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→Particular points: general advice on becoming a mathematician |
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*look at related pages, either under the "See also" section or using the article's categories.
==Absences from the encyclopedia==
Mathematics is also something that is ''done'' rather than ''read''. A mathematics textbook will contain many problems, and solving them is an essential part of learning mathematics. Wikipedia does not have these; by design, Wikipedia is an encyclopedic reference, [[WP:NOTTEXTBOOK|not a textbook]].▼
▲Mathematics is
Although learning mathematics involves a lot of memorization, memorization is not enough. To become a mathematician you must acquire the skill of creating proofs and doing calculations for yourself, i.e. internalize it. And remember every source contains errors, so do not put too much trust into it. Verify the proofs and calculations yourself.▼
When it comes to more advanced topics, mathematics is developed, and largely hangs together, by means of the large body of quite formal proofs that exist in the mathematical literature. Wikipedia does not attempt to condense this material into encyclopedic form, for reasons that are discussed at length in [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Mathematics/Proofs|another essay]]. Wikipedia assembles the facts uncovered by mathematical investigation, and the definitions underlying the abstract theories. In common with other mathematical encyclopedias, it omits most proofs.
▲Although learning mathematics involves
==Caveats==
Remember that every source potentially contains errors, so do not put too much trust into a single account. Verify proofs and calculations yourself.
==Ways to use Wikipedia==
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