## Counting and Cohomology

There are various cohomologies for finite simplicial complexes. If the complex is the Whitney complex of a finite simple graph then many major results from Riemannian manifolds have discrete analogues. Simplicial cohomology has been constructed by Poincaré already for simplicial complexes. Since the Barycentric refinement of any abstract finite simplicial complex is always the Whitney complex of a finite simple graph, there is no loss of generality to study graphs instead of abstract simplicial complexes. This has many advantages, one of them is that graphs are intuitive, an other is that the data structure of graphs exists already in all higher order programming languages. A few lines of computer algebra system allow so to compute all cohomology groups. The matrices involved can however become large, so that alternative cohomologies are desired.

## Quaternions and Particles

The standard model of particle physics is not so pretty, but it is successful. Many lose ends and major big questions remain: is there a grand unified gauge group? Why are there three generations of particles? Why do neutrini oscillate? How is general relativity included? (See for example page 540 in Woit’s online monograph). When experimenting with quaternion primes, especially … ….

## Bosonic and Fermionic Calculus

Traditional calculus often mixes up different spaces, mostly due to pedagogical reasons. Its a bit like function overload in programming but there is a prize to be payed and this includes confusions when doing things in the discrete. Here are some examples: while in linear algebra we consider row and column vectors, in multivariable calculus, we only look at one … ….

## Interaction cohomology

[Update, March 20, 2018: see the ArXiv text. See also an update blog entry with some Mathematica code. More mathematica code can be obtained from the TeX Source of the ArXiv article.]. Classical calculus we teach in single and multi variable calculus courses has an elegant analogue on finite simple graphs. The discrete theory is completely analogue, Stokes theorem is … ….

## Wu Characteristic

Update: March 8, 2016: Handout for a mathtable talk on Wu characteristic. Gauss-Bonnet for multi-linear valuations deals with a number in discrete geometry. But since the number satisfies formulas which in the continuum need differential calculus, like curvature, the results can be seen in the light of quantum calculus. Here are some slides: So, why is the Wu characteristic an … ….

## Barycentric refinement

A finite graph has a natural Barycentric limiting space which can serve as the geometry on which to do quantum calculus or physics. The holographic picture has universal spectral properties.

## Level surfaces and Lagrange

How to define level surfaces or solve extremization problems in a graph. A comment on a recent paper on Sard.

## Why quantum calculus?

Quantum calculus is easy to learn, allows experimentation with small worlds and allows to use the same notation we are used to classically.

## Calculus on graphs

Calculus on graphs is a natural coordinate free frame work for discrete calculus.

## Exponential Function

We have seen that $f'(x)=Df(x) = (f(x+h)-f(x))/h$ satisfies $D[x]^n = n [x]^{n-1}$.
We will often leave the constant $h$ out of the notation and use terminology like $f'(x) = Df(x)$ for the “derivative”. It makes sense not to simplify $[x]^n$ to $x^n$ since the algebra structure is different.

Define the exponential function as
$exp(x) = \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} [x]^k/k!$. It solves the equation $Df=f$. Because each of the approximating polynomials $exp_n(x) = \sum_{k=0}^{n} [x]^k/k!$ is monotone and positive also $exp(x)$ is monotone and positive for all $x$. The fixed point equation $Df=f$ reads $f(x+h) = f(x) + h f(x) = (1+h) f(x)$ so that for $h=1/n$ we have $f(x+1) = f(x+n h) = (1+h)^n f(x) = e_n f(x)$
where $e_n \to e$. Because $n \to e_n$ is monotone, we see that the exponential function $\exp(x)$ depends in a monotone manner on h and that for $h \to 0$ the graphs of $\exp(x)$ converge to the graph of $\exp(x)$ as $h \to 0$.

Since the just defined exponential function is monotone, it can be inverted on the positive real axes. Its inverse is called $\log(x)$. We can also define trigonometric functions by separating real and imaginary part of $\exp(i x) = \cos(x) + i \sin(x)$. Since $D\exp=\exp$, these functions satisfy $D\cos(x) = - \sin(x)$ and $D\sin(x) = \cos(x)$ and are so both solutions to $D^2 f = -f$.