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There is at least one story about mathematical discoveries caused my a misunderstood homework assignment, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Dantzig . Are there any stories about mathematical discoveries caused by misprints?
Mathematical discoveries caused by misprints?
- Thread starter Stephen Tashi
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Mathematical discoveries can sometimes arise from misprints or misunderstandings, as illustrated by George Dantzig's story about a homework assignment. An anecdote shared involves a student who found an exact solution to a problem that was believed to be solvable only numerically, surprising the professor when it was revealed that the textbook had misrepresented the problem. Marjorie Rice's contributions to mathematics also highlight how errors can lead to significant discoveries. Additionally, the book "Magnificent Mistakes in Mathematics" explores various historical mathematical errors and their implications. Such instances demonstrate that misprints and misunderstandings can inadvertently lead to important mathematical advancements.
Hi,
I was watching the following video. I found some points confusing. Could you please help me to understand the gaps? Thanks, in advance!
Question 1:
Around 4:22, the video says the following.
So for those mathematicians, negative numbers didn't exist. You could subtract, that is find the difference between two positive quantities, but you couldn't have a negative answer or negative coefficients. Mathematicians were so averse to negative numbers that there was no single quadratic...
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles.
In Dirac’s Principles of Quantum Mechanics published in 1930 he introduced a “convenient notation” he referred to as a “delta function” which he treated as a continuum analog to the discrete Kronecker delta. The Kronecker delta is simply the indexed components of the identity operator in matrix algebra
Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/what-exactly-is-diracs-delta-function/
by...
Here I made a terrible mistake of assuming this to be an equilateral triangle and set 2sinx=1 => x=pi/6. Although this did derive the double angle formulas it also led into a terrible mess trying to find all the combinations of sides. I must have been tired and just assumed 6x=180 and 2sinx=1. By that time, I was so mindset that I nearly scolded a person for even saying 90-x. I wonder if this is a case of biased observation that seeks to dis credit me like Jesus of Nazareth since in reality...
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