Re: My Wikipedia experiment, prime counting

From: David McAnally (D.McAnally_at_i'm_a_gnu.uq.net.au)
Date: 02/07/05

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    Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2005 03:24:35 +0000 (UTC)

    glhansen@steel.ucs.indiana.edu (Gregory L. Hansen) writes:

    >In article <x54qgptnut.fsf@lola.goethe.zz>, David Kastrup <dak@gnu.org> wrote:
    >>"oðin" <oðin@ragnarok.com> writes:
    >>
    >>>> There are LOTS of amateur mathematicians. However, professional
    >>>> mathematicians claim that they don't do any research of note.
    >>>
    >>> I have never heard any professional mathematicians make the claim
    >>> that amateurs cannot do any good research. But lets face it, the
    >>> odds are against it. Amateur mathematicians typically do not have
    >>> the training and discipline to take modern math anywhere new and
    >>> exciting. If they did, why would they not turn professional?
    >>
    >>Because it would distract them from doing mathematics? You are aware
    >>that Erdős Pál, one of the greatest number theorists (and certainly
    >>one of the most prolific ones) of the last century, had basically no
    >>job and no home most of his productive life?
    >>
    >>Amateur vs. professional is not a really important distinction in
    >>mathematics. Knowledgable vs clueless is. And JSH is clueless, and
    >>proud of it.

    >I think that name isn't translating right. I'm using ISO 8859-1.

    He means Paul Erdos. I don't think that it is right to describe Paul
    Erdos as an amateur mathematician. Instead, he was a professional
    mathematician who had more opportunity to do mathematics than even other
    professionals do. This was because he was not tied down with the
    requirements of administration, so he was able to devote more time
    to mathematics as a result.

    >The big difference between amateurs and professionals is that amateurs
    >have to make time to do it, professionals have to make time to not do it.
    >So it really shouldn't be surprising if professionals produce more.
    >That's their day job, that guarantees they have a lot of time every day to
    >do math. And some days, if they don't want to do math, they can find
    >something else to do when they get home, but at work they're paid to do
    >math.

    >Mr. Pail (as it's been more or less rendered for me)

    It was Paul Erdos.

    >seems to have had
    >plenty of time, and was apparantly not easily distracted by butterflies
    >and television.

    David

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