Right now I'm working on something called string topology. The first question everyone asks about string topology is whether it has anything to do with string theory. The answer, as far as I can tell, is no. The whole 'string' thing is a rather confusing piece of math terminology, one of several. Lie super-algebras, for example, do not fight crime. And quantum groups have nothing to do with dirty hippies beating off to The Tao of Physics. Mathematicians seem to use these terms in ways no other human beings do. As far as I can tell, their mathematical meanings are as follows...
I hope this helps.
Posted by aloysius at March 02, 2005 05:06 PM | TrackBack |