Timeline for Famous mathematical quotes
Current License: CC BY-SA 2.5
4 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 19, 2010 at 19:36 | comment | added | Greg Kuperberg | That's a good suggestion, but I can't edit comments. So let me just rephrase the aphorism: "An excellent Erdos might reach certain limits as a mathematician, while a bad Erdos can still be an okay mathematician. On the other hand, a good Grothendieck can be a truly great mathematician, while a bad Grothendieck is really terrible." | |
| Dec 27, 2009 at 8:11 | comment | added | Qiaochu Yuan | Greg, the symmetry in that statement would be nicer if you replaced "problem-solver" with "Erdos." | |
| Dec 18, 2009 at 7:20 | comment | added | Greg Kuperberg | A friend who I won't name at the moment once told me this, paraphrased: An excellent problem-solver might not always be a great mathematician, while a bad problem-solver can still be an okay mathematician. On the other hand, a good Grothendieck is a great mathematician, while a bad Grothendieck is really terrible! | |
| Nov 29, 2009 at 20:19 | history | answered | Sam Derbyshire | CC BY-SA 2.5 |