Fight Functors with Fire
Once during undergrad, my topology professor was trying to prepare the students for an exam. He was an interesting guy. His look and disposition were unusually relaxed, and his clothes looked more like those of a teenager on summer vacation those of a professor. Typical attire included shorts, flip flops, and a t-shirt referencing a cartoon from the 90's. Less than 30 years old, he was by far my youngest instructor. He often told stories of his own mathematical struggles in grad school, which always seemed to end with his adviser yelling at him. No one could fault his enthusiasm; his excitement about topology was too pure for this world. I always enjoyed his lectures. Needless to say, the students loved him. To p repare for the upcoming exam, he'd collected some practice problems. Before diving in, he devoted a few precious minutes of lecture time to reading us a quote that he thought perfectly crystallized the way we should learn mathematics. "Don't just read it;