[math-fun] Unconditionally stable nesting coffee cups?
I don't know the answer to the following question, but it would be fun to come up with one. "Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ?? I drink a lot of coffee, but when I shuffle papers on my desk, the coffee cup turns over & spills coffee all over the papers. Therefore, I'd love a cup design that is strongly resistant to turning over. This implies that the base should be larger than the top, and that the center of gravity -- even when full of coffee -- is very low. I also don't have a lot of room for storing coffee cups, so I'd still like them to _stack_ in such a way that they _nest_ & therefore don't occupy as much volume when stored. Finally, being a human, I'd still like to have a handle through which a finger could fit. The handle needn't touch in two places, so topologically it could be simply-connected. I envision some sort of "star-like" shape which will nest when the second cup is rotated 2pi/N. Like I said, I don't have a candidate shape.
Erdos was fond of the quote. I believe that he attributed it to Renyi. R. On Mon, 3 Nov 2014, Henry Baker wrote:
I don't know the answer to the following question, but it would be fun to come up with one.
"Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ??
I drink a lot of coffee, but when I shuffle papers on my desk, the coffee cup turns over & spills coffee all over the papers.
Therefore, I'd love a cup design that is strongly resistant to turning over. This implies that the base should be larger than the top, and that the center of gravity -- even when full of coffee -- is very low.
I also don't have a lot of room for storing coffee cups, so I'd still like them to _stack_ in such a way that they _nest_ & therefore don't occupy as much volume when stored.
Finally, being a human, I'd still like to have a handle through which a finger could fit. The handle needn't touch in two places, so topologically it could be simply-connected.
I envision some sort of "star-like" shape which will nest when the second cup is rotated 2pi/N.
Like I said, I don't have a candidate shape.
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
How about a conventionally shaped cup with a slight outward bevel, but with 3 handles that are long enough to touch the desk, and serve as outriggers.
The usual Starbucks paper cups nest, but they're too tippy. I think that I can deform a standard "vente" Starbuck cup as follows: The usual cup is in the shape of a flattened "U". I propose to bend the top rim down until the cup looks like an inverted "w". If the curled rim now touches the table instead of the original base, then we have a wide base that won't tip over. This new deformed cup also nests just as well as its original version, because the inclination angles on the truncated cone sections still match. Although the deformed cup now holds less than 1/2 of its original volume, I think it could be made on nearly the same assembly line as the current generation cups. This new deformed cup also has the advantage that it doesn't require a "sleeve" to keep from burning your hand. At 01:55 PM 11/3/2014, Dave Dyer wrote:
How about a conventionally shaped cup with a slight outward bevel, but with 3 handles that are long enough to touch the desk, and serve as outriggers.
How about a conventionally shaped cup with a slight outward bevel, but with 3 handles that are long enough to touch the desk, and serve as outriggers.
You could use the usual truncated cone (bottom smaller than top) with three legs coming off the rim to give it the stability you're looking for. On Mon, Nov 3, 2014 at 1:55 PM, Dave Dyer <ddyer@real-me.net> wrote:
How about a conventionally shaped cup with a slight outward bevel, but with 3 handles that are long enough to touch the desk, and serve as outriggers.
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
-- Mike Stay - metaweta@gmail.com http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~mike http://reperiendi.wordpress.com
I thought Erdős originally said "amphetamines". On Mon, Nov 3, 2014 at 5:04 PM, Dan Asimov <dasimov@earthlink.net> wrote:
I've heard that this quote is due to Paul Erdős.
--Dan
On Nov 3, 2014, at 1:40 PM, Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com> wrote:
"Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ??
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
Probably! There's a Slovak version which has alcohol in place of coffee. R. On Mon, 3 Nov 2014, Allan Wechsler wrote:
I thought Erdős originally said "amphetamines".
On Mon, Nov 3, 2014 at 5:04 PM, Dan Asimov <dasimov@earthlink.net> wrote:
I've heard that this quote is due to Paul Erdős.
--Dan
On Nov 3, 2014, at 1:40 PM, Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com> wrote:
"Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ??
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
Wikipedia says: His colleague Alfréd Rényi said, "a mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems",[14] and Erdős drank copious quantities. (This quotation is often attributed incorrectly to Erdős,[15] but Erdős himself ascribed it to Rényi.[16]) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Erd%C5%91s On 11/03/2014 05:04 PM, Dan Asimov wrote:
I've heard that this quote is due to Paul Erdős.
On Nov 3, 2014, at 1:40 PM, Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com> wrote:
"Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ??
Fermat must have had only a single-shot espresso before he proved his Little Theorem. At 02:04 PM 11/3/2014, Dan Asimov wrote:
I've heard that this quote is due to Paul ErdÅs. --Dan
On Nov 3, 2014, at 1:40 PM, Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com> wrote:
"Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ??
I don't know whether he originated the saying, but on more than one occasion I heard Erdos say: A mathematician is just a device that turns strong coffee into strong theorems. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Henry Baker" <hbaker1@pipeline.com> To: "math-fun" <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2014 8:37 PM Subject: Re: [math-fun] coffee & theorems Fermat must have had only a single-shot espresso before he proved his Little Theorem. At 02:04 PM 11/3/2014, Dan Asimov wrote:
I've heard that this quote is due to Paul Erdà 's. --Dan
On Nov 3, 2014, at 1:40 PM, Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com> wrote:
"Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ??
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 10665 (20141103) __________ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 10665 (20141103) __________ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com
I believe the full quote is that mathematicians are devices for turning coffee, red wine, delicious food, world travel, the sight of beautiful gardens, the rhythm of poetry and literature, delightful partners, the joy of raising children, and excellent sex into theorems. Ah, if only Erdos had had a fuller life. - cris On Nov 3, 2014, at 8:51 PM, "Gustavus Simmons" <gsimmons30@comcast.net> wrote:
I don't know whether he originated the saying, but on more than one occasion I heard Erdos say: A mathematician is just a device that turns strong coffee into strong theorems. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Henry Baker" <hbaker1@pipeline.com> To: "math-fun" <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2014 8:37 PM Subject: Re: [math-fun] coffee & theorems
Fermat must have had only a single-shot espresso before he proved his Little Theorem.
At 02:04 PM 11/3/2014, Dan Asimov wrote:
I've heard that this quote is due to Paul ErdÅ's. --Dan
On Nov 3, 2014, at 1:40 PM, Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com> wrote:
"Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ??
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
__________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 10665 (20141103) __________
The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
__________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 10665 (20141103) __________
The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
Cris, Can I quote this in my blog this month? Jim On Monday, November 3, 2014, Cris Moore <moore@santafe.edu> wrote:
I believe the full quote is that mathematicians are devices for turning coffee, red wine, delicious food, world travel, the sight of beautiful gardens, the rhythm of poetry and literature, delightful partners, the joy of raising children, and excellent sex into theorems.
Ah, if only Erdos had had a fuller life.
- cris
On Nov 3, 2014, at 8:51 PM, "Gustavus Simmons" <gsimmons30@comcast.net> wrote:
I don't know whether he originated the saying, but on more than one occasion I heard Erdos say: A mathematician is just a device that turns strong coffee into strong theorems. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Henry Baker" <hbaker1@pipeline.com> To: "math-fun" <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2014 8:37 PM Subject: Re: [math-fun] coffee & theorems
Fermat must have had only a single-shot espresso before he proved his Little Theorem.
At 02:04 PM 11/3/2014, Dan Asimov wrote:
I've heard that this quote is due to Paul ErdÅ's. --Dan
On Nov 3, 2014, at 1:40 PM, Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com> wrote:
"Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ??
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
__________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 10665 (20141103) __________
The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
__________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 10665 (20141103) __________
The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
wow :-) I would be honored. Cris
On Feb 21, 2018, at 9:51 PM, James Propp <jamespropp@gmail.com> wrote:
Cris,
Can I quote this in my blog this month?
Jim
On Monday, November 3, 2014, Cris Moore <moore@santafe.edu> wrote:
I believe the full quote is that mathematicians are devices for turning coffee, red wine, delicious food, world travel, the sight of beautiful gardens, the rhythm of poetry and literature, delightful partners, the joy of raising children, and excellent sex into theorems.
Ah, if only Erdos had had a fuller life.
- cris
On Nov 3, 2014, at 8:51 PM, "Gustavus Simmons" <gsimmons30@comcast.net> wrote:
I don't know whether he originated the saying, but on more than one occasion I heard Erdos say: A mathematician is just a device that turns strong coffee into strong theorems. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Henry Baker" <hbaker1@pipeline.com> To: "math-fun" <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2014 8:37 PM Subject: Re: [math-fun] coffee & theorems
Fermat must have had only a single-shot espresso before he proved his Little Theorem.
At 02:04 PM 11/3/2014, Dan Asimov wrote:
I've heard that this quote is due to Paul ErdÅ's. --Dan
On Nov 3, 2014, at 1:40 PM, Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com> wrote:
"Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ??
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
__________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 10665 (20141103) __________
The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
__________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 10665 (20141103) __________
The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
Cristopher Moore Professor, Santa Fe Institute Why should we be deported? This is very, very hard for a family. What will our fellow citizens think if honest subjects are faced with such a decree — not to mention the great material losses it would incur. I would like to become a Bavarian citizen again. Your most humble and obedient, Friedrich Trump (1905)
According to Wikipedia, the original quote, while widely attributed to Erdős, is in fact due to Alfréd Rényi: Rényi, who was addicted to coffee, is the source of the quote: "A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems", which is generally ascribed to Erdős. It has been suggested that this sentence was originally formulated in German, where it can be interpreted as a wordplay on the double meaning of the word Satz (theorem or coffee residue), but it is more likely that the original formulation was in Hungarian. The above quote was taken from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfr%C3%A9d_R%C3%A9nyi#Quotations I suspect the expanded version given by Cris Moore is much like the expanded versions of Murphy's Law, and arose some time after the original quote became popular. I've also heard "some mathematicians wish they could turn some of those theorems back into coffee", but I don't know the source of this. Tom Cris Moore writes:
wow :-) I would be honored.
Cris
On Feb 21, 2018, at 9:51 PM, James Propp <jamespropp@gmail.com> wrote:
Cris,
Can I quote this in my blog this month?
Jim
On Monday, November 3, 2014, Cris Moore <moore@santafe.edu> wrote:
I believe the full quote is that mathematicians are devices for turning coffee, red wine, delicious food, world travel, the sight of beautiful gardens, the rhythm of poetry and literature, delightful partners, the joy of raising children, and excellent sex into theorems.
Ah, if only Erdos had had a fuller life.
- cris
On Nov 3, 2014, at 8:51 PM, "Gustavus Simmons" <gsimmons30@comcast.net> wrote:
I don't know whether he originated the saying, but on more than one occasion I heard Erdos say: A mathematician is just a device that turns strong coffee into strong theorems. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Henry Baker" <hbaker1@pipeline.com> To: "math-fun" <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2014 8:37 PM Subject: Re: [math-fun] coffee & theorems
Fermat must have had only a single-shot espresso before he proved his Little Theorem.
At 02:04 PM 11/3/2014, Dan Asimov wrote:
I've heard that this quote is due to Paul ErdÅ's. --Dan
On Nov 3, 2014, at 1:40 PM, Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com> wrote:
"Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ??
Josh Grochow told me that a comathematician is a device for turning cotheorems into ffee. - Cris
On Feb 21, 2018, at 10:42 PM, Tom Karzes <karzes@sonic.net> wrote:
According to Wikipedia, the original quote, while widely attributed to Erdős, is in fact due to Alfréd Rényi:
Rényi, who was addicted to coffee, is the source of the quote: "A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems", which is generally ascribed to Erdős. It has been suggested that this sentence was originally formulated in German, where it can be interpreted as a wordplay on the double meaning of the word Satz (theorem or coffee residue), but it is more likely that the original formulation was in Hungarian.
The above quote was taken from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfr%C3%A9d_R%C3%A9nyi#Quotations
I suspect the expanded version given by Cris Moore is much like the expanded versions of Murphy's Law, and arose some time after the original quote became popular.
I've also heard "some mathematicians wish they could turn some of those theorems back into coffee", but I don't know the source of this.
Tom
Cris Moore writes:
wow :-) I would be honored.
Cris
On Feb 21, 2018, at 9:51 PM, James Propp <jamespropp@gmail.com> wrote:
Cris,
Can I quote this in my blog this month?
Jim
On Monday, November 3, 2014, Cris Moore <moore@santafe.edu> wrote:
I believe the full quote is that mathematicians are devices for turning coffee, red wine, delicious food, world travel, the sight of beautiful gardens, the rhythm of poetry and literature, delightful partners, the joy of raising children, and excellent sex into theorems.
Ah, if only Erdos had had a fuller life.
- cris
On Nov 3, 2014, at 8:51 PM, "Gustavus Simmons" <gsimmons30@comcast.net> wrote:
I don't know whether he originated the saying, but on more than one occasion I heard Erdos say: A mathematician is just a device that turns strong coffee into strong theorems. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Henry Baker" <hbaker1@pipeline.com> To: "math-fun" <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2014 8:37 PM Subject: Re: [math-fun] coffee & theorems
Fermat must have had only a single-shot espresso before he proved his Little Theorem.
At 02:04 PM 11/3/2014, Dan Asimov wrote:
I've heard that this quote is due to Paul ErdÅ's. --Dan
On Nov 3, 2014, at 1:40 PM, Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com> wrote: > "Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ??
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
That's how I remember which direction dual maps go (e.g. if the original map is from U --> V, the dual map is V* --> U*). I recall someone *did* turn theorems into coffee: he or she had received several free 'author's copies' of a mathematical book, and decided to clear space on the bookshelf by selling the additional copies to Heffers (a bookstore). The mathematician used that cash to buy a coffee, later realising that this was exactly the reverse of the Renyi-Erdos process*. (* I wanted to say Erdos-Renyi process, but that refers to sequentially adding random edges to an empty graph until one obtains a complete graph.) -- APG.
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2018 at 5:45 AM From: "Cris Moore" <moore@santafe.edu> To: math-fun <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: [math-fun] coffee & theorems
Josh Grochow told me that a comathematician is a device for turning cotheorems into ffee.
- Cris
On Feb 21, 2018, at 10:42 PM, Tom Karzes <karzes@sonic.net> wrote:
According to Wikipedia, the original quote, while widely attributed to Erdős, is in fact due to Alfréd Rényi:
Rényi, who was addicted to coffee, is the source of the quote: "A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems", which is generally ascribed to Erdős. It has been suggested that this sentence was originally formulated in German, where it can be interpreted as a wordplay on the double meaning of the word Satz (theorem or coffee residue), but it is more likely that the original formulation was in Hungarian.
The above quote was taken from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfr%C3%A9d_R%C3%A9nyi#Quotations
I suspect the expanded version given by Cris Moore is much like the expanded versions of Murphy's Law, and arose some time after the original quote became popular.
I've also heard "some mathematicians wish they could turn some of those theorems back into coffee", but I don't know the source of this.
Tom
Cris Moore writes:
wow :-) I would be honored.
Cris
On Feb 21, 2018, at 9:51 PM, James Propp <jamespropp@gmail.com> wrote:
Cris,
Can I quote this in my blog this month?
Jim
On Monday, November 3, 2014, Cris Moore <moore@santafe.edu> wrote:
I believe the full quote is that mathematicians are devices for turning coffee, red wine, delicious food, world travel, the sight of beautiful gardens, the rhythm of poetry and literature, delightful partners, the joy of raising children, and excellent sex into theorems.
Ah, if only Erdos had had a fuller life.
- cris
On Nov 3, 2014, at 8:51 PM, "Gustavus Simmons" <gsimmons30@comcast.net> wrote:
I don't know whether he originated the saying, but on more than one occasion I heard Erdos say: A mathematician is just a device that turns strong coffee into strong theorems. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Henry Baker" <hbaker1@pipeline.com> To: "math-fun" <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2014 8:37 PM Subject: Re: [math-fun] coffee & theorems
Fermat must have had only a single-shot espresso before he proved his Little Theorem.
At 02:04 PM 11/3/2014, Dan Asimov wrote: > I've heard that this quote is due to Paul ErdÅ's. --Dan > > On Nov 3, 2014, at 1:40 PM, Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com> wrote: >> "Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ??
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
I heard the "theorems into coffee" version directly from Ken Ribet about himself: he sold math texts to Black Oak Books, a longtime cornerstone of Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto; then he went across the street and got coffee from the original Peet's. --Michael On Thu, Feb 22, 2018 at 5:47 AM, Adam P. Goucher <apgoucher@gmx.com> wrote:
That's how I remember which direction dual maps go (e.g. if the original map is from U --> V, the dual map is V* --> U*).
I recall someone *did* turn theorems into coffee: he or she had received several free 'author's copies' of a mathematical book, and decided to clear space on the bookshelf by selling the additional copies to Heffers (a bookstore). The mathematician used that cash to buy a coffee, later realising that this was exactly the reverse of the Renyi-Erdos process*.
(* I wanted to say Erdos-Renyi process, but that refers to sequentially adding random edges to an empty graph until one obtains a complete graph.)
-- APG.
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2018 at 5:45 AM From: "Cris Moore" <moore@santafe.edu> To: math-fun <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: [math-fun] coffee & theorems
Josh Grochow told me that a comathematician is a device for turning cotheorems into ffee.
- Cris
On Feb 21, 2018, at 10:42 PM, Tom Karzes <karzes@sonic.net> wrote:
According to Wikipedia, the original quote, while widely attributed to Erdős, is in fact due to Alfréd Rényi:
Rényi, who was addicted to coffee, is the source of the quote: "A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems", which is generally ascribed to Erdős. It has been suggested that this sentence was originally formulated in German, where it can be interpreted as a wordplay on the double meaning of the word Satz (theorem or coffee residue), but it is more likely that the original formulation was in Hungarian.
The above quote was taken from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfr%C3%A9d_R%C3%A9nyi#Quotations
I suspect the expanded version given by Cris Moore is much like the expanded versions of Murphy's Law, and arose some time after the original quote became popular.
I've also heard "some mathematicians wish they could turn some of those theorems back into coffee", but I don't know the source of this.
Tom
Cris Moore writes:
wow :-) I would be honored.
Cris
On Feb 21, 2018, at 9:51 PM, James Propp <jamespropp@gmail.com> wrote:
Cris,
Can I quote this in my blog this month?
Jim
On Monday, November 3, 2014, Cris Moore <moore@santafe.edu> wrote:
I believe the full quote is that mathematicians are devices for turning coffee, red wine, delicious food, world travel, the sight of beautiful gardens, the rhythm of poetry and literature, delightful partners, the joy of raising children, and excellent sex into theorems.
Ah, if only Erdos had had a fuller life.
- cris
On Nov 3, 2014, at 8:51 PM, "Gustavus Simmons" < gsimmons30@comcast.net> wrote:
> I don't know whether he originated the saying, but on more than one occasion I heard Erdos say: A mathematician is just a device that turns strong coffee into strong theorems. > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Henry Baker" < hbaker1@pipeline.com> > To: "math-fun" <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> > Sent: Monday, November 03, 2014 8:37 PM > Subject: Re: [math-fun] coffee & theorems > > > Fermat must have had only a single-shot espresso before he proved his Little Theorem. > > At 02:04 PM 11/3/2014, Dan Asimov wrote: >> I've heard that this quote is due to Paul ErdÅ's. --Dan >> >> On Nov 3, 2014, at 1:40 PM, Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com> wrote: >>> "Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ?? >
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
-- Forewarned is worth an octopus in the bush.
Of course, when I wrote ffee I meant \phi. Cris
On Feb 22, 2018, at 6:48 AM, Michael Kleber <michael.kleber@gmail.com> wrote:
I heard the "theorems into coffee" version directly from Ken Ribet about himself: he sold math texts to Black Oak Books, a longtime cornerstone of Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto; then he went across the street and got coffee from the original Peet's.
--Michael
On Thu, Feb 22, 2018 at 5:47 AM, Adam P. Goucher <apgoucher@gmx.com> wrote:
That's how I remember which direction dual maps go (e.g. if the original map is from U --> V, the dual map is V* --> U*).
I recall someone *did* turn theorems into coffee: he or she had received several free 'author's copies' of a mathematical book, and decided to clear space on the bookshelf by selling the additional copies to Heffers (a bookstore). The mathematician used that cash to buy a coffee, later realising that this was exactly the reverse of the Renyi-Erdos process*.
(* I wanted to say Erdos-Renyi process, but that refers to sequentially adding random edges to an empty graph until one obtains a complete graph.)
-- APG.
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2018 at 5:45 AM From: "Cris Moore" <moore@santafe.edu> To: math-fun <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: [math-fun] coffee & theorems
Josh Grochow told me that a comathematician is a device for turning cotheorems into ffee.
- Cris
On Feb 21, 2018, at 10:42 PM, Tom Karzes <karzes@sonic.net> wrote:
According to Wikipedia, the original quote, while widely attributed to Erdős, is in fact due to Alfréd Rényi:
Rényi, who was addicted to coffee, is the source of the quote: "A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems", which is generally ascribed to Erdős. It has been suggested that this sentence was originally formulated in German, where it can be interpreted as a wordplay on the double meaning of the word Satz (theorem or coffee residue), but it is more likely that the original formulation was in Hungarian.
The above quote was taken from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfr%C3%A9d_R%C3%A9nyi#Quotations
I suspect the expanded version given by Cris Moore is much like the expanded versions of Murphy's Law, and arose some time after the original quote became popular.
I've also heard "some mathematicians wish they could turn some of those theorems back into coffee", but I don't know the source of this.
Tom
Cris Moore writes:
wow :-) I would be honored.
Cris
On Feb 21, 2018, at 9:51 PM, James Propp <jamespropp@gmail.com> wrote:
Cris,
Can I quote this in my blog this month?
Jim
On Monday, November 3, 2014, Cris Moore <moore@santafe.edu> wrote:
> I believe the full quote is that mathematicians are devices for turning > coffee, red wine, delicious food, world travel, the sight of beautiful > gardens, the rhythm of poetry and literature, delightful partners, the joy > of raising children, and excellent sex into theorems. > > Ah, if only Erdos had had a fuller life. > > - cris > > > On Nov 3, 2014, at 8:51 PM, "Gustavus Simmons" < gsimmons30@comcast.net> > wrote: > >> I don't know whether he originated the saying, but on more than one > occasion I heard Erdos say: A mathematician is just a device that turns > strong coffee into strong theorems. >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Henry Baker" < hbaker1@pipeline.com> >> To: "math-fun" <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> >> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2014 8:37 PM >> Subject: Re: [math-fun] coffee & theorems >> >> >> Fermat must have had only a single-shot espresso before he proved his > Little Theorem. >> >> At 02:04 PM 11/3/2014, Dan Asimov wrote: >>> I've heard that this quote is due to Paul ErdÅ's. --Dan >>> >>> On Nov 3, 2014, at 1:40 PM, Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com> wrote: >>>> "Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ?? >>
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
-- Forewarned is worth an octopus in the bush. _______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
On 2014-11-03 13:40, Henry Baker wrote:
I don't know the answer to the following question, but it would be fun to come up with one.
"Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ??
I drink a lot of coffee, but when I shuffle papers on my desk, the coffee cup turns over & spills coffee all over the papers.
Therefore, I'd love a cup design that is strongly resistant to turning over. This implies that the base should be larger than the top,
Must the base be larger than the top? Or would it suffice to have a small, very dense, heavy, weight located in the base (small = radius of the weight < radius of the base, heavy = comparably heavy to the weight of water when the cup is full)? Couldn't the exact weight and radius of the heavy weight could be computed to keep the center of gravity of a full cup over the base, as long as the cup were not tilted more than some angle theta? For example if the weight of the heavy weight were equal to 1/2 the liquid in the (full) cup, and the height of the cup were 4 times the radius, wouldn't the cup avoid tipping over as long as it wasn't tipped by more than 45 degrees? (Yes, I'm ignoring the fact that the water actually stays level w.r.t to the ground, and not w.r.t. the base of the cup, when it is tipped) (I'm not sure I buy the real-world requirement that they nest (unless you're talking about disposable cups), but that's no reason to avoid adding this requirement to the problem).
and that the center of gravity -- even when full of coffee -- is very low.
I also don't have a lot of room for storing coffee cups, so I'd still like them to _stack_ in such a way that they _nest_ & therefore don't occupy as much volume when stored.
Finally, being a human, I'd still like to have a handle through which a finger could fit. The handle needn't touch in two places, so topologically it could be simply-connected.
I envision some sort of "star-like" shape which will nest when the second cup is rotated 2pi/N.
Like I said, I don't have a candidate shape.
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
I just looked up the coffee/theorems quote, and Wikiquotes says Bruce Schechter says that this joke originates with Alfréd Rényi <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfr%C3%A9d_R%C3%A9nyi>. On Mon, Nov 3, 2014 at 5:13 PM, Michael Greenwald <mbgreen@seas.upenn.edu> wrote:
On 2014-11-03 13:40, Henry Baker wrote:
I don't know the answer to the following question, but it would be fun to come up with one.
"Mathematicians turn coffee into theorems." -- unknown ??
I drink a lot of coffee, but when I shuffle papers on my desk, the coffee cup turns over & spills coffee all over the papers.
Therefore, I'd love a cup design that is strongly resistant to turning over. This implies that the base should be larger than the top,
Must the base be larger than the top? Or would it suffice to have a small, very dense, heavy, weight located in the base (small = radius of the weight < radius of the base, heavy = comparably heavy to the weight of water when the cup is full)? Couldn't the exact weight and radius of the heavy weight could be computed to keep the center of gravity of a full cup over the base, as long as the cup were not tilted more than some angle theta? For example if the weight of the heavy weight were equal to 1/2 the liquid in the (full) cup, and the height of the cup were 4 times the radius, wouldn't the cup avoid tipping over as long as it wasn't tipped by more than 45 degrees? (Yes, I'm ignoring the fact that the water actually stays level w.r.t to the ground, and not w.r.t. the base of the cup, when it is tipped)
(I'm not sure I buy the real-world requirement that they nest (unless you're talking about disposable cups), but that's no reason to avoid adding this requirement to the problem).
and
that the center of gravity -- even when full of coffee -- is very low.
I also don't have a lot of room for storing coffee cups, so I'd still like them to _stack_ in such a way that they _nest_ & therefore don't occupy as much volume when stored.
Finally, being a human, I'd still like to have a handle through which a finger could fit. The handle needn't touch in two places, so topologically it could be simply-connected.
I envision some sort of "star-like" shape which will nest when the second cup is rotated 2pi/N.
Like I said, I don't have a candidate shape.
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
On Mon, Nov 3, 2014 at 2:13 PM, Michael Greenwald <mbgreen@seas.upenn.edu> wrote:
Must the base be larger than the top? Or would it suffice to have a small, very dense, heavy, weight located in the base (small = radius of the weight < radius of the base, heavy = comparably heavy to the weight of water when the cup is full)?
Tungsten is pretty cheap and very dense, e.g. I got some 100g tungsten counterweights for $10 each. -- Mike Stay - metaweta@gmail.com http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~mike http://reperiendi.wordpress.com
participants (14)
-
Adam P. Goucher -
Allan Wechsler -
Cris Moore -
Dan Asimov -
Dave Dyer -
Gustavus Simmons -
Henry Baker -
James Propp -
John Aspinall -
Michael Greenwald -
Michael Kleber -
Mike Stay -
rkg -
Tom Karzes