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Mathematics is not redundant

2,311 Comments

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Stanislaw Nowak
5 years ago

Pure mathematics is a generator of breakthroughs, just rarely immediate ones. Those questions about logic and language got us computers, "useless" number theory gave us cryptography, and semblance of safety. There are so many applications waiting to be discovered! And even more applicable pure theorems to be found.

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Nira Chamberlain
5 years ago

Pure maths is important

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Anonymous
5 years ago

Anyone who thinks AI can go anywhere without math, is lost and should not make decisions for large organizations such as research universities.

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Martyn Quick
5 years ago

In the light of growth over recent years of students taking A-level Mathematics, the proposal would seem short-sighted. A degree works best when informed by research expertise and undergraduate students gain from this experience.

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Anonymous
5 years ago

If this country wants to stand a chance against future threats, natural or human in origin, then it needs to understand what power education brings. If you want the worst cryptographers in the world, then you can achieve that goal fast by closing pure maths down.

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Emma Chung
5 years ago

These redundancies represent a form of institutional bullying and will prove massively damaging in both the short and the long term. Very disappointing!

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Peter Haggstrom
5 years ago

An astonishing decision that is informed by economic desperation and a sense of the future worthy of Tsar Nicholas.

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Galina Paramei
5 years ago

Unbelievable ...

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Shuanglin Shao
5 years ago

Math is fundamental.

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Connor Behan
5 years ago

Mathematics is the last subject that should be cut. Not the first.

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Julian Wilson
5 years ago

While I am interested in topics such as AI, computational modelling, digitalisation and data science, coming from an applied perspective myself, cutting "pure" mathematics research will harm instead of help in the long run. There is just one mathematics, with numerous applications. Cutting out pieces of it will damage the whole, to the detriment of applications in the long run.

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Corneliu Hoffman
5 years ago

This is disgusting. The university of Leicester clearly has no sense of reality

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Chris Brew
5 years ago

I interview and hire people to work on practical AI-based conversational commerce. You might think I would agree with your idea of strengthening AI, but the reverse is true. AI students who consciously choose to attend a university that does not understand the unity and value of mathematics (pure and applied) will have placed a severe negative marker against their candidacy. For example, the math of quantum theory is directly relevant to modern information retrieval. So, if you care about your AI students, keep pure mathematics strong.

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Susan Fischer
5 years ago

Very short-sighted. Might as well not call yourselves a university any more.

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Bill Poser
5 years ago

Mathematics is the most fundamental of disciplines, the very last that should be cut. Moreover, pure mathematics is not neatly separable from applied mathematics, especially in developing fields. Most work in computational linguistics, knowledge representation, and related areas is much more closely related to work in pure mathematics than to the traditional areas of applied mathematics.

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Michael Israel
5 years ago

I hope you will rethink your approach to "shaping for excellence". I seriously doubt that weakening your programs in Maths, Linguistics, Neuroscience and Psychology is going to help you better prepare students for tomorrow's cutting edge research opportunities. You can't help new flowers bloom by cutting out the roots from which they've grown.

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Gordan
5 years ago

Math is the corner stone of our universe, it governs and rules over all of us, and not researching it would be a utter shame for humanity. Don't make mistakes that people in third world countires are making. Rise above them and show to the world that you aren't a part of the siege that is going on against mathematics

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Martin Johns
5 years ago

Advances in fundamental math are the essential basis for future results in most areas of computer science (incl. AI). Reducing research effort in this area is ill-advised and short-sighted.

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Anonymous
5 years ago

It becomes more and more like a popularity contest. We are forced to play the game. Is there another way for these people to understand anything serious using serious arguments? What a shame indeed.

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John Marshall
5 years ago

This is a short-sighted and destructive move that will damage all areas of Mathematical and Computing research at Leicester University includng those that the VC claims he wishes to focus on.