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John Allen Paulos

John Allen Paulos Biography

Professor of mathematics

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“How many pizzas are consumed each year in the United States? How many words have you spoken in your life? How many different peoples names appear in the New York Times each year? How many watermelons would fit inside the U.S. Capital building? What is the volume of all the human blood in the world?”

WorldYearsHumansDifferentStatesNamesUnitedUnited StatesBloodNew YorkBuildingFitLogicCertaintyUncertaintyReasoningVolumeDifferent PeoplesConsumedPizzaNew York TimesOntology
Author:John Allen Paulos
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“A German merchant of the fifteenth century asked an eminent professor where he should send his son for a good business education. The professor responded that German universities would be sufficient to teach the boy addition and subtraction but he would have to go to Italy to learn multiplication and division. Before you smile indulgently, try multiplying or even just adding the Roman numerals CCLXIV, MDCCCIX, DCL, and MLXXXI without first translating them.”

ShouldTryingFirstsWould BeBoysTeachCenturySonUniversitySufficientDivisionProfessorsTranslateMerchantsGood BusinessMultiplicationMultiplyingSubtractionNumeralsBusiness EducationRoman Numerals
Book:Beyond Numeracy
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“I used to be surprised and even depressed when I met someone I had admired and discovered him or her to be a jerk or, perhaps worse, rather common. Now I half expect this reaction and even find it a little reassuring, maybe even uplifting. Isn't it amazing that somebody like that could produce such and such.”

LittlesScienceUsedCommonHalfProduceMetsMathematicsReactionsUsed To BeUpliftingJerkReassuring
Book:A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper
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