally posted by: upsciLLion

Originally posted by: Orsorum

Originally posted by: upsciLLion
I think you'd like actuarial science. It's a good blend of calculus, probability, statistics, economics, finance, and computer science. CWU has an excellent AS program.

Quit trying to persuade me, peon!

The impression I am under is that you're pretty good at a lot of things but not really good at any one thing (much like me). I just figured I'd give some advice.

Dammit, you've figured me out.

I'm quite serious. Now how does one cope with such a realization?

go for a job that requires competency in many things (like actuary)

 

[DrPizza]

Economics: The field entered upon realizing one can't handle mathematics.


More info on the types of equations you were looking for patterns in? I find it odd that you couldn't find patterns.

 

[upsciLLion]

Originally posted by: Orsorum

Originally posted by: upsciLLion

Originally posted by: Orsorum

Originally posted by: upsciLLion
I think you'd like actuarial science. It's a good blend of calculus, probability, statistics, economics, finance, and computer science. CWU has an excellent AS program.

Quit trying to persuade me, peon!

The impression I am under is that you're pretty good at a lot of things but not really good at any one thing (much like me). I just figured I'd give some advice.

Dammit, you've figured me out.

I'm quite serious. Now how does one cope with such a realization?

What gopunk said.

Since UW is so big, I imagine they have a statistics department. Go talk to them to see if they have anybody that could advise you for being an actuary.

If not, CWU has an excellent AS program.

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Economics: The field entered upon realizing one can't handle mathematics.


More info on the types of equations you were looking for patterns in? I find it odd that you couldn't find patterns.

I went into Economics before I tried Mathematics.

Well, I can find patterns, but nothing that I can formulate in a systematic way. I'm looking at the equation 1/(t-1)^2, or variants, which have the form 1-x_1t+x_2t^2-x_1t^3+t^4 (up to degree 8) whose roots are all equal to 1 (or in the case of complex roots, real^2+complex coefficient^2 = 1), and whose inverse produces a series with all positive coefficients.

This is a list of coefficients and the roots produced for each degree which satisfy the criteria.

 

[StatisticianOG]

Since you are interested in statistics and economics, perhaps see if there is any econometrics research that needs to be done???

Although, sticking with a tricky problem, and then finally getting somewhere on it (and perhaps solving it) is very satisfying!

When I was in grad. school (in stat.) I was consulting with a Ph.D student on his thesis project to analyze some plants, specifically the percentage of damage, due to disease, on cones, and also to try and relate it with the species of bacteria that caused it and a variety of other factors such as the year, farm, water levels, fertilizer levels, temperature, location, border effects, and several others.

His experimental design and sampling methods really confused me, and there were several odd things that I discovered about the project (for example, the percentage of damage for a given cone was a subjective estimate, and when I made a simple graph of them, I noticed that all were multiples of 5 (like when people report their own weight), and some of them were even over 100%!), and some things that I felt compromized the statistical analysis (such as taking judgement samples rather than simple random samples).

Anyway, I got absolutely nowhere and I thought about it for at least 2hrs every day for a week. My blackboard was entirely filled with scribbles from this project. Then while eating fast food and not thinking about anything but getting fat, I thought about how I could possibly solve the problem and when I got home I typed up a plan for doing that, as well as sample code for a statistics program, and ideas on how to transform the percentages to make them more appropriate for analyzing. I also learned some very interesting things about plant pathology.

It was nice when everything just 'clicked', and I hope that happens with your research!