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TotientQuotient

@totientquotient.bsky.social

420 followers 410 following 350 posts

Survived tripos somehow. All effort, no skill. Still trying to become a mathematician. Probably suffering from some form of the Algernon-Gordon effect. Other profiles: x.com/t0tientqu0tient mathstodon.xyz/@TotientQuotient youtube.com/@totientquotient

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TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Nov 20

Hi everyone! Twitter migrant, here for #mathsky and #chesspunks.
I'm an aspiring mathematician. Did my undergrad at Cambridge ('21-24), had a difficult time & barely graduated. Now I'm trying to accomplish the tall task of getting into grad school with my subpar grades, wish me luck!

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TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · 1d

Nothing excites me more than the icons on top of my overleaf telling me that my collaborators are online 😃

#MathSky

Reposted by TotientQuotient

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · 3d

Just received an informal offer for a MMath program. Feels so surreal. After over a year of bad news, my hard work is finally bearing fruit. All that awaits is an official offer letter and a visa application (which could still go south btw, fingers crossed) and my life update will be official!

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TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · 3d

"Which uni/program?"
Will reveal once everything is 100% confirmed and official.
"Any funding/scholarship?"
Yes - the chair of grad studies said I was offered a full support package! (It's a research-based master's as opposed to a purely taught one, hence why this is possible!)
#MathSky #AcademicSky

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · 3d

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TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · 17d

I gotta solve a Lagrange multiplier problem from hell for a certain lemma in my research... send prayers 😬
#MathSky

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · 21d

What I appreciate the most about math research is that the only thing you need to care about is the math itself. No need to worry about not enough people responding to your survey, the risk of blowing up a lab, acquiring rare/expensive materials/equipment etc. Just math.
#MathSky

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TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · 21d

Having learned lots of theory about symmetric functions, it's crazy how Newton's identities and Vieta's formulae (stuff that we learned in high school) are still two of the most important results I'm using in my research despite their simplicity.
#MathSky

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · 27d

Left some Sage code running before going to bed last night only to wake up finding out that the process got killed after just 1 hour 🥲

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 26

You've heard of "proof by violent assertion" and "proof by authority", now get ready for "proof by wicked sorcery".
(Yes, this was a real excerpt from my submission to an undergrad assignment.)
#MathSky

$to deduce that $\Sigma_{ij}=c^{|j-i|}\;\forall(i,j)\in\{1,2,...,n\}^2$. By some wicked sorcery, it follows that $\Sigma^{-1}$ is the tridiagonal matrix $$\Sigma^{-1}=\begin{pmatrix}s^{-2}&-cs^{-2}&0&0&\hdots&0&0&0\\-cs^{-2}&1+2c^2s^{-2}&-cs^{-2}&0&\hdots&0&0&0\\0&-cs^{-2}&1+2c^2s^{-2}&-cs^{-2}&\hdots&0&0&0\\0&0&-cs^{-2}&1+2c^2s^{-2}&\hdots&0&0&0\\\vdots&\vdots&\vdots&\vdots&\ddots&\vdots&\vdots&\vdots\\0&0&0&0&\hdots&1+2c^2s^{-2}&-cs^{-2}&0\\0&0&0&0&\hdots&-cs^{-2}&1+2c^2s^{-2}&-cs^{-2}\\0&0&0&0&\hdots&0&-cs^{-2}&s^{-2}\end{pmatrix}$$$

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 26

Hint: hstep htww mp fa ly pinslyrp lyo ehz alhyd le esp pyo (Caesar+11).

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 26

Just played my signature tactic once again, resulting in a 97% accuracy win in a 1+0 bullet game.
White to play. Find the top engine line for the next 6 moves (bonus challenge: the 3 moves thereafter) and refute every suboptimal black response.
#chess #chesspunks

FEN: rnbq1rk1/ppp1bppp/4p3/2np2P1/7P/1P1BP3/PBPP1P2/RN1QK1NR w KQ - 3 8

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 26

Algebraic graph theory is the area of math where you could say stuff like "the core of a core is itself" whilst making perfect sense
#MathSky

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 26

Two math professors just invited me to a discord server where they host research collaborations. Chat, is this normal? Is this a sign that I made it?

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 25

Anyone know if a quasipolynomial-time algorithm for finding the endomorphism monoid End(G) of a graph G exists? I know that Babai's graph isomorphism paper gives a qp-time algo for finding Aut(G), but I'm specifically interested in graph endomorphisms that aren't automorphisms.
#MathSky

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TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 25

Thanks for the interest; unfortunately I don't feel comfortable doxxing myself at this point in time. Maybe in the future I'll work up the courage to reveal my identity, but until then, I would prefer it if people on bluesky and twitter who don't already know me irl to only know me by my pseudonym.

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TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 23

Just published my first paper on arXiv and I'm already getting spam emails from predatory journals. "Dear Prof. Dr." when I'm neither a professor nor a PhD, lmao I can't 🤣🤣🤣

#AcademicSky #MathSky

Subject: [Q1 Journal | IF 2.5] Limited-Time APC Voucher for Selected Authors in Pure & Applied Mathematics

Sender: gary@universalwiser.com

Dear Prof. Dr.,

We are pleased to introduce Contemporary Mathematics, a peer-reviewed, Q1 journal with an Impact Factor of 2.5, publishing cutting-edge research across all areas of mathematics. The journal is indexed in ESCI (Web of Science), Scopus, and other major databases. You can learn more about the journal here:

https://ojs.wiserpub.com/index.php/CM/

As part of our commitment to supporting high-quality mathematical research, we are delighted to offer you a limited-time APC voucher. This invitation is extended to a select group of authors recognized for their contributions in areas such as pure and applied mathematics.

We warmly invite you to submit your next manuscript during the promotional period to enjoy both an APC discount and priority processing from review to publication.

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TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 23

Sorry - didn't know this happens with alt text (I'll make a note to not do this from now on)! Here's a clickable link:
github.ericmickelsen.com/graf/isomorp...

graph isomorphism

github.ericmickelsen.com

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TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 23

is this a good score for the graph isomorphism game (link in alt text)

https://github.ericmickelsen.com/graf/isomorphism.html

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 22

Nevermind it's working now

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 22

Is arXiv down or am I the only one who can't login right now?

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 15

Disquastung

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 15

Nevermind, it's not over yet. Apparently the only move here is to sacrifice the knight and push a6, after which the best follow-up is to ignore the knight and play Ra4... And all of that just got played!

https://www.chess.com/events/2025-fide-grand-swiss-open/11/Bluebaum_Matthias-Firouzja_Alireza

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 15

Ok ngl this looks over for Alireza. I don't see how black can keep pieces on the board without self-destructing. It looks like a dead draw, but then again what do I know about chess.

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 15

Arjun with the exchange sac 🔥🍿

#chess #chesspunks

https://www.chess.com/events/2025-fide-grand-swiss-open/11/Erigaisi_Arjun-Keymer_Vincent

TotientQuotient @totientquotient.bsky.social · Sep 15

The final round of the Grand Swiss #chess tournament is always an insane game-theoretic battle. I remember Nakamura offering a draw to Arjun literally seconds after Giri beat Esipenko in 2023... this is so scuffed but it makes for a great viewing experience
#chesspunks