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When reading quant math books, do you ever feel like throwing up?

khayyam

khayyam

Joined
4/17/12
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I don't know if it's just me,

but does anyone else feel like throwing up, when they're reading a book on quantitative mathematics?

I don't know what it is, but I always have this gut feeling that the content I'm reading about is shallow and not natural.

I always had a passion for mathematics and deep thinking involved when doing problems. I've read hundreds of math books, since my olympiad days. But I can't get to half way of Franke's text.

Is anyone else like this?
 
Quantitative mathematics as opposed to qualitative mathematics?
 
That's interesting.. can you please describe your mathematics background as this thread continues?
 
To be honest, I don't read all the words of math textbooks (finance or otherwise). I usually try to understand the concepts and the theorems and (sometimes) the proofs and go back to actual reading words and examples as I do problems.

I haven't read the Franke book, but we read Shreve for school.

In reading and working through Shreve this year, I'd say the book does yo-yo between motivating theory and the extension of theory to particular models. It's true that I've at times found Shreve's motivations not enough and sometimes I'll just drop Shreve and reference another book (or look on the internet ;) ) and then come back to Shreve later. However, I wouldn't call Shreve's book particularly shallow personally.

But from your original post, it sounds like what you object to is not the way the book is written but what it's about.

Just because you like math doesn't mean you'll like every area of math. For some people working outside of mathematics is preferable to working in mathematics but outside their area of mathematics.

If you're a hardcore math guy you should have other options. If you really have such a strong reaction to reading quant finance books, maybe this stuff isn't for you?
 
Here's the cure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Éléments_de_géométrie_algébrique

But then again, you want to be a quant for the money and not for the intellectual beauty, right? If not, a wad of algebra, 10+ years of post-docs and a modest middle-class life might be right for you.

I don't know what it is, but I always have this gut feeling that the content I'm reading about is shallow and not natural.
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IMHO, finance swallows up too many smart people who may have otherwise done deep stuff. Sic vita est.
 
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