From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Msuck: nntp://news.gmane.io/gmane.science.mathematics.categories/5967 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Martin Escardo Newsgroups: gmane.science.mathematics.categories Subject: Re: non-Hausdoff topology Date: Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:40:37 +0100 Message-ID: References: Reply-To: Martin Escardo NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: dough.gmane.org 1278553576 12982 80.91.229.12 (8 Jul 2010 01:46:16 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@dough.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2010 01:46:16 +0000 (UTC) To: categories@mta.ca Original-X-From: categories@mta.ca Thu Jul 08 03:46:12 2010 Return-path: Envelope-to: gsmc-categories@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from mailserv.mta.ca ([138.73.1.1]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1OWgBn-0007lj-Vg for gsmc-categories@m.gmane.org; Thu, 08 Jul 2010 03:46:12 +0200 Original-Received: from Majordom by mailserv.mta.ca with local (Exim 4.61) (envelope-from ) id 1OWfhg-0001nD-R0 for categories-list@mta.ca; Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:15:04 -0300 In-Reply-To: Original-Sender: categories@mta.ca Precedence: bulk Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.science.mathematics.categories:5967 Archived-At: Paul Taylor wrote: > Non-Hausdorff topologies, in particular the Scott topology, have been > one of the most important features of mathematics applied to computer > science over the past forty years. > > Surely it is now time for this material to be included in the standard > undergraduate curriculum for general topology in pure mathematics > degree programmes. > > I wonder whether "categories" reader have some comments on their > experience of trying to do this? I am thinking of the possible > reactions from both students and colleagues. Ok, here is an experience (about 3 years ago, I think). One day I went for lunch on my own at the university's Staff House, and I sat at a table in which the only other person turned out to be an analyst in the maths department, at retirement age. After I asked about his work, he asked about mine, and I said I was in computer science, and that parts of my work involved the use of topology in understanding computation. So far so good, and I had an attentive and inquisitive listener for probably more than 1/2 hour, at which point he queried more about the nature of the spaces one comes up with in this field. The first thing I answered was that often they were not Hausdorff. And that was also the last, because he looked in amazement and disbelief, said that then these were not really topological spaces, checked his watch, said something incomprehensible, and left without further ado. MHE. [For admin and other information see: http://www.mta.ca/~cat-dist/ ]