A quote

"Mathematicians, unlike other scientists, require no labatory equipment--a practice that reportedly began with Archimedes, who, after emerging from the bath and rubbing himself with olive oil, discovered the principles of geometry by using his fingernails to trace figues on his oily skin. A Japanese resteraunt, apparently, is as good a place as any to do mathematics. Mathemiticians need only peace of mind and, occasionaly, paper and pencil. 'That's the beauty of it,' Graham said. 'You can lie back, close your eyes, and work. Who knows what problem Paul is working on now.'"

The Man Who Loved Only Numbers by Paul Hoffman Posted by Matt at April 25, 2003 06:01 PM