from coffee to theorem

"a mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems" - Paul Erdos (1913-1996)

rino simanjuntak, just another mathematician blogging from bandung

on her love for math and appreciation of mathematicians

and on the lessons of life she learns when doing math

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9.4.05

in a mathematical state of mind

I always wanted to have a space
for writing about things that I’ve learned when I do math

you may say,
“math??!! you’re kidding me, right?”
or,
“finally! something that I’ve been waiting for!”
(sounds a bit unrealistic, though :-))

when I say things that I’ve learned when I do math
I didn’t mean how to prove some abstract theorems
that nobody even knows what they are good for
(yes, I admit those kind of theorems DO exist ;-))

what I meant was
when I do math
I often could learn about values of life,
about how to interact with others,
about how to stay positive when things seem to be oh so gloomy,
about how to be persistent in pursuing what you believe in,
about how a life of a particular person can be a great influence of others,
and so on
and so on

then again, you may say,
“you’re kidding me, right?”

if you don’t believe me,
just keep on reading
and enjoy the ride :-)


"It is impossible to be a mathematician
without being a poet in soul."
--Sophia Kovalevskaya