Sunday, July 31, 2016

Clever Hardy


"Hardy used the Riemann hypothesis as insurance when crossing the North sea after his summer visit to his friend Harald Bohr in Denmark. Before leaving port he would send his friend a postcard with the claim that he had just proved the Riemann hypothesis. It was a clever each way bet. If the boat sank he would have the posthumous honour of solving the great problem. On the other hand, if God did exist he would not let an atheist like Hardy have that honour and would therefore prevent the boat from sinking."

-- Tony Crilly

[p.s... with the political conventions over, blogging here and at MathTango, will likely return to normal in the coming week]


No comments: