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Quotes from Mathematics: Queen and Servant of Science — Eric Temple Bell

1883–1960 Scotland

← All quotes by Eric Temple Bell

6 quotes

The so-called obvious was repeatedly scrutinized from every angle and was frequently found to be not obvious but false. "Obvious" is the most dangerous word in mathematics.

Mathematics: Queen and Servant of Science (1938)

Out of fifty mathematical papers presented in brief at such a meeting, it is a rare mathematician indeed who really understands what more than half a dozen are about.

Mathematics: Queen and Servant of Science (1938)

Science makes no pretension to eternal truth or absolute truth; some of its rivals do. That science is in some respects inhuman may be the secret of its success in alleviating human misery and mitigating human stupidity.

Mathematics: Queen and Servant of Science (1938)

Wherever groups disclosed themselves, or could be introduced, simplicity crystallized out of comparative chaos.

Mathematics: Queen and Servant of Science (1938)

Some of his deepest discoveries were reasoned out verbally with very few if any symbols, and those for the most part mere abbreviations of words. Any impatient student of mathematics or science or engineering who is irked by having algebraic symbolism thrust on him should try to get on without it for a week.

Mathematics: Queen and Servant of Science (1938)

Fashion as king is sometimes a very stupid ruler. As was observed a little way back, the kernel of Plücker's theory of geometric dimensionality is that the dimensionality of a given space is not an absolute constant, but depends upon the elements, accepted as irreducible, in terms of which the space is described.

Mathematics: Queen and Servant of Science (1938)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Eric Temple Bell (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.