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Quote by Stephen Smale

“An announcement of [Christopher] Zeeman's lecture at Northwestern University in the spring of 1977 contains a quote describing catastrophe theory as the most important development in mathematics since the invention of calculus 300 years ago.”

Quote by Stephen Smale

Work

The Collected Papers of Stephen Smale

This collection includes a wide range of Smale's influential works in mathematics, showcasing his contributions to various fields such as topology, dynamical systems, and the theory of computation. more

Author

Stephen Smale
Stephen Smale

Stephen Smale is an American mathematician of Chinese descent, born on July 15, 1930. He has made significant contributions to the field of mathematics, particularly in differential geometry, topology, and computational mathematics. more

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“It is probably no exaggeration to suppose that in order to improve such an organ as the eye at all, it must be improved in ten different ways at once. And the improbability of any complex organ being produced and brought to perfection in any such way is an improbability of the same kind and degree as that of producing a poem or a mathematical demonstration by throwing letters at random on a table.”

“Lagrange, in one of the later years of his life, imagined that he had overcome the difficulty (of the parallel axiom). He went so far as to write a paper, which he took with him to the Institute, and began to read it. But in the first paragraph something struck him that he had not observed: he muttered: 'Il faut que j'y songe encore', and put the paper in his pocket.' [I must think about it again]”