5 ms·

My favorite story about the Fourier Transform is that Carl Friedrich Gauss stumbled upon the algorithm for the Fast Fourier Algorthim over a century before Cool

My favorite story about the Fourier Transform is that Carl Friedrich Gauss stumbled upon the algorithm for the Fast Fourier Algorthim over a century before Cooley and Tukey’s publication in 1965 (which itself revolutionized digital signal processing).[1] He was apparently studying the motion of the asteroids Pallas and Juno and wrote the algorithm down in his notes but it never made it into public knowledge. [1] https://www.cis.rit.edu/class/simg716/Gauss_History_FFT.pdf https://www.cis.rit.edu/class/simg716/Gauss_History_FFT.pdf

pastrami_panda 9mo ago
Gauss's notes and margins is riddled with proofs he didn't bother to publish - he was wild. Not sure if true, but allegedy he insisted his son not go into maths, as he would simply end up in his father's shadow as he deemed it utterly Impossible to surpass his brilliance in maths :'D
- cogman10 9mo ago
  > as he would simply end up in his father's shadow as he deemed it utterly Impossible to surpass his brilliance in maths Definitely true but also bad parenting. Gauss was somewhat of a freak of nature when it came to math. Him and Euler are two of the most unreasonably productive mathematicians of all time.
  - ggm 9mo ago
    But what he deemed being posited as true, was this really bad parenting? It could be to head off competition or it could be brutal realism to head off future depression. Nepotism existed since time immemorial but for a mathematical genius, what was the nepotistic deliverable for the child? A sinecure placement at university?
    - refulgentis 9mo ago
      It’s unusual to tell others not to do something because you’re projecting they’re secretly doing it to compete with you, or that they’ll be depressed when they don’t do what you did. Doubly so when the rationale is “I’m so fucking awesome” Triply so when it’s something you’re passionate about, presumably inherently. Quadruply so when it’s your child. Its tough as a kid hearing your parents come up with elongated excuses why you can’t dream and work towards a future. When you let people find their own way, you might even learn something from it (ex. 70 yo Gauss learns he didn’t need to tie his mental state to his work because his son doesn’t suddenly become depressed from not matching dads output) Re: second half, sounds about right, confused at relevancy though (is the idea the child would only do it to pursue nepotistic spoils and an additional reason is the spoils aren’t even good?)
      - ggm 9mo ago
        I posit Gauss knew he was a GOAT and had ego. But I also posit he loved his children. So, a nepotistic delivery was beneficial for his family, and advising his son to seek excellence outside the shadow cast by Gauss himself wasn't stamping on dreams (in my view) it was seeking the happiest outcome. Without overdoing it, the suicide rate for rich kids with famous parents isn't nothing. There are positive examples, Stella McCartney comes to mind. She isn't wings.
        ambicapter 9mo ago
        What does "She isn't wings" mean?
        refulgentis 9mo ago
        Paul McCartney started a band called Wings and she was also in it. I think the idea is "she received nepotistic spoils, lived in the shadow of dad even in his backup projects that 0.01% of people who know the Beatles even recognize." (This elides a very successful career as a fashion designer, as well as the awkward question of what _would_ have guaranteed her more “success”, as well as a lack of understanding of how you feel after grand success you were chasing for it’s own sake (empty))
    - ambicapter 9mo ago
      > But what he deemed being posited as true Implicit in the "correctness" of this motive is the idea that unless you're #1 in your field, you are nothing (depression implies strong feelings of worthlessness). I don't know if you think that's a great lesson to teach your kids as a parent, but I don't.
      - ggm 9mo ago
        A valid point. I might add I followed my dad into the field and my son followed me into the field and both academically and in capability he exceeds my ability. I'm enormously proud of him, and I did not seek to prevent him following his heart into the field beyond noting there are other dreams to follow worth considering. I did seek to persuade him not to become a chef, it's a really hard, stressful life. I totally did not exceed my dads abilities: as one of the 1950s computing pioneers who build some of the first machines in the UK, founded a department of computer science and did work in IFIP, and the BCS, this was always going to be hard.
    - PunchyHamster 9mo ago
      Not wanting your child to be permanently compared to you for their entire career is entirely understandable
- deleted 9mo ago
  [deleted]
aquafox 9mo ago
There is a saying about Gauss: when another mathematician came to show him a new result, Gauss would remark that he had already worked on it, open a drawer in his desk, and pull out a pile of papers on the same topic.
- libraryofbabel 9mo ago
  One of the things I admire about many top mathematicians today like Terence Tao is that they are clearly excellent mentors to a long list of smart graduate students and are able to advance mathematics through their students as well as on their own. You can imagine a half-formed thought Terence Tao has while driving to work becoming a whole dissertation or series of papers if he throws it to the right person to work on. In contrast, Gauss disliked teaching and also tended to hoard those good ideas until he could go through all the details and publish them in the way he wanted. Which is a little silly, as after a while he was already widely considered the best mathematician in the world and had no need to prove anything to anyone - why not share those half-finished good ideas like Fast Fourier Transforms and let others work on them! One of the best mathematicians who ever lived, but definitely not my favorite role model for how to work.
  - rcxdude 9mo ago
    Well, in that time it was more or less how mathematics worked. It was a way of showing off, and often it would be a case of "Hey I've solved this problem, bet no-one else can". It was only later it became a lot more collaborative (and a bit more focused on publishing proofs).
    - libraryofbabel 9mo ago
      You're correct that the culture of mathematics has changed a lot, and has become much more collaborative. The rise of the modern doctoral training system in Germany later in the 19th century is also relevant. So really Gauss's example points primarily to how much mathematics has changed. But at the same time, I think you could reasonably take Gauss to task even applying the standards of his own era - compare him with Euler, for example, who was much more open with publication and generous with his time and insights, frequently responding to letters from random people asking him mathematical questions, rather like Tao responding to random comments on his blog (which he does). I admire Euler more, and he was born 70 years before Gauss. Of course, irascible brilliance and eccentricity has an honorable place in mathematics too - I don't want to exclude anyone. (Think Grigori Perelman and any number of other examples!)
brcmthrowaway 9mo ago
How was Gauss so productive with 6 children?
- deepfriedchokes 9mo ago
  Probably sexual division of labor.
  - obezyian 9mo ago
    Behind every successful man, ...
- kridsdale1 9mo ago
  Chutzpah.
- deleted 9mo ago
  [deleted]
- wolfi1 9mo ago
  no TV
  - pantalaimon 9mo ago
    Nor Internet
- defrost 9mo ago
  I'd hazard by not dealing with them until they'd been schooled enough to operate as computers and GI (general intelligence) assistants. There's a spread of farmers, railroad and telegraph directors, high level practical infomation management skills in the children.
- kowbell 9mo ago
  That's 30 more fingers he could count with.
  - 9mo ago
hahahahhaah 9mo ago
Gauss is gonna Gauss.
njarboe 9mo ago
When I interned at Chevron someone said they (or some other oil company) were using Fourier transforms in the 1950's for seismic analysis but kept it a secret for obvious reasons. I think you couldn't (can't?) patent math equations.

pastrami_panda 9mo ago

Gauss's notes and margins is riddled with proofs he didn't bother to publish - he was wild. Not sure if true, but allegedy he insisted his son not go into maths, as he would simply end up in his father's shadow as he deemed it utterly Impossible to surpass his brilliance in maths :'D

cogman10 9mo ago
> as he would simply end up in his father's shadow as he deemed it utterly Impossible to surpass his brilliance in maths Definitely true but also bad parenting. Gauss was somewhat of a freak of nature when it came to math. Him and Euler are two of the most unreasonably productive mathematicians of all time.
- ggm 9mo ago
  But what he deemed being posited as true, was this really bad parenting? It could be to head off competition or it could be brutal realism to head off future depression. Nepotism existed since time immemorial but for a mathematical genius, what was the nepotistic deliverable for the child? A sinecure placement at university?
  - refulgentis 9mo ago
    It’s unusual to tell others not to do something because you’re projecting they’re secretly doing it to compete with you, or that they’ll be depressed when they don’t do what you did. Doubly so when the rationale is “I’m so fucking awesome” Triply so when it’s something you’re passionate about, presumably inherently. Quadruply so when it’s your child. Its tough as a kid hearing your parents come up with elongated excuses why you can’t dream and work towards a future. When you let people find their own way, you might even learn something from it (ex. 70 yo Gauss learns he didn’t need to tie his mental state to his work because his son doesn’t suddenly become depressed from not matching dads output) Re: second half, sounds about right, confused at relevancy though (is the idea the child would only do it to pursue nepotistic spoils and an additional reason is the spoils aren’t even good?)
    - ggm 9mo ago
      I posit Gauss knew he was a GOAT and had ego. But I also posit he loved his children. So, a nepotistic delivery was beneficial for his family, and advising his son to seek excellence outside the shadow cast by Gauss himself wasn't stamping on dreams (in my view) it was seeking the happiest outcome. Without overdoing it, the suicide rate for rich kids with famous parents isn't nothing. There are positive examples, Stella McCartney comes to mind. She isn't wings.
      - ambicapter 9mo ago
        What does "She isn't wings" mean?
        refulgentis 9mo ago
        Paul McCartney started a band called Wings and she was also in it. I think the idea is "she received nepotistic spoils, lived in the shadow of dad even in his backup projects that 0.01% of people who know the Beatles even recognize." (This elides a very successful career as a fashion designer, as well as the awkward question of what _would_ have guaranteed her more “success”, as well as a lack of understanding of how you feel after grand success you were chasing for it’s own sake (empty))
  - ambicapter 9mo ago
    > But what he deemed being posited as true Implicit in the "correctness" of this motive is the idea that unless you're #1 in your field, you are nothing (depression implies strong feelings of worthlessness). I don't know if you think that's a great lesson to teach your kids as a parent, but I don't.
    - ggm 9mo ago
      A valid point. I might add I followed my dad into the field and my son followed me into the field and both academically and in capability he exceeds my ability. I'm enormously proud of him, and I did not seek to prevent him following his heart into the field beyond noting there are other dreams to follow worth considering. I did seek to persuade him not to become a chef, it's a really hard, stressful life. I totally did not exceed my dads abilities: as one of the 1950s computing pioneers who build some of the first machines in the UK, founded a department of computer science and did work in IFIP, and the BCS, this was always going to be hard.
  - PunchyHamster 9mo ago
    Not wanting your child to be permanently compared to you for their entire career is entirely understandable
deleted 9mo ago
[deleted]

aquafox 9mo ago

There is a saying about Gauss: when another mathematician came to show him a new result, Gauss would remark that he had already worked on it, open a drawer in his desk, and pull out a pile of papers on the same topic.

libraryofbabel 9mo ago
One of the things I admire about many top mathematicians today like Terence Tao is that they are clearly excellent mentors to a long list of smart graduate students and are able to advance mathematics through their students as well as on their own. You can imagine a half-formed thought Terence Tao has while driving to work becoming a whole dissertation or series of papers if he throws it to the right person to work on. In contrast, Gauss disliked teaching and also tended to hoard those good ideas until he could go through all the details and publish them in the way he wanted. Which is a little silly, as after a while he was already widely considered the best mathematician in the world and had no need to prove anything to anyone - why not share those half-finished good ideas like Fast Fourier Transforms and let others work on them! One of the best mathematicians who ever lived, but definitely not my favorite role model for how to work.
- rcxdude 9mo ago
  Well, in that time it was more or less how mathematics worked. It was a way of showing off, and often it would be a case of "Hey I've solved this problem, bet no-one else can". It was only later it became a lot more collaborative (and a bit more focused on publishing proofs).
  - libraryofbabel 9mo ago
    You're correct that the culture of mathematics has changed a lot, and has become much more collaborative. The rise of the modern doctoral training system in Germany later in the 19th century is also relevant. So really Gauss's example points primarily to how much mathematics has changed. But at the same time, I think you could reasonably take Gauss to task even applying the standards of his own era - compare him with Euler, for example, who was much more open with publication and generous with his time and insights, frequently responding to letters from random people asking him mathematical questions, rather like Tao responding to random comments on his blog (which he does). I admire Euler more, and he was born 70 years before Gauss. Of course, irascible brilliance and eccentricity has an honorable place in mathematics too - I don't want to exclude anyone. (Think Grigori Perelman and any number of other examples!)

brcmthrowaway 9mo ago

How was Gauss so productive with 6 children?

deepfriedchokes 9mo ago
Probably sexual division of labor.
- obezyian 9mo ago
  Behind every successful man, ...
kridsdale1 9mo ago
Chutzpah.
deleted 9mo ago
[deleted]
wolfi1 9mo ago
no TV
- pantalaimon 9mo ago
  Nor Internet
defrost 9mo ago
I'd hazard by not dealing with them until they'd been schooled enough to operate as computers and GI (general intelligence) assistants. There's a spread of farmers, railroad and telegraph directors, high level practical infomation management skills in the children.
kowbell 9mo ago
That's 30 more fingers he could count with.
- 9mo ago

hahahahhaah 9mo ago

Gauss is gonna Gauss.

njarboe 9mo ago

When I interned at Chevron someone said they (or some other oil company) were using Fourier transforms in the 1950's for seismic analysis but kept it a secret for obvious reasons. I think you couldn't (can't?) patent math equations.