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Mr Manifesto
28th September 2003, 07:11 PM
A friend of mine is studying mathematics at University.
His girlfriend came to a party at my place- he couldn't go because he was studying. I asked her to ask him if he's proven Godel's Theorem.
She talked to me later and said that Godel's theorem already had a proof. I said, "Oh, well then your boyfriend will want to claim the prize for it!"
To cut a long story short, it turns out I had Godel's Theroem mixed up with Fermat's Last Theorem.
Do'h! Has anyone else made any I-got-my-theorems-mixed-up errors?
shemp
28th September 2003, 07:17 PM
I sometimes mix a club in with my spades.
LucyR
28th September 2003, 07:18 PM
I suspect you're still mixed up.
Do some research.
Mr Manifesto
28th September 2003, 07:24 PM
I'm reminded of the time I got ectothermic mixed up with endothermic.
Or the time I commented on the Creationist's theory that because the moon isn't ten-thousand metres deep in dust, the universe must be 6000 years old. I said, 'what is it with Creationists, they never know their astrology!'
Mr Manifesto
28th September 2003, 08:42 PM
Originally posted by LucyR
I suspect you're still mixed up.
Do some research.
Fermat's Last Theorem (http://www.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Fermat's_last_theorem.html).
Feel free to elaborate, Lucy.
LucyR
28th September 2003, 08:51 PM
Originally posted by Mr Manifesto
Fermat's Last Theorem (http://www-gap.dcs.stand.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Fermat's_last_theorem.html).
Feel free to elaborate, Lucy.
Well, it was my impression that Fermat's last theorem had been proved.
Mr Manifesto
28th September 2003, 08:52 PM
Jeez. That link doesn't want to work. This is the url:
http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Fermat's_last_theorem.html
(I think the '-gap' might be wrecking it? Who knows.)
I found it by googling 'Fermat's last theorem'.
If you know of a proof, Lucy, just link to it.
LucyR
28th September 2003, 09:01 PM
That link doesn't work either. Try something like Eric W. Weisstein
encyclopedia of mathematics. I'm sure there are lots of other sites.
Found this:
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/FermatsLastTheorem.html
Skeptoid
28th September 2003, 09:11 PM
Andrew Wiles proved the Taniyama-Shimura Conjecture in 1994, a corollary of which implies the truth of Fermat's Last Theorem.
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Wiles
LucyR
28th September 2003, 09:15 PM
That sig catches me every time.
LucyR
28th September 2003, 09:21 PM
Originally posted by Mr Manifesto
http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Fermat's_last_theorem.html
(I think the '-gap' might be wrecking it? Who knows.)
I think it's just too long for the automatic system.
Paul C. Anagnostopoulos
29th September 2003, 06:10 AM
I once mixed up the 13th and 14th digits of pi.
~~ Paul
Kullervo
29th September 2003, 06:22 AM
You may be confusing Godel's proof (proven) and Goldbach's conjecture (not).
arcticpenguin
29th September 2003, 07:32 AM
Originally posted by Kullervo
You may be confusing Godel's proof (proven) and Goldbach's conjecture (not).
Sometimes I confuse that with the Goldberg variations.
BPSCG
29th September 2003, 07:52 AM
Originally posted by arcticpenguin
Sometimes I confuse that with the Goldberg variations. I always get the second movements of Vivaldi's 14th and 16th Basooon Concertos confused. But then again, everybody has that problem.
Psi Baba
29th September 2003, 09:26 AM
Did Vivaldi write 500 concertos, or one concerto 500 times? :D
arcticpenguin
29th September 2003, 09:26 AM
Originally posted by BPSCG
I always get the second movements of Vivaldi's 14th and 16th Basooon Concertos confused. But then again, everybody has that problem.
It's OK so long as you don't confuse them with bowel movements.
Kullervo
29th September 2003, 09:27 AM
Originally posted by Paul C. Anagnostopoulos
I once mixed up the 13th and 14th digits of pi.
~~ Paul It'd've been funnier (but still not funny) to say the 25th and 26th digits (both 3).
Bikewer
29th September 2003, 09:43 AM
I have no such problems, being mathmatically challenged. Back in high school, I squeaked through Algebra 1 with a "D". The teacher mentioned "quadratic equation" at some point, and thereafter I knew nothing.
Advancing to geometry, I had great fun drawing triangles and parallegrams, and using all the cute little tools. I've always been artistically inclined. Second semester found me trying to solve the more advanced geometrical problems using arithmetic.
I kept telling the nice nun that "I wasn't getting it."
She said, "You're smart, you'll catch on."
So, I flunked. They sent me to summer school to make up the semester, where we duly drew little triangles and parallegrams.
BPSCG
29th September 2003, 10:18 AM
Originally posted by arcticpenguin
It's OK so long as you don't confuse them with bowel movements. Well, that's a bit of a problem, too, since in both cases, it's a relief when it's over.
You got me started...
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