The Ramanujan Machine is an intellectual fraud (2019) | Hacker News Reader

The Ramanujan Machine is an intellectual fraud (2019)

galoisrepresentations.com

40 pointsspekcular15 comments

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Cache since site is getting hugged to death: https://archive.is/xZtb2

Recent and related:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26142483

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26044640

A thread from 2019:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20352252

I'd be most curious to hear Doron Zeilberger's take on this. He's previously teased mathematicians for writing proofs that are (in his view) better left to computers. He didn't seem to grandstand as much as the R.M. though -- like his opinions on finitism, he's honest in his shit-disturbing nature.

An update is also available: https://www.galoisrepresentations.com/2021/02/11/ramanujan-m...

Update is archived here: https://archive.vn/nf70K

I love this intro to the update :D

July 17, 2019:

"Perhaps this is why I find the self-promotion surrounding the Ramanujan Machine so distasteful. (I wasn’t going to bother wasting any more time on this but here I am, last time I promise.)"

February 11, 2021:

"I had no intention to discuss the Ramanujan Machine again, but [...]"

I've learned to be skeptical (to the point of total dismissal) of anything self-named by its inventor. If it's truly notable, others will name it.

Ramanujan died in 1920. If anything, I'd rather they self-named rather than besmirch Ramanujan's name in this way.

Very good point - this sadly ties in with the rest of the self-consciously heavily marketed and branded project.

On the other hand, we should just double the science budget globally every five years and perhaps people would worry less about cashflow and focus on what got them into science in the first place.

Self-named? It's clearly named after the mathematician, though curiously they don't mention him on the homepage:

https://www.ramanujanmachine.com/

https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srinivasa_Ramanujan

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