CEO & Co-Founder of @MathTrackU & Intangled Learning. Aspiring craftsman, supporter of mistakes, believer in apprenticeship through intanglement.

Indiana
Joined January 2013
Kevin Berkopes, PhD retweeted
Why should we care whether humans still understand mathematics if AI can solve the problems for us? Fair question. But we can say this at least: Historically, understanding has been a route to predictive power — with enormous benefits for our lives. nytimes.com/2026/09/22/scien…
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The Word for What Is Happening to Teachers Is Not Burnout open.substack.com/pub/drkevi…
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Kevin Berkopes, PhD retweeted
This is quite a remarkable result: Posed in 1939, the Jacobian conjecture is one of the central open problems in algebraic geometry, but was just disproved by Alpoge, Matthew, and Claude Fable 5. The Jacobian conjecture roughly says that a multivariable polynomial F has an inverse function (made out of polynomials) provided the Jacobian is non-singular (i.e. matrix of partial derivatives has non-zero determinant). This condition is neccessary by the Inverse Function Theorem from multivariable calculus. The hard question is whether it is also sufficient. Evidently, Fable found that F(x,y,z) = ((1+xy)^3 z + y^2 (1+xy) (4+3xy), y + 3 x (1+xy)^2 z + 3 x y^2 (4+3xy), 2 x - 3 x^2 y - x^3 z) has det(J_F) = -2 non-zero. However F is not invertible, since F sends three different pts (0, 0, -1/4), (1, -3/2, 13/2), and (-1, 3/2, 13/2) to the same image (-1/4, 0, 0). Beyond the disproof itself, it would be value to know if a suitably refined conjecture is recoverable. Per @Acer, GPT5.6 has proposed: "A constant-Jacobian polynomial local biholomorphism with no loss of sheets at infinity—e.g. a proper Keller map—is an automorphism." I would be interested to know if any algebraists (e.g. @levent @littmath) have a reaction to this... A further twist to the story: Not only was the Jacobian conjecture one of the central open problems in algebraic geometry, it was (a special case of) Yitang Zhang's PhD problem! The catch was that Zhang's advisor had him solve it, assuming a lemma of his advisor. But that lemma turned out to be false! As a result, Zhang's thesis crumbled and he then struggled to get recommendation letters and a permanent academic position. Despite all this, Zhang went on to prove bounded gaps between primes! This is one of the most inspiring stories in modern mathematics, and was a motivation for me to work in the same area for my doctorate.
hello there the jacobian conjecture is false thanx to my close friend akhil for asking about it and my other close friend fable for working during the world cup final ((1+xy)^3 z + y^2 (1+xy) (4+3xy), y + 3 x (1+xy)^2 z + 3 x y^2 (4+3xy), 2 x - 3 x^2 y - x^3 z): \C^3\to \C^3, has jacobian determinant -2, and sends (0, 0, -1/4), (1, -3/2, 13/2), and (-1, 3/2, 13/2) to (-1/4, 0, 0)
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Check out the latest article in the series, The Uncomfortable Truth about #math teaching: The Teacher They Loved linkedin.com/pulse/teacher-l… via @LinkedIn
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The Only Apprenticeship Everyone Serves open.substack.com/pub/drkevi…
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We are an amalgam of the people around us, not just an addition. Our environments shape us, but individual experiences and even parents evolving over time make us unique. Siblings from the same house can be vastly different. #PersonalGrowth #SelfReflection
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The Teacher's Twinge: Why Faculty Confidence Is the Hidden Lever of Math Education open.substack.com/pub/drkevi…
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Kevin Berkopes, PhD retweeted
I’m gonna shut this down right now. I’m not mad about the money…. I just wanted more years because I love it here. I wanted to get a house so I could bring my dog and donkey to Indy with me. That’s it. That’s the truth. I think we have something very special here in Indiana!!
Sophie Cunningham was not thrilled about the contract she signed with the Fever coming off of her MCL injury 😬 (via @Showme_Pod)
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Sophie Cunningham clarified she is not upset about the money but wanted a multi-year contract to stay long-term with the Fever. x.com/sophaller/stat…
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