HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: deghare@daisy.uwaterloo.ca (Dave Hare)
Subject: Re: Marilyn Vos Savant's error?
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 18:57:55 GMT

In article <1992Dec15.160000.3714@cs.cornell.edu> karr@cs.cornell.edu (David Karr) writes:
>Below, I try to say something interesting on the following question,
>which otherwise seems to get beaten to death every few months on this
>newsgroup:
>
>In article <1992Dec15.052211.24395@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU> snewman@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Steven Newman) writes:
>>
>>   1) You meet a man on the street and ask him how many children he has.
>>      He replies "two, and one is a boy."  What is the probability that
>>      his other child is also a boy?
>
>It depends entirely on how your probability space is constructed.
>Specifically, what is the distribution of numbers and kinds of
>children had by people in the population that you are sampling, and
>what is the probability, given that a person has a certain set of
>children, that he or she will give the above response?

This is entirely bogus.  The question is clearly intended to be a particular
probability problem phrased in familiar terms.  The intent of the problem is
the basic probability exercise, not a problem in the sociology of people
meeting on the street.  It is simply more entertaining to phrase it this 
way rather than in terms of 2-valued iid random variables.

Dave Hare
Newsgroups: sci.math
From: ilan@leland.Stanford.EDU (ilan vardi)
Subject: Digits of Pi
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 92 07:09:38 GMT

I have shown that the harmonic mean of the continued fraction digits
of almost every number 0<x<1 converges to

1/(3/2 + (2/log 2) sum_{n>2} (2^(n-2)-1) (zeta'(n) + 2^(-n) log 2))

= 1.74540566224073468634...

R.W. Gosper then checked that the harmonic mean of the first million
digits of pi is about 1.745942 and for the first 17 million digits
it's about 1.745882. 

So pi seems to not fail this randomness test. On the other hand, the
harmonic mean of the continued fraction digits of e can easily be
shown to converge to 1.5

-Ilan Vardi
Newsgroups: sci.math,sci.physics,sci.astro,misc.education,sci.edu,alt.uu.math.misc,sci.research.careers,uk.jobs,eunet.misc,soc.culture.british,soc.college.grad,soc.college.gradinfo
From: twk@emu.pmms.cam.ac.uk (T.W. Korner)
Subject: Postgraduate study in Mathematics at Cambridge (revised)
Keywords: Mathematical Tripos, Part III, Certificate of Advanced Study
Organization: Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Cambridge
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 15:49:57 GMT

I have revised the guide to postgraduate study in Mathematics
at Cambridge announced here recently.
It is available by anonymous FTP from /pub/twk/PartIII.tex on
can.pmms.cam.ac.uk (131.111.24.28) or hard copy from the address
below.

T.W. K\"orner
Department of Pure Mathematics
University of Cambridge
16 Mill Lane
Cambridge CB2 1SB
U.K.


Xref: sparky sci.math:17168 sci.physics:21422
From: dreier@durban.berkeley.edu (Roland Dreier)
Newsgroups: sci.math,sci.physics
Subject: What waves in light waves? (was Re: TIME HAS INERTIA)
Date: 18 Dec 92 10:07:00
Organization: U.C. Berkeley Math. Department.
	<abian.724200923@pv343f.vincent.iastate.edu>
	<Bz81F4.Lqt@quake.sylmar.ca.us>
NNTP-Posting-Host: durban.berkeley.edu
In-reply-to: brian@quake.sylmar.ca.us's message of Sun, 13 Dec 1992 23:33:03 GMT

In article <Bz81F4.Lqt@quake.sylmar.ca.us> brian@quake.sylmar.ca.us (Brian K. Yoder) writes:

   A similar problem exists for physicists who consider light to be a wave (or
   a wave and something else too).  Waving is something an entity does, not a
   thing in itself.  There can no more be a wave traveling through space than
   there can be a room with some "jumping" going on outside of any entities
   which are doing the jumping.

Even more troubling for me, as a student of modern algebraic geometry,
is the concept of schemes.  How can one have a "scheme" in the absence
of someone scheming?
--
Roland Dreier                                        dreier@math.berkeley.edu
From: israel@unixg.ubc.ca (Robert B. Israel)
Newsgroups: sci.math
Subject: Re: Tiling problem
Date: 20 Dec 92 09:26:50 GMT
Organization: The University of British Columbia
NNTP-Posting-Host: unixg.ubc.ca

In <1992Dec20.000625.28213@infodev.cam.ac.uk> cet1@cus.cam.ac.uk (C.E. Thompson) writes:

>But I then noticed, to my considerable astonishment, that Robert Israel's
>later N = 13 solution:

>        0001101010110
>        0101011000011
>        1100001101110
>        0110101011000
>        0101100001101
>        0000110101011
>        1011101100001
>        0110000110111
>        0011010101100
>        1010110000110
>        1000011011101
>        1101110110000
>        1011000011010

>*does* satisfy the stronger condition, having no i x (13-i) rectangles with
>four corners the same. Unless this is a consequence of his search strategy,
>there is something very odd going on.

As a matter of fact, there *is* something odd going on.  A close look at
this solution shows that all the rows are cyclic permutations of 
001101a101100, where "a" is either 0 or 1, each row being displaced 5
places to the left from the previous one.  If you write one of these
13-tuples as <c_i>_{i=0..12}, it satisfies the condition that for all
i and 1 <= j <= 12, c_i, c_{i+j}, c_{i+5j} and c_{i+6j} are not all the
same (considering the subscripts mod 13).  Thus such a 13-tuple generates
a square that works (with periodic boundary condition).  The only 13-tuples
for which this works are these two and those obtained from them by cyclic
permutation and interchanging 1 and 0.  I also tried shifts other than 5
(so for some b, 1<=b<=12, you want c_i,c_{i+j},c_{i+bj} and c_{i+(b+1)j}
never to be all the same).  No more examples except for b=8 (which is
equivalent to b=5 by left<->right symmetry).  Unfortunately, there are no
14-, 15-, 16- or 17-tuples with the analogous properties either.

I don't think that my search strategy has any inherent bias towards 
solutions with any particular regularity or periodicity.  I tried running
the 13 x 13 square again, with the following result:

1011010011010
0001111010110
0111001000011
1100011101010
1001010100111
0101110001101
0000100111011
1010111100001
0110010110101
0011001101100
1110101000110
1000001011101
1101100110000

If there's structure here, it's certainly more subtle than last time.  
I haven't checked whether this satisfies the periodic boundary condition.

-- 
Robert Israel                            israel@math.ubc.ca
Department of Mathematics             or israel@unixg.ubc.ca
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Y4
From: naturman@uctvax.uct.ac.za
Newsgroups: sci.math
Subject: Re: Negative Zero
Date: 15 Dec 92 17:40:03 +0200
Keywords: -0
Organization: University of Cape Town

In article <1992Dec12.010711.15778@leela.cs.orst.edu>, jeremy@atlantis.CS.ORST.EDU ((-| Jeremy |-) Smith) writes:
> 
>       Some guy in Southern California proposed a method of naming multiples 
> of ten which included a `logical' system for naming very large numbers 
> (the largest being milli-decilli-fiveillionillion).  Does anyone have a 
> reference for this.
> 
> [OBtrivia: this is one of my plan files.  Amendments welcome]
>          n
>         --- = I (infinity) (n>0)
>          0
>  
>  
>          n
>         --- = -I (probably) (n>0)
>         -0
>  
>         Numbers greater than infinity, and less than negative infinity
> include gadzillion, squillion, and zillion, and are possibly in
> the class NaN (not a number).
>  
>         My favourite is -0, which I intend to
> understand, in the same way that 0 was discovered,
> understood, and used.
>  
>         For reference here is a number scale:
>  
>  I              infinity
>  .              .
>  .              .
>  .              .
>  10^google      googleplex
>  10^?           milli-decilli-fiveillionillion
>  10^303         centillion      
>  10^140         asankheyya      
>  10^100         google 
>  10^87          #electrons in known universe
>  10^63          vigintillion
>  10^15          quadrillion
>  10^12          trillion
>  10^9           billion
>  10^6           million
>  .              .
>  .              .
>  .              .
>  3              three
>  2              two
>  1              one
>  0              zero
> -0              negative zero
> -1              negative one
> -2              negative two
> -3              negative three
>  .              .
>  .              .
>  .              .
> -I              negative infinity


All this reminds me of a student I encountered once who had written a program
to check whether infinity existed. He was incrementing and printing out a
counter in a continuous loop and sat looking at the screen enthusiastically.
Shame.


Colin
From: brumleve@gauss (Dan Brumleve)
Subject: Re: Would Pi repeat, were it expressed in a base other than 10?
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 04:12:46 GMT

bennett@math.ksu.edu (Andy Bennett) writes:

>werdna@cco.caltech.edu (Andrew Tong) writes:
>:Intuitively (not saying much, that is), I'd say yes, but that it would re-
>:quire a transcendental base....

>Of course, pi to the base pi is 1.000000000....

>:-)


Not to nitpick, but it's 10.00000.... ;-)


>-- 
>Andrew G. Bennett         bennett@math.ksu.edu         If you count too
>Dept. of Mathematics      Voice: (913) 532-6750        much you turn
>Kansas State University   Fax:   (913) 532-7004        purple.  -  SARAH
>Manhattan, KS 66502       STRICTLY MY OWN OPINIONS
From: v111qheg@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (P.VASILION)
Newsgroups: sci.math
Subject: need educational software
Date: 20 Dec 92 04:24:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41


	This is my first post to this group, so if this is the worng place for
this hit "n" now. I am looking for software for msdos or windows that teach
basic math for grades 2 to 7, with some concentration on word problems. Does
anyone know of any good programs ftp'able on nic.funet.fi, wuarchive, or the 
like? If you have something thats not available with FTP, please consider
E-mailing it. Any assistance would be appreciated. Many thanks, 

Peter Vasilion
v111qheg@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu
KB2NMV@KE2VW.#WNY.NY.USA.NA
Newsgroups: sci.math,rec.puzzles
From: jbaez@riesz.mit.edu (John C. Baez)
Subject: Re: Marilyn Vos Savant's error?
Keywords: savant
Organization: MIT Department of Mathematics, Cambridge, MA
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 92 05:58:32 GMT

I wrote:

1)  You draw 4 cards from a well-shuffled standard deck.  You turn one
over and it's an ace.  What's the probability that they are all aces?

2)   You draw 4 cards from a well-shuffled standard deck.  You turn one
over and it's the ace of hearts.  What's the probability that they are
all aces?

The answers to problems 1) and 2) are NOT THE SAME.
---

On second thought I would like to reword this problem.  It's a subtle
difference but I think that in dealing with these tricky probability
paradoxes it's important to be precise.  So, instead:

1)  You draw 4 cards from a well-shuffled standard deck.  Given that one
is an ace, what's the probability that they are all aces?

2)   You draw 4 cards from a well-shuffled standard deck.  Given that
one is the ace of hearts, what's the probability that they are
all aces?

The answers to problems 1) and 2) are NOT THE SAME.
Newsgroups: sci.math,rec.puzzles,alt.usage.english
From: k044477@hobbes.kzoo.edu (Jamie R. McCarthy)
Subject: Re: Naming Large Numbers (Re: Negative Zero)
Organization: Kalamazoo College
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 21:00:04 GMT

J.Theodore.Schuerzinger@dartmouth.edu (J. Theodore Schuerzinger) writes:
>clong@romulus.rutgers.edu (Chris Long) writes:
>
>> Eckler, R. "The Only Man Infinity Fears", _Word Ways_ Vol. 19,
>>   Num. 4 (Nov. 1986) p. 252-254
>> 
>>   The largest number given is millitwoillimillionillion, which
>>   can't be written down in standard notation.
>
>Why can't it be written down in standard notation?  Unless it's
>irrational or transcendental, one should be able to write it down.

This mathematical hypothesis of yours is as false as your
linguistic hypotheses.

I submit that one cannot write down, in scientific notation, the number
x, such that x is the integer component of pi times n, where n is
sufficiently large.  (Take n to be ten to the power of the number of
atoms in the universe, for instance.)
-- 
 Jamie McCarthy      Internet: k044477@kzoo.edu      AppleLink: j.mccarthy
 "Apple developers will still have access to System 7.1 through the
  monthly Developer CD series, but they may use it only for testing
  and development purposes."              - AppleDirect, Nov/Dec 92
Newsgroups: sci.math
From: sbardhan@uncc.edu (Soumendu Bardhan)
Subject: Re: Proper pronunciation of 'Kibo' IN BED
Summary: WHAT IS THE NUMBER? 
Reply-To: sbardhan@uncc.edu
Organization: University of NC at Charlotte
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 03:08:58 GMT

whose sum of the factorials of the digits is equal to the number itself.

(no programming please ! )

Xref: sparky sci.math:16831 sci.physics:21076 sci.bio:4555 sci.chem:5383 misc.education:5227
From: bhoughto@sedona.intel.com (Blair P. Houghton)
Newsgroups: sci.math,sci.physics,sci.bio,sci.chem,misc.education
Subject: Re: TIME HAS INERTIA - NewScientist Article
Date: 14 Dec 1992 04:41:02 GMT
Organization: Intel Corp., Chandler, Arizona
NNTP-Posting-Host: alfalfa.intel.com

In article <1992Dec13.195740.10476@galois.mit.edu> jbaez@riesz.mit.edu (John C. Baez) writes:
>Do they mention that I invented the crackpot index?  Probably not.  Yet
>another brilliant idea of mine leading to no tangible fame.  :-)
>Maybe I should write a letter to the editor.

Well, heck; I'm still waiting for the galleys of my
explanation of why Corky said that all of the remaining
sheathing stones were at the bottom of Khufu's pyramid and
not the top (it involves soliton waves and quantum
shlomodynamics and assumes that he really saw it that way
and wasn't just being his usual, ignorant self).

>Anyway, in answer to your question, most of the crackpot index stuff
>appeared on sci.physics, and all of the postings are apparently archived
>somewhere.  I don't know where and couldn't care in the least, since for
>the most part the idea of archiving newsgroups is like tape-recording
>all the conversations in an insane asylum.  

And throwing out those involving a doctor...

>I'll send you the official crackpot index.

Rather like having an official list of underground publications.

				--Blair
				  "I'm paid too well to be an NSA mole."
Newsgroups: sci.math
From: ilan@leland.Stanford.EDU (ilan vardi)
Subject: Re: TO ALL !!!
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 92 02:23:27 GMT

In article <1gtunkINN3h5@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> ak005@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Yona Webb) writes:
>
>*****************************************************************
>*                                                               *
>*         *                 M E R R Y                           *
>*        <^>                                                    *
>*        ***        CHRISTMAS   &   HANUKKAH                    *
>*       *****                                        *          *
>*      *******           HAPPY NEW YEAR      * * * * | * * * *  *
>*     *********           - 1 9 9 3 -        | | | | | | | | |  *
>*    ***********                              \|_|_|_|_|_|_|/   *
>*   *************      May all your dreams     ~~~~~\|/~~~~~    *
>*  ***************          come true                |          *
>* *****************                                 _|_         *
>*        ] [          Best wishes to all - Yona     ~~~         *
>*****************************************************************
>-- 

I think I speak for a sizable minority of this secular newsgroup when
I wonder why you feel the need to wish Jewish people a happy Hanukkah,
yet failed to do anything for Simcha Torah, Suchot (I don't know how
to spell these things), or any other myriad holidays that are more
important to actual Jewish people. Since you are obviously ignorant of
these things, Hannukkah is a post biblical holiday and so fails to
measure up to almost any other biblical holiday in terms of religious
significance. 
 Obviously, the answer to why you did this is that you think that Jews
and other non Christians are fairly unlucky not to be able to partake
in your own personal religious rite and feel slightly guilty about
wishing everyone a happy christmas since you realize that not everyone
likes having religions foisted on them. You have therefore sought a
Jewish analog in order to soothe that pang of insight.
  It seems that ignoring Christmas is a modern taboo. In particular,
the story of Scrooge and Christmas is often given as an example of
what happens to such people. Note that this story was written by
Charles Dickens, who included many antisemitic stereotypes in his
books.

-ilan
Newsgroups: sci.math
From: wdh@linus.mitre.org (Dale Hall)
Subject: Re: Difference between "show" and "prove"
Followup-To: sci.math
Summary: a frightening, yet comforting Revelation
Keywords: theorem, Elvis
Organization: Research Computer Facility, MITRE Corporation, Bedford, MA
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 23:02:49 GMT

In article <1992Dec14.203218.5588@u.washington.edu>
	mcfarlan@corona.math.washington.edu (Thomas J. McFarlane) writes: 
>In article <Bz9GAt.D5y@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>
	hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin) writes: 
>>In article <Bz7KyK.297@ulowell.ulowell.edu> cdeloge@cs.ulowell.edu
	(Carolyn Deloge) writes: 
>
>>>What is the difference between "show" and "prove"?
>
>>In mathematics, there is no difference.
>
>Moreover, "theorem" etymologically means "something to behold."
>So one should preferably "show" a theorem.
>

	I thought this etymology was delightful, and, as with most
	things delightful, I sought it out in the dictionary.  What I
	found was, to say the least, distressing (pay special
	attention to definition 4!):

	[extract from the Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary] 

	THEOREM \'the-e-rem, 'thi(-e)r-em\ n [LL theorema, fr. Gk.
	theorema, fr. theorein to look at, fr. theoros spectator, fr.
	thea act of seeing -- more at THEATER](1551) 1: a formula,
	proposition, or statement in mathematics or logic deduced or
	to be deduced from other formulas or propositions  2: an idea
	accepted or proposed as a demonstrable truth often as a part
	of a general theory : PROPOSITION <the ~ that the best defense
	is offense>  3: STENCIL  4: a painting produced esp. on velvet
	by the use of stencils for each color -- theorematic
	\the-e-re-'mat-ic, thi(-e)r-e-\ adj.

	Eep.

	I can only imagine endless Elvis theorems, or perhaps maybe a
	bullfighter or some buxom raven-haired beauty theorem.  It's
	enough to make you not want to admit to having done anything
	like a theorem, never mind how you've achieved it (i.e., by
	proving OR showing).

	I'm afraid to look up LEMMA now, for fear that it'll include
	cheap art glued to a plaque of wood and lacquered heavily.
	Footprints in the sand, indeed!  Or, the poker-playing dogs. 

						Dale.

	
Newsgroups: sci.math
From: west@symcom.math.uiuc.edu (Douglas West)
Subject: Re: Difference between "show" and "prove"
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 07:39:52 GMT

cdeloge@cs.ulowell.edu (Carolyn Deloge) writes:

>Hi, I am a CS graduate student and I have a question for the math people.
>What is the difference between "show" and "prove"?

Technically both mean the same thing, which one might also word as "demonstrate"
to bring the connotational gap.  The difference (for some people) is that use
of the word "show" instead of "prove" is intended as a suggestion that the proof
is not difficult.  I try always to use "prove" to avoid confusing students who
think that "show" does not mean "prove".  The possible gain in shades of
suggestion is not worth the arguments that result with students who think the
technical meaning is different.  Another point of view is that "show" is used
to make the business of "proving" seem less frightening.  If one is going to
ask students for proofs, I say be honest about it and tell them from the
beginning that that is what one wants, without the possibility of misleading
them.
From: eijkhout@cupid.cs.utk.edu (Victor Eijkhout)
Newsgroups: sci.math
Subject: Re: Factor 69 digit integer
Date: 11 Dec 92 17:49:36
Organization: /pearl/homes/eijkhout/.organization
NNTP-Posting-Host: cupid.cs.utk.edu
In-reply-to: weemba@sagi.wistar.upenn.edu's message of 11 Dec 92 15:52:47 GMT

In article <101618@netnews.upenn.edu> weemba@sagi.wistar.upenn.edu (Matthew P Wiener) writes:

   In article <1992Dec10.132040.1186@walter.cray.com>, slow@ferrari (David Slowinski) writes:
   >> Please help me.  I need the prime factors of 
   >>  132686104398972053177608575506090561429353935989033525802891469459697

   Looks like homework to me!

I didn't know Cray Computer gave their employees homework ...

Victor
Newsgroups: sci.math,sci.philosophy.tech
From: dseeman@novell.com (Daniel Seeman)
Newsgroups: sci.math,sci.physics,sci.bio,sci.chem,misc.education
Subject: Re: TIME HAS INERTIA - BASS JEALOUS AND INSECURE-ABIAN VALIDATED
Date: 14 Dec 92 19:23:26 GMT
Organization: Novell Inc., San Jose, Califonia

In article <abian.724200923@pv343f.vincent.iastate.edu> abian@iastate.edu (Alexander Abian) writes:
>FLAGRANT MANIFESTATION OF JEALOUSY AND INSECURITY BY C.R. BASS 
>PATHETIC METHODS FOR GAINING A FEELING OF SECURITY. BASS  PROVES (A3) 
>
>In <1992Dec12.195654.7419@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> crb7q@kelvin.seas.Virginia.EDU (Cameron Randale Bass) writes:
>
>>In article <1992Dec11.024139.12143@dmp.csiro.au> lachlan@dmp.csiro.au (Lachlan Cranswick) writes:
>
>>>
>>>I just read this weeks New Scientist.  In the Feedback
>>>section on the second last page they mention this TIME
>>>HAS INERTIA thing on the Internet but also mention
>>>there is now a scale called the CRACKPOT INDEX.
>
>>     Just what we need, validation for Abian.  Why couldn't
>>     the mention have appeared in the American Journal of 
>>     Psychiatry?
>
>>     Of course, that would probably have been validation too.
>>                                      C.R.Bass
>
>    TIME HAS INERTIA is validated - C.R. Bass is discredited as a
>jealous, putting down envious person who gets his feeling of security
>by most pathetic means of eminating arrows of hate, sarcasm, enmity,
>hostility and antipathy.  
>    
Look who's calling the kettle black!


>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>-- 
>   The tendency of maintaining the status-quo, Reaction to provocation and
>                The tendency of maintaining again a status-quo.  
>    TIME HAS INERTIA  and some energy is lost to move Time forward  
>  E = mcc  (Einstein)    must be replaced by    E = m(0) exp(-At) (Abian)
Newsgroups: sci.math