Re: OT: coffee and math ( was Re: Tasratal: sketch: connectives)
| From: | Andreas Johansson <and_yo@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Monday, October 22, 2001, 10:33 |
|---|
Christian Thalmann wrote:
>
>Yoon Ha Lee wrote:
> >
> > On Sunday, October 21, 2001, at 06:58 , Andreas Johansson wrote:
> >
> > > YHL wrote:
> > >> A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.--Paul
> > >> Erdos
>
>That's a good one. Reminds me of "A flashlight is a device for holding
>empty batteries." and "The shin is a sensory organ for detecting
>sharp-edged obstacles."
>
>
> > > If so, is a coffee machine a device for turning theorems into money?
>
>Hunh? I fail to see in which way a coffee machine receives theorems as
>an input. Anybody care to explain?
Mathematicians are paid to (among other things) make theorems. According to
Paul Erdos, they use coffee to do this. Ergo, a coffee machine is a device
that makes money of the production of theorems.
Andreas
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