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1500 questions
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2 answers
Did Poincaré say that set theory is a disease?
This question has been discussed on several sites including MathOverflow but with not definite result. Presumely HSE is best suited.
Jeremy Gray denies that Poincare said, "Later generations will regard Mengenlehre as a disease from which one has…
user5699
9
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2 answers
Why did Einstein oppose quantum uncertainity?
Einstein always believed that everything is certain, and we can calculate everything. That's why he rejected quantum mechanics, due to its factor of uncertainty. But still quantum physics was right. So why did Einstein never accept the fact of…
Creepy Creature
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What was the origin of the Seven Bridges of Königsberg problem before Euler?
I was researching the mathematics of this puzzle and wondered where it is be thought to originate. Any information, including context and precedents, would be greatly appreciated. (I'm particularly interested in puzzles that are thought of as…
DukeZhou
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9
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What are the origins of Galileo's paradox?
Galileo's paradox is the observation that the natural numbers can be put into one to one correspondence with the square numbers, showing that an infinite set can be bijected to a proper subset of itself.
I remember reading that this was already…
user4894
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When was it discovered that the Earth wasn't round?
We know the Earth isn't a sphere: that is, the equatorial circumference isn't equal to the polar circumference. When (and how) was this discovered?
I can put a lower bound of around the 3rd century BC, when Greek astronomy showed that the Earth was…
Mark
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9
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5 answers
What was the appeal of numerical analysis before computers?
I'm currently doing a numerical analysis course, and it seems many of the techniques were developed by mathematicians, such as Euler and Newton, who lived before the age of the computer. Why were these mathematicians interested in numerical analysis…
user5140
9
votes
1 answer
Where does the name eigenvalue come from?
Who introduced the concept of eigenvalues and eigenvectors and where does the name come from? Is there a connection with the German word "eigen"?
Christian
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9
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What is the history of the science about butter, margarine, and health?
Over time, the science on the issue of dietary fat and heart disease has undergone drastic changes, and in particular, advice to eat margarine rather than butter has been reversed. What is the history of this subject?
user466
9
votes
1 answer
What did ancient near eastern protoscience believe about germination?
Two Bible verses seem to indicate that ancients believed germination was the death of a seed, and a resurrection or rebirth of that seed into a plant:
Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it…
Mr. Bultitude
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2 answers
Who introduced the notation $y|_{x=a}$?
When a variable $y$ depends on other variables, say $y=c x^3$, one often writes
$$y|_{x=2}$$
to say "$y$ when $x$ has value $2$". This might be more familiar in the context of derivatives where we find $\left. \frac{dy}{dx}\right|_{x=2}=12c$. It…
Michael Bächtold
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How did Newton guess that the answer to the 3-dimensional "kissing problem" is 12?
I understand almost nothing about sphere packings and kissing numbers, but I am very curious to learn about the Newton - Gregory discussion of the problem. In particular, I wonder if Newton's guess was a "blind guess" or an educated guess with a…
user2554
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9
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1 answer
Why is one of Maxwell's equations named after Ampère? Who first named it after Ampère?
Ampère never wrote down what is confusingly called "Ampère's circuital law," not even the form without the displacement current term, as Ampère never dealt with the field concept.* Maxwell derived
$$\nabla \times \mathbf{B} =…
Geremia
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Is there any reason why Hilbert's problems are ordered in the way they are?
Is there any reason why Hilbert's problems are ordered in the way they are?
Also, from whom does this ordering come?
I know that Hilbert talked about several problems on his list, namely 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 13, 16, 19, 21 and 22, so I don't think that…
wythagoras
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2 answers
Madhava and $\pi$
I recently learned that Madhava of Kerala (c.1340–c.1425) was the first to discover the following formula for $\pi$:
$$\frac{\pi}4\ =\ 1 - \frac13+\frac15 - \frac17 + \frac19 - \frac1{11} + \cdots$$
The formula was rediscovered by James Gregory…
George Law
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9
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What was Gödel's proof that errors in U.S. constitution could allow the U.S. to become a fascist dictatorship?
According to this document, Kurt Gödel had discovered logical inconsistiencies in the U.S. constitution that could theoretically allow it to become a dictatorship. Morgenstern told him not to bring it up during his U.S. citizenship exam, but:
And…
Christopher King
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