2 ms·
archive.org! My copy was on the bookshelf next to the computer. (-: On the subject of memory: The section on pi has two mistakes, alas, which I found to be p
by JdeBP 6y ago
archive.org! My copy was on the bookshelf next to the computer. (-:
On the subject of memory: The section on pi has two mistakes, alas, which I found to be particularly unfortunate. One of the mnemonic poems has a misprint "never more" instead of "nevermore", leading to a knock-on error in the digits beneath it, and there's a second error in the digits where the word "passed" in the poem is counted incorrectly as 5 letters.
Unfortunately, that's what I first memorized pi from. I had to re-learn the correct decimal expansion.
As for the 66th puzzle, there's a clear inspiration for slipping that sort of question in and seeing if anyone who doesn't know better actually comes up with an answer. It's interesting to note that some of the items have indeed been answered since 1985. I wonder whether M. Devi had heard Robert Schuller's tale, which was in wide circulation by 1983.
* https://snopes.com/fact-check/the-unsolvable-math-problem/ https://snopes.com/fact-check/the-unsolvable-math-problem/
- prashnts 6y agoCompletely agree. This is the "formal training required" part that we miss while recounting these anecdotes. I still love the book, as in, It's giving you a sea to dip a little, look at pretty cool turtles, but one's gotta take a deep dive once in a while. Thankfully I was never very good with numbers, so I only memorized it till the 6th digit so I could use it as my password! (thankfully I can let my computer fix those for me :) Better memory: "I used to think, hey I got sorta close to 10th digit, soon I'll know a lot more, yay!" Ah, Edit: The deep dive should be with someone to pick you back out, in my experience.