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#1 2006-10-24 16:22:18

Jai Ganesh
Administrator
Registered: 2005-06-28
Posts: 45,956

The mutilated Chessboard

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutilated_chessboard

Doesn't that show how rigid we mathematicans are with proofs?


It appears to me that if one wants to make progress in mathematics, one should study the masters and not the pupils. - Niels Henrik Abel.

Nothing is better than reading and gaining more and more knowledge - Stephen William Hawking.

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#2 2006-11-04 05:54:52

Patrick
Real Member
Registered: 2006-02-24
Posts: 1,005

Re: The mutilated Chessboard

I'm not sure why you think we're(mathematicians) are rigid based on that link, but it's an interresting way to solve the problem. I knew it beforehand though


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#3 2006-11-04 07:48:00

Ricky
Moderator
Registered: 2005-12-04
Posts: 3,791

Re: The mutilated Chessboard

I agree with ganesh.  A typical person would try a bunch of ways, and after a while, give up concluding that there is no way to do it.

Come to think of it, my geometry teacher gave us this problem the first day of class when I was a freshman in highschool.  Pretty cool problem.


"In the real world, this would be a problem.  But in mathematics, we can just define a place where this problem doesn't exist.  So we'll go ahead and do that now..."

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#4 2006-11-04 10:08:12

Patrick
Real Member
Registered: 2006-02-24
Posts: 1,005

Re: The mutilated Chessboard

How does this make mathematicians rigid though?


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#5 2006-11-07 02:13:04

Jai Ganesh
Administrator
Registered: 2005-06-28
Posts: 45,956

Re: The mutilated Chessboard

Acceptance of proofs. Mathematicians no way accept a proof unless it passes the test 100%. Not 99.99%, only 100%.


It appears to me that if one wants to make progress in mathematics, one should study the masters and not the pupils. - Niels Henrik Abel.

Nothing is better than reading and gaining more and more knowledge - Stephen William Hawking.

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