10 January 2016

Sunday Reads



  • Larry Summers interview on the global economy. (TIE)
  • "I'm the biggest victim of intolerance." (Swarajya)
  • Can India, Pakistan ever be normal neighbours? (New IE)

Sunday Anecdote:

Ernst Eduard Kummer (1810-1893), a German algebraist, was rather poor at arithmetic. Whenever he had occasion to do simple arithmetic in class, he would get his students to help him. Once he had to find 7 x 9.  “Seven times nine,” he began, “Seven times nine is er – ah – ah – seven times nine is. . . .” 

“Sixty-one,” a student suggested.

Kummer wrote 61 on the board. 

“Sir,” said another student, “it should be sixty-nine.”  “Come, come, gentlemen, it can’t be both,” Kummer exclaimed. “It must be one or the other.”
  

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