[math-fun] Mathematical Presidents
Who was the strongest mathematician to serve as US President? I just read in Ulysses's S Grant's Memoirs that war in Mexico stopped him from teaching math at West Point. Not too bad. I suppose Thomas Jefferson? He definitely had a few math books around http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/becites/main/jefferson/88607928_ch25.html. I wonder what "Emerson's Fluxion's" is about. Also "Sir Isaac Newton's tables for the Renewals of Leases" sounds promising from the Jefferson library. It would be nice if Thomas Jefferson weren't the best at everything, but if that's the way it is, we have to live with it. I remember Jimmy Carter frequently being described as a "nuclear engineer," but that was when it was popular to think that Ford was a bumbler. Thane Plambeck 650 321 4884 office 650 323 4928 fax http://www.qxmail.com/home.htm
Thu, 12 Dec 2002 23:42:13 -0800 "Thane Plambeck" <thane@best.com> Who was the strongest mathematician to serve as US President? I just read in Ulysses's S Grant's Memoirs that war in Mexico stopped him from teaching math at West Point. Not too bad. =20 Wasn't Herbert Hoover a civil engineer, with a degree from Stanford? I suppose Thomas Jefferson? He definitely had a few math books around http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/becites/main/jefferson/88607928_ch25.html. I wonder what "Emerson's Fluxion's" is about. Also "Sir Isaac Newton's tables for the Renewals of Leases" sounds promising from the Jefferson library. It would be nice if Thomas Jefferson weren't the best at everything, but if that's the way it is, we have to live with it. =20 I remember Jimmy Carter frequently being described as a "nuclear = engineer," but that was when it was popular to think that Ford was a bumbler. =20 Thane Plambeck 650 321 4884 office 650 323 4928 fax http://www.qxmail.com/home.htm ------=_NextPart_000_0029_01C2A238.1867A870 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Who was the strongest mathematician to = serve as US=20 President?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I just read in Ulysses's S = Grant's Memoirs=20 that war in Mexico stopped</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>him from teaching math at West = Point. Not too=20 bad. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I suppose Thomas Jefferson? He = definitely had a few=20 math books around</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><A=20 href=3D"http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/becites/main/jefferson/88607928_ch2= 5.html">http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/becites/main/jefferson/88607928_ch2= 5.html</A>.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I wonder what "Emerson's Fluxion's" is = about. =20 Also "Sir Isaac Newton's</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>tables for the Renewals of Leases" = sounds promising=20 from the Jefferson</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>library.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>It would be nice if Thomas Jefferson = weren't the=20 best at everything, but</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>if that's the way it is, we have to = live with=20 it. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I remember Jimmy Carter frequently = being described=20 as a "nuclear engineer,"</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>but that was when it was popular to = think that Ford=20 was a bumbler. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Thane Plambeck<BR>650 321 4884 = office<BR>650 323=20 4928 fax<BR><A=20 href=3D"http://www.qxmail.com/home.htm">http://www.qxmail.com/home.htm</A=
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I remember years ago seeing a new proof of the Pythagorean Theorem by Rutherford B. Hayes. -- Victor S. Miller | " ... Meanwhile, those of us who can compute can hardly victor@idaccr.org | be expected to keep writing papers saying 'I can do the CCR, Princeton, NJ | following useless calculation in 2 seconds', and indeed 08540 USA | what editor would publish them?" -- Oliver Atkin
Whoops, it was Hayes, it was Garfield: http://members.tripod.com/american_almanac/garfield.htm -- Victor S. Miller | " ... Meanwhile, those of us who can compute can hardly victor@idaccr.org | be expected to keep writing papers saying 'I can do the CCR, Princeton, NJ | following useless calculation in 2 seconds', and indeed 08540 USA | what editor would publish them?" -- Oliver Atkin
Whoops, it wasn't Hayes, it was Garfield: http://members.tripod.com/american_almanac/garfield.htm -- Victor S. Miller | " ... Meanwhile, those of us who can compute can hardly victor@idaccr.org | be expected to keep writing papers saying 'I can do the CCR, Princeton, NJ | following useless calculation in 2 seconds', and indeed 08540 USA | what editor would publish them?" -- Oliver Atkin
I recall it as a proof by Garfield. It was in my high school geometry book. Spoilsports claim the proof is older.
participants (4)
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John McCarthy -
Michael B Greenwald -
Thane Plambeck -
victor＠idaccr.org