×

# 2015 New Years Collection

I posted four "books" on my blog for some time now, and I would like to share it with the Brilliant community this year. The books are a collection of problems I created and some of my personal investigations. You will notice that a lot of my problems on Brilliant.org were created around 2010 - 2012 (before I entered university). It is not surprising if many of my discoveries are just rediscoveries, but I believe my work on asymptotics is original. For ease of access, here are the links to each book:

Book 1: Patterns

Book 2: Counting Structures

Book 3: Approximation

Book 4: Physical Problems

Note by Steven Zheng
2 years ago

Sort by:

What a great effort! · 2 years ago

You wrote these books yourself? That is really exciting!

Can you add a brief description of what is in each of these books? E.g. "Book 1: Patterns". Staff · 2 years ago

Sure thing. I compiled this last winter break from my notebooks. Book 1: Patterns are problems that I collected from various places, only Distinct incircles and Revival of Sangaku are original . In Book 2, my investigation of polygon networks follows from my investigation of "Combinatorial Numbers. " However, I later learned that the integral is well-known. It was a cool find because if we set $$a= -1$$ we get derangement, $$a=0$$ becomes the gamma function, $$a=1$$ becomes the sum of permutations. Don't know any other applications. · 2 years ago

Hi @Steven Zheng , I have my JEE exam coming up and Physics is not my forte !!! Can you give me tips on studying Physics ? Any help would do .

Thanks for the same :) · 1 year, 11 months ago

Hats off to you. I've not read any of your book but I'll sure be reading them. You've really done a great job. What are your plans in the near future? · 2 years ago

I'm still in university studying physics and math. Not too sure what I will be doing in the next 5 years (I don't think anybody can be absolutely certain). Aside from studying, I volunteer for the UBC Math and Physics circles, R&D for the UBC Physics Olympics and judge at the Greater Vancouver Regional science fair. I also tutor and sell textbooks for profit.

Starting yesterday, I've been attempting to come up with an original proof of the Descartes Four Circle Theorem. It is pretty hard, and there seems to be one proof online, which is short but confusing. · 2 years ago

Hey! Sorry to disturb you, Can you post some more sangaku problems? I really like them :). · 2 years ago

I will post one tonight! · 2 years ago

Excellent work! I just read the book 1, sangaku problems are great (Y). I have another method for inverse square problem using telescoping series. · 2 years ago

Bro the fact that you're 20 still amazes me. I understood the first page of the first book at once That doesn't happen with a lot of books for me. You're really good. Do you plan to tutor math at the university level in the future? · 2 years ago

I already tutor at the university level; competing against grad students. · 2 years ago

Wow! Hats Off Man. Keep it up! · 2 years ago

Very nice , great work , how did you used LATEX in PDF?

Brilliant WIKI's are waiting for your contributions · 2 years ago

This is actually Microsoft Word equation editor. But LaTeX software (which you can download online) automatically saves PDF files when you compile documents. I actually avoid LaTeX unless I have to or if the equations look really bad because LaTeX pumps out a bunch of files for one document.

Can I just create a wiki copy my notes on it? I haven't used the wikis yet. · 2 years ago

What I know i s - you need to use LATEX sorry , or ask for a help from brilliant staff · 2 years ago

Did you mean I should have written the documents in LaTeX? · 2 years ago

No no.. , I am saying for writing mathematical texts in WIKIs LATEX is needed · 2 years ago

Well, that is true everywhere on Brilliant. LaTeX is the standard. · 2 years ago

LaTeX is the standard tool that most mathematicians and scientists use nowadays to type up their papers. It also allows for easier communication via email, as they can read the latex command instead of trying to describe what the equation looks like.

Much like how algebra made equations much easier to write ("The number, when added to it's twice of its square, produces four" is a pain to read), I believe that LaTeX will become the norm really quickly. Currently, most people are only exposed to it in university, when they have to start writing papers with a lot of equations, and other word editors become a pain to use.

Other than formatting math, LaTeX also has many uses in terms of formatting pages, creating sections/chapters automatically, allowing for new commands, etc. It's flexibility is enhanced by the numerous packages that other people develop for it. Staff · 2 years ago

I didn't knew that LaTeX is so popular! Learnt so much of LaTeX on brilliant! (Maybe more than maths) Now I just start typing "$$\($$" everywhere! While chatting or while searching some stuff on Google! · 2 years ago

How would you use latex in email? · 2 years ago

There is tex for Gmail as a chrome extension, which would convert it into an equation.

If the other person also knows Latex and can read it, then you can just type it out. For example, if I say

\sum_{n=1}^ \infty \frac{1}{ n^2 } = \pi ^ 2 / 6

then you (who know Latex) can read it as $$\sum_{n=1}^ \infty \frac{1}{ n^2 } = \pi ^ 2 / 6$$. Staff · 2 years ago

Yeah, I never learned LaTeX before entering university. · 2 years ago