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Thread: Mathematics: figuring how to figure (...or not)

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    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mathematics: figuring how to figure (...or not)

    Quote Posted by happyuk (here)
    One of my favourite anecdotes, occurred while Ramanujan was ill. GH Hardy happened to mention the number of his taxi (1729) that brought him to Ramanujan's residence as being quite a boring number. To which Ramanujan replied that 1729 was not a boring number at all: it was a very interesting one. He explained that it was the smallest number that could be expressed by the sum of two cubes in two different ways: 12 cubed + 1 cubed; or 9 cubed + 10 cubed both equalling 1729.
    Yes, a delightful true story, also in the film. Hardy marveled that anyone could just happen to know such a thing. His Cambridge colleague John Littlewood, who's in the film as well, famously remarked prior to the incident that "every positive integer was one of Ramanujan's personal friends."


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    happyuk (27th March 2018)

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    United States Avalon Member Foxie Loxie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mathematics: figuring how to figure (...or not)

    Thanks for posting the film, Bill......truly amazing!!

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    Bill Ryan (26th March 2018)

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