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promanyes1234The Main Branches of Mathematics
Algebra
The word “algebra,” when it denotes a branch of mathematics, means something more specific than manipulation of symbols and a
preference for equalities over inequalities.
Geometry
Manifolds are higher-dimensional generalizations of shapes like the surface of a sphere: a small portion of a manifold looks flat, but
the manifold as a whole may be curved in complicated ways.
Analysis
Like algebra, analysis has an abstract side as well. In particular, certain abstract structures, such as banach spaces, hilbert spaces,
C∗-algebras, and von neumann algebras, are central objects of study. These four structures are all infinite-dimensional vector
spaces.
Number theory
Number theory is largely concerned with properties of the set of positive integers, and as such has a considerable overlap with
algebra. But a simple example that illustrates the difference between a typical question in algebra and a typical question in number
theory is provided by the equation 13x − 7y = 1. An algebraist would simply note that there is a one-parameter family of solutions: if
y = λ then x = (1 + 7λ)/13, so the general solution is (x, y) = ((1 + 7λ)/13, λ). A number theorist would be interested in integer
solutions, and would therefore work out for which integers λ the number 1 + 7λ is a multiple of 13. (The answer is that 1 + 7λ is a
multiple of 13 if and only if λ has the form 13m + 11 for some integer m.)
Mathematical physics
There is still a big cultural difference between the two subjects: mathematicians are far more interested in finding rigorous proofs,
whereas physicists, who use mathematics as a tool, are usually happy with a convincing argument for the truth of a mathematical
statement, even if that argument is not actually a proof. The result is that physicists, operating under less stringent constraints, often
discover fascinating mathematical phenomena long before mathematicians do.
Logic
Every branch of mathematics uses logic.
Probability
There are many phenomena, from biology and economics to computer science and physics, that are so complicated that instead of
trying to understand them in complete detail one tries to make probabilistic statements instead. For example, if you wish to analyze
how a disease is likely to spread, you cannot hope to take account of all the relevant information (such as who will come into contact
with whom) but you can build a mathematical model and analyze it.
Theoretical computer science
Broadly speaking, theoretical computer science is concerned with efficiency of computation, meaning the amounts of various
resources, such as time and computer memory, needed to perform given computational tasks.
Algebraic geometry
Algebraic geometers also study manifolds, but with the important difference that their manifolds are defined using polynomials.
Combinatorics
Combinatorics is sometimes called “discrete mathematics” because it is concerned with “discrete” structures as opposed to
“continuous” ones. Roughly speaking, an object is discrete if it consists of points that are isolated from each other, and continuous if
you can move from one point to another without making sudden jumps. (A good example of a discrete structure is the integer lattice
2
ℤ , which is the grid consisting of all points in the plane with integer coordinates, and a good example of a continuous one is the
surface of a sphere.)