In the context of mechanical systems, structural dynamics, or control theory, a **damping matrix** is a mathematical representation that describes the damping characteristics of a system. Damping refers to the effect that dissipates energy (often in the form of heat) from vibrating systems, and it is critical for controlling oscillations and improving stability.
In mathematics, "Mex" stands for "minimum excluded value." It is a concept primarily used in combinatorial game theory, particularly in contexts like Nim games and other impartial games. The Mex of a set of non-negative integers is the smallest non-negative integer that is not included in the set.
The Pebble Game is a mathematical and computational model used primarily in the fields of computer science and game theory to study properties of computational systems, particularly those related to resource allocation, memory management, and decision-making. In the basic version of the Pebble Game, players place "pebbles" on a directed graph or a tree structure representing a computation or a resource distribution problem.
The Shannon number, named after the mathematician and electrical engineer Claude Shannon, is an estimate of the lower bound of the game-tree complexity of chess. It represents the total number of possible unique chess positions that can arise during a game. The Shannon number is approximately \(10^{120}\), which illustrates the vast complexity of chess and indicates that there are far more possible chess games than there are atoms in the observable universe.
Adam Marcus is an American mathematician known for his work in the fields of combinatorics and algebra. He gained recognition for his contributions to various mathematical problems and theories. One notable achievement is his work on the existence of certain types of combinatorial structures, which has implications in theoretical computer science and discrete mathematics. In addition to his research, Adam Marcus has also collaborated with other mathematicians, including Nikhil Srivastava and Daniel A.
Anatoly Vershik is a prominent Russian mathematician known for his contributions to various areas of mathematics, particularly in the fields of probability theory, statistics, and mathematical analysis. He has worked extensively on stochastic processes, ergodic theory, and combinatorial mathematics. Vershik is also recognized for his research on the representation theory of groups and their applications to mathematical physics. He has published numerous papers and has been influential in advancing mathematical understanding in these areas.
Bruce Reznick is a mathematician known for his work in the fields of mathematics, particularly in areas related to number theory and algebra. He has contributed to various mathematical topics and has published numerous papers and articles in reputable journals.
D. R. Fulkerson, or Duncan Ray Fulkerson, was an influential American mathematician known primarily for his contributions to operations research and combinatorial optimization. He is perhaps best known for his work on network flows and combinatorial structures, including the development of the Edmonds-Karp algorithm for computing maximum flow in a network and for his contributions to the theory of linear programming. Fulkerson was active in the development of matroid theory and graph theory as well.
Herbert Wilf (1931–2012) was a notable American mathematician, recognized for his contributions to combinatorics and mathematical education. He was a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and made significant advancements in various areas including generating functions, finite sequences, and combinatorial algorithms. Wilf was also known for his engaging teaching style and for writing influential textbooks, such as "Generatingfunctionology," which explores the power of generating functions in combinatorial mathematics.
Ira Gessel is an American mathematician known for his contributions to combinatorics and graph theory. He has made significant contributions in areas such as enumerative combinatorics, generating functions, and the theory of partitions. Gessel is also recognized for his work in the development of various mathematical tools and techniques used in combinatorial analysis. He has published numerous research papers and has been involved in mathematical education and mentorship.
Michael Krivelevich is a mathematician known for his work in the fields of combinatorics and graph theory. He has contributed to various topics within these areas, including random graphs, extremal graph theory, and algorithms.
Michelle L. Wachs is a prominent figure in the field of computer science, particularly known for her contributions to the areas of artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction. She has published numerous research papers and is recognized for her work on topics such as user interaction with technology and the design of intelligent systems.
Mireille Bousquet-Mélou is a prominent French mathematician known for her contributions to combinatorics, particularly in enumerative combinatorics and algebraic combinatorics. She has worked on various mathematical concepts, including generating functions, formal power series, and the enumeration of combinatorial structures. Bousquet-Mélou has also made significant contributions to the study of probabilistic combinatorics and graph theory.
Patricia Hersh appears to be a person's name, but without additional context, it's difficult to provide specific information about her. There may be various individuals with that name, each having different backgrounds or professions.
Gerhard Klimeck is a prominent figure known for his contributions to the field of nanotechnology and semiconductor physics. He is particularly recognized for his work in the development of computational tools and methodologies for simulating the electronic properties of nanostructures, including semiconductor devices. Klimeck has been involved in various research projects and has contributed to advancing our understanding of quantum phenomena in nanostructured materials.
Klaus Kern is a name that may refer to various individuals or contexts, but one notable figure is Klaus Kern, a German chemist recognized for his contributions in the field of chemistry.
Mario Markus is a physicist known for his contributions to the field of condensed matter physics, particularly in the areas of statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics. He has worked on various topics related to the behavior of materials at the atomic and subatomic levels, often focusing on the theoretical aspects of these fields. His research may involve exploring phenomena such as phase transitions, critical phenomena, and many-body systems.
As of my last update in October 2023, Martin Beneke does not appear to be a widely recognized public figure, concept, or entity in popular culture, politics, science, or other notable fields. It's possible that he could be a private individual or a figure known in specific circles or contexts.
Immanuel Bloch is a prominent physicist known for his work in the field of quantum optics and many-body physics, particularly in the study of ultracold atomic gases. He is recognized for his contributions to the understanding of quantum many-body systems, including the realization of quantum simulation and the exploration of novel quantum states of matter.
Jan Schroers is a name associated with different individuals across various fields, so it's important to clarify the context you're interested in. One notable Jan Schroers is a professor of materials science and engineering, particularly known for his work in the area of metallic glasses and advanced materials. He has conducted significant research on the mechanical properties and applications of these materials.

Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project

Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
We have two killer features:
  1. topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculus
    Articles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
    • a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
    • a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
    This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.
    Figure 1.
    Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page
    . View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivative
  2. local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:
    This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
    Figure 2.
    You can publish local OurBigBook lightweight markup files to either https://OurBigBook.com or as a static website
    .
    Figure 3.
    Visual Studio Code extension installation
    .
    Figure 4.
    Visual Studio Code extension tree navigation
    .
    Figure 5.
    Web editor
    . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.
    Video 3.
    Edit locally and publish demo
    . Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.
    Video 4.
    OurBigBook Visual Studio Code extension editing and navigation demo
    . Source.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact