QQC Eight

Quote:

“At the university, Gauss was attracted by philology but repelled by the mathematics courses, and for a time the direction of his future was uncertain.”

Question:

Why is it that so many mathematicians don’t seem to actually like mathematics?

Comment:

I know that this is an odd question, (especially since the wording of this quote makes me wonder if “repelled by” is a good thing or a bad thing) but it made me think. In several of the readings we have done this year, there seems to be a common trend where some of the most famous mathematicians actually don’t like mathematics. This made me wonder, did the only pursue mathematics because they had natural gifts in the subject, were they forced into it, what is the common trend? I think this question could also potentially answer many questions about insanity in “geniuses”. If all of these famous mathematicians don’t actually like what they are doing, then why wouldn’t they have problems mentally? I think this is something that should be researched further because it could possibly answer many of the questions about insanity and genius.

QQC Seven

Quote:

"He averaged about 800 printed pages a year throughout his long life, and yet he almost always had something worthwhile to say and never seemed long-winded."

Question:

Was everything that he published his original work, or was some of his research a variation of someones' work?

Comment:

I found this line to be of particular interest because it reminded me of something I hear quite often. Lately, I have been hearing the line, "So many things have been created, that it is impossible to have an original thought anymore". When I read this quote, the first thing that popped into my head was that line. This got me to wondering, were all 800 or so pages a year original thoughts, or were they thoughts created by something someone else said? It is an odd question, but I believe it is an important one, because while math is about facts, in many ways it is also about creativity. Math is all about problem solving and deep thinking, and if you aren't looking at a problem from all angles, you might not find the answer you are looking for. So what I am saying, is that if we really aren't capable of having original thoughts, then eventually creativity might disappear all together. In my personal opinion, it is very difficult to be a critical thinker without creativity, because then you're outlook might become just a bit too one-sided.

QQC Six

Quote:

"This beautiful formula reveals a striking relation between the mysterious number pi and the familiar sequence of all the odd numbers."

Question:

Was phi discovered thanks to this formula?

Comment:

When I read this quote, I couldn't help but wonder if the formula discovered was the same one that helped us discover phi. I know that pi is used for unit circles and discovering the circumference of circles and spheres, but I couldn't help but wonder if Leibniz's research contributed to phi. Phi and pi follow similar properties since they are both numbers that can help us recognize patterns and "unique" shapes, so that is why I was curious about it.