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Euler's Constancy
Leonhard Euler is seldom remembered as one of the Enlightenment greats, but he should be. His discoveries changed the course of mathematics forever, and 300 years after his birth his ideas continue to resonate in classrooms and laboratories.
Who is the greatest mathematician of all time? In 1937, Eric Temple Bell, the most widely read historian and biographer of mathematics, placed Archimedes, Isaac Newton, and Karl Friedrich Gauss at the top of the list, adding, “It is not for ordinary mortals to attempt to arrange [these three] in order of merit.” This judgment, widely known among mathematicians, stirred a protest in 1997 from Charlie Marion and William Dunham in Mathematics Magazine. The protest was in eight stanzas of verse, of which the fourth and fifth read:
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John Derbyshire is a freelance writer, novelist, and commentator living in New York. His 2003 book Prime Obsession was awarded the Mathematical Association of America’s Euler Book Prize for “an outstanding book about mathematics.”
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The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and in no way represent the views or opinions of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. This section is moderated by Wilson Quarterly staff.
Euler
Just greatful to read an article about such a wonderful mathematician and great human being...didn't he also solve the Konigsberg bridge problem? Andreas.
Posted by: aevriviades | 10/4/07
It appears your greatfulness has preceded your perusal of the article
Posted by: nemo | 10/5/07
bridge problem
He did, it's mentioned in the tenth paragraph
Posted by: colm | 10/5/07
Read Euler, the Master of us all.
So said Pierre-Simon Laplace. One tiny nit to pick: a better representation than "Oiler" of how properly to pronounce his name is "Oiluh" (or "Oyluh"), else Americans will pronounce it "Oilurr."
Posted by: eisweino | 10/5/07
homonyms
Just curious. When did grateful morph into greatful? -michael
Posted by: michael | 10/7/07