lunes, octubre 23, 2006

Reductio ad absurdum, which Euclid loved so much, is one of a mathematician's finest weapons. It is a far finer gambit than any chess play: a chess player may offer the sacrifice of a pawn or even a piece, but a mathematician offers the game.

Godfrey H. Hardy
New ideas are not easy to find. If you are lucky enough to be working on an idea which is actually right, it can take a long time before you know that it's right. Conversely, if you are going up a blind alley, it can also take a long time before you find out. You can end up saying 'Oops, I've been working for years on something wrong.' A good mathematician must have the courage to take a lot of work and throw it away.
Charles L. Fefferman

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