2 papers
math.NT2021
What is worthy of investigation? Philosophical attitudes and their impact on mathematical development by the example of discovering 10-adic numbers
Merlin Carl, Michael Schmitz
We describe in dialogue form a possible way of discovering and investigating 10-adic numbers starting from the naive question about a `largest natural number'. Among the topics we…
math.HO2020
Envelopes are solving machines for quadratics and cubics and certain polynomials of arbitrary degree
Michael Schmitz, André Streicher
Everybody knows from school how to solve a quadratic equation of the form graphically. But this method can become tedious if several equations ought to be solved, as f…