Mathematical Quotations -- N


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Napoleon (1769-1821)

A mathematician of the first rank, Laplace quickly revealed himself as only a mediocre administrator; from his first work we saw that we had been deceived. Laplace saw no question from its true point of view; he sought subtleties everywhere; had only doubtful ideas, and finally carried the spirit of the infinitely small into administration.
In N. Rose Mathematical Maxims and Minims, Raleigh NC:Rome Press Inc., 1988.


Nebeuts, E. Kim

Teach to the the problems, not to the text.
In H. Eves Return to Mathematical Circles, Boston: Prindle, Weber and Schmidt, 1988.

To state a theorem and then to show examples of it is literally to teach backwards.
In H. Eves Return to Mathematical Circles, Boston: Prindle, Weber and Schmidt, 1988.

A good preparation takes longer than the delivery.
In H. Eves Return to Mathematical Circles, Boston: Prindle, Weber and Schmidt, 1988.


Neumann, Franz Ernst (1798 - 1895)

The greatest reward lies in making the discovery; recognition can add little or nothing to that.


von Neumann, Johann (1903 - 1957)

In mathematics you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
In G. Zukav The Dancing Wu Li Masters.


Newman, James R.

The most painful thing about mathematics is how far away you are from being able to use it after you have learned it.
In J. R. Newman (ed.) The World of Mathematics, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1956.

The discovery in 1846 of the planet Neptune was a dramatic and spectacular achievement of mathematical astronomy. The very existence of this new member of the solar system, and its exact location, were demonstrated with pencil and paper; there was left to observers only the routine task of pointing their telescopes at the spot the mathematicians had marked.
In J. R. Newman (ed.) The World of Mathematics, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1956.

It is hard to know what you are talking about in mathematics, yet no one questions the validity of what you say. There is no other realm of discourse half so queer.
In J. R. Newman (ed.) The World of Mathematics, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1956.

Mathematical economics is old enough to be respectable, but not all economists respect it. It has powerful supporters and impressive testimonials, yet many capable economists deny that mathematics, except as a shorthand or expository device, can be applied to economic reasoning. There have even been rumors that mathematics is used in economics (and in other social sciences) either for the deliberate purpose of mystification or to confer dignity upon commonplacesas French was once used in diplomatic communications. .... To be sure, mathematics can be extended to any branch of knowledge, including economics, provided the concepts are so clearly defined as to permit accurate symbolic representation. That is only another way of saying that in some branches of discourse it is desirable to know what you are talking about.
In J. R. Newman (ed.) The World of Mathematics, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1956.

The Theory of Groups is a branch of mathematics in which one does something to something and then compares the result with the result obtained from doing the same thing to something else, or something else to the same thing.
In J. R. Newman (ed.) The World of Mathematics, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1956.

Games are among the most interesting creations of the human mind, and the analysis of their structure is full of adventure and surprises. Unfortunately there is never a lack of mathematicians for the job of transforming delectable ingredients into a dish that tastes like a damp blanket.
In J. R. Newman (ed.) The World of Mathematics, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1956.


Newton, Isaac (1642-1727)

...from the same principles, I now demonstrate the frame of the System of the World.
Principia Mathematica.

Hypotheses non fingo.
I feign no hypotheses.
Principia Mathematica.

To explain all nature is too difficult a task for any one man or even for any one age. `Tis much better to do a little with certainty, and leave the rest for others hat come after you, than to explain all things.
In G. Simmons Calculus Gems, New York: McGraw Hill Inc., 1992.

The description of right lines and circles, upon which geometry is founded, belongs to mechanics. Geometry does not teach us to draw these lines, but requires them to be drawn.
Principia Mathematica.

The latest authors, like the most ancient, strove to subordinate the phenomena of nature to the laws of mathematics.

[His epitaph:]
Who, by vigor of mind almost divine, the motions and figures of the planets, the paths of comets, and the tides of the seas first demonstrated.


Thomas R. Nicely


Usually mathematicians have to shoot somebody to get this much publicity.
[On the attention he received after finding the flaw in Intel's Pentium chip in 1994]
Cincinnati Enquirer, December 18, 1994, Section A, page 19.


Nightingale, Florence (1820-1910)

[Of her:]
Her statistics were more than a study, they were indeed her religion. For her Quetelet was the hero as scientist, and the presentation copy of his Physique sociale is annotated by her on every page. Florence Nightingale believed -- and in all the actions of her life acted upon that belief -- that the administrator could only be successful if he were guided by statistical knowledge. The legislator -- to say nothing of the politician -- too often failed for want of this knowledge. Nay, she went further; she held that the universe -- including human communities -- was evolving in accordance with a divine plan; that it was man's business to endeavor to understand this plan and guide his actions in sympathy with it. But to understand God's thoughts, she held we must study statistics, for these are the measure of His purpose. Thus the study of statistics was for her a religious duty.
K. Pearson The Life, Letters and Labours for Francis Galton, vol. 2, 1924.


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