Math humor - Printable Version

+- InsaneTrain Forums (https://insanetrain.com)
+-- Forum: General (https://insanetrain.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: General Forum (https://insanetrain.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=8)
+--- Thread: Math humor (/showthread.php?tid=46577)

---

Math humor - who - 11-09-2008

http://komplexify.com/math/humor.html

George Dantzig

George Dantzig, while studying in college, arrived late to one of Neyman's graduate math classes. On the blackboard there were two problems, clearly the homework problems assigned for the week. Dantzig copied them down, and worked on them for days and days. Fully a month later, Dantzig finally turned the problems into Neyman, remarking that they had been a little harder to do than usual.
About six weeks later, at 8 am on a Sunday morning, Dantzig and his wife were awaken by the sound of Professor Neyman banging loudly on their apartment door. Bleary-eyed, Dantzig opened the door, through which Neyman rushed in carrying papers, clearly excited: "I've just written an introduction to one of your papers. Read it so I can send it out right away for publication."
"What are you talking about?"
"Those problems on the board weren't homework problems. They were famous unsolved problems in statistics!"
George Dantzig went on to become the "Father of Linear Programming."

---