I am a math researcher, math editor, and math tutor. This website is a hobby of mine, an entertaining opportunity for practicing communication on the web. Towards that end, I'd like to practice posting math topics of "applied" nature, a perspective to be described below. The postings will also include miscellaneous topics related to applied mathematics or computing. [1]

Let us now describe applied mathematics. According to Wikipedia (June 2011), applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Although this definition is quite clear, it is not comprehensive enough to convey our meaning of the term. The given description for applied mathematics does not explain the standing of applied mathematics when it comes to mathematical proofs. This is definitely a contentious area, a theme that has helped producing an ever increasing gap between applied mathematics and pure mathematics.

One of the features that distincts applied mathematics from pure matthematics is the way it deals with mathematical proofs. Pure mathematics requires solid proofs for the mathematical statements. If a statement is doubtful to a pure mathematician, he or she may stop right there until the statement is resolved based on the mathematical logic. In their most lenient approach, pure mathematicians regard an unproven statement as a conjecture. This happens when there are substantial evidences to the truth of the statement. For example, Fermat's Last Theorem was regarded as a conjecture for over 300 years until it was resolved by Andrew Wiles in 1993.

Applied mathematics, on the other hand, has a different standing regarding proofs. When there are substantial evidences that a statement is true, the applied mathematician may regard the statement as an acceptable foundation for further work. For example, when Fourier series was introduced by Joseph Fourier in the eighteenth century, the theory was officially continued to be built upon although there were serious gaps in the proofs of the theorems in the original theory. The theory of Fourier series was formalized later by Dirichlet and Riemann.

Applied mathematicians are often interested in sketch of proofs, memory aids to more rigorous proofs. Proofs of statements in this website will be more of applied nature.