Comments | krasnoludek: This post brought to you by the number 17

krasnoludek

This post brought to you by the number 17

Jan 19, 2007 15:11

A couple of weeks ago I read this mathematically-related post (and it's precedents) on Language Log. I had never heard of the special role of 17 among mathematicians, but the little explanation that 17 is the first "random" number made sense (at least, common sense). But the thing that struck me was that I hadn't encountered any professors who use ( Read more... )

math, academia

Comments 8

kangaguru January 20 2007, 00:23:21 UTC

17 has always been my favorite prime. Something about it is just...warm and inviting.

starfirerapture January 20 2007, 06:02:53 UTC

It's been my favorite number for like... 17 years. But it was because I was born on the 17th, and I feel I identify with it... or something.

(The comment has been removed)

eigenvalue January 20 2007, 05:46:02 UTC

Math 300 is a course for first-time TAs, but she is teaching a topics course on chainlets this semester as well.

krasnoludek January 20 2007, 06:22:51 UTC

She seems like a really great teacher. Unfortunately the course is only to help out new GSIs (=TAs) become better instructors, so there's not much math discussed.

I had never heard of chainlets. Maybe it would be worthwhile to stop in for at least one of her lectures. Out of curiosity, I tried to find chainlet on wikipedia, but instead found Harrison's wiki page, which says that she spent a significant amount of time at IAS and Princeton. That explains where she got 17 from.

krasnoludek January 20 2007, 06:17:09 UTC

I really must have been exhausted when I wrote the post because the omissions and typos were particularly pad. Now they're fixed.

17 rocks! ajawa_took January 20 2007, 12:29:28 UTC

a (large) number of reasons why 17 is cool: http://www.vinc17.org/d17_eng.pdf

dude!, have you not noticed my insistence on 17 in every talk i give, and, for a semester or two, Tom's determination to replace it with 19, or 23, or 5, or anything that isn't 17, in seminar?

or, if you prefer, http://www.vinc17.org/d17_fra.pdf.

Re: 17 rocks! krasnoludek January 20 2007, 18:53:43 UTC

i hadn't noticed your insistence and if Tom's only been trying to undermine it for a semester, then I wouldn't have been around to notice.

Re: 17 rocks! easwaran January 20 2007, 21:52:07 UTC

But, as I pointed out to ajawa_took when I read those language log posts, her insistence is directly traceable to people mentioned in those posts, through the guy who runs Hampshire summer math camp, or whatever it's called.