When Dickson made the statement there were no known applications, but of
course, today there are myriad ways to use number theory in the practical realm.
davew
On Thu, Jan 20, 2022, at 5:15 AM, Frank Wimberly wrote:
> First, it's not true that number theory has no applications. But the quote
First, it's not true that number theory has no applications. But the quote
reminds me of G. H. Hardy who wrote a famous book with the title "Pure
Mathematics". He allegedly lost interest in his research when applications
of it were discovered.
Frank
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Frank C. Wimberly
140 Calle Ojo Feliz,
Sa
Came across this quote recently and it reminded me of several conversations
with Frank and others about "pure" mathematics.
*"Thank God that number theory is unsullied by any application."* Leonard
Dickson
Similarly for "pure" science, Hertz spoke of his research as, *"of no use
whatsoever, ju
