>he actually first came to conjecture quadratic reciprocity after doing incredible amounts of calculation by hand and noticing the pattern. Indeed, this was Ga

>he actually first came to conjecture quadratic reciprocity after doing incredible amounts of calculation by hand and noticing the pattern. Indeed, this was Gauss's method for exploring the mathematical landscape; vast calculations were his "microscope" and "experimental apparatus". He had a passion for computation, which he applied later in his life fully in his astronomy work.