Over the next couple of years I am going to study geometry more thoroughly. I have been reading a lot of quick-study guides such as Geometry Demystified. These books are too simple and don't get deeply into issues. Finally I just ordered Euclid's 13 books of The Elements.
On p. 1 of the introduction it tells an anecdote in which Euclid was asked by Ptolemy the king of Egypt for a brief course that would allow him to understand geometry more quickly than the hoi polloi. Euclid replied that there is no "royal road to geometry."
Saturday, October 06, 2007
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4 comments:
Is the idea clear here? Everyone must work hard to understand geometry. There are no shortcuts, is what Euclid is saying. Did that come through, and is this redundant?
The idea is clear...."royal road"!! Very funny!
WW
Yes, isn't it brilliant? This must be why the anecdote has persisted for 2500 years. It's also nice to tell the rich that there's something that they can't buy. They have to take the same road as everyone else. It really is funny.
I was thinking more along the lines of Freud's "royal road to the subconscious."
Very funny!
WW
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