3 ms·

>"All mathematics is divided into three parts: cryptography (paid for by CIA, KGB and the like), hydrodynamics (supported by manufacturers of atomic submarines)

>"All mathematics is divided into three parts: cryptography (paid for by CIA, KGB and the like), hydrodynamics (supported by manufacturers of atomic submarines) and celestial mechanics (financed by military and by other institutions dealing with missiles, such as NASA.). This seems like an odd classification or backwards. The mathematics existed, long before humans existed. Humans simply _discovered_ it when studying some of the disciplines mentioned above. The statement "all mathematics is divided into cryptography, hydrodynamics, and celestial mechanics" seems untrue. I'd personally disagree that for example, topology can be entirely attributed to celestial mechanics, scientific computing to hydrodynamics, algebra to cryptography, etc. Also, it seems fair to call Arnold a greater mathematician than Hardy, rather than just "arguably" so based on their direct work. Hardy's greatest contribution to mathematics was discovering and nurturing Ramanujan, who was a top 10 mathematical talent of all time.

jjtheblunt 7y ago
I wonder if he was alluding to Caesar asserting "All Gaul is divided into three parts:..." (albeit in Latin).
cma 7y ago
Pretty sure it was intentionally facetious.
enriquto 7y ago
> The statement "all mathematics is divided into cryptography, hydrodynamics, and celestial mechanics" seems untrue. He's obviously using an over-the-top generalization to be provocative and funny. I guess we are not supposed to understand these words literally. The adscription of topology to mechanics is not entirely casual in his case. He's essentially the father of topological methods in dynamics, and he proved (with Kolmogorov and Moser) the famous "KAM" theorem about the long term stability of the solar system with probability one. Notice that Hardy also uses exaggeration to state some of his finest claims, and he's probably a better writer than Arnold because he manages to do so without the reader noticing.
domnomnom 7y ago
>This seems like an odd classification or backwards. The mathematics existed, long before humans existed. Humans simply _discovered_ it when studying some of the disciplines mentioned above. Nope. When you get into real analysis you see that this is not true. It's hard to even get the Real Numbers down.

jjtheblunt 7y ago

I wonder if he was alluding to Caesar asserting "All Gaul is divided into three parts:..." (albeit in Latin).

cma 7y ago

Pretty sure it was intentionally facetious.

enriquto 7y ago

> The statement "all mathematics is divided into cryptography, hydrodynamics, and celestial mechanics" seems untrue. He's obviously using an over-the-top generalization to be provocative and funny. I guess we are not supposed to understand these words literally. The adscription of topology to mechanics is not entirely casual in his case. He's essentially the father of topological methods in dynamics, and he proved (with Kolmogorov and Moser) the famous "KAM" theorem about the long term stability of the solar system with probability one. Notice that Hardy also uses exaggeration to state some of his finest claims, and he's probably a better writer than Arnold because he manages to do so without the reader noticing.

domnomnom 7y ago

>This seems like an odd classification or backwards. The mathematics existed, long before humans existed. Humans simply _discovered_ it when studying some of the disciplines mentioned above. Nope. When you get into real analysis you see that this is not true. It's hard to even get the Real Numbers down.