In the dark on the sunny side : a memoir of an out-of-sight mathematician

219 Pages·2012·1.337 MB·English

by  Baggett, Larry W

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In the Dark
on the Sunny Side
A Memoir of an Out-of-Sight Mathematician
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©2012bytheMathematicalAssociationofAmerica,Inc.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber2012947878
PrinteditionISBN:978-0-88385-581-2
ElectroniceditionISBN:978-1-61444-513-5
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
CurrentPrinting(lastdigit):
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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In the Dark
on the Sunny Side
A Memoir of an Out-of-Sight Mathematician
Larry Baggett
Professor Emeritus
University of Colorado
PublishedandDistributedby
TheMathematicalAssociationofAmerica
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CouncilonPublicationsandCommunications
FrankFarris,Chair
CommitteeonBooks
GeraldBryce,Chair
SpectrumEditorialBoard
GeraldL.Alexanderson,Co-Editor
JamesJ.Tattersall,Co-Editor
RobertE.Bradley SusannaS.Epp
RichardK.Guy KeithM.Kendig
ShawneeL.McMurran JeffreyL.Nunemacher
JeanJ.Pedersen KennethA.Ross
MarvinSchaefer FranklinF.Sheehan
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SPECTRUMSERIES
The Spectrum Series of theMathematical Associationof America was so
named to reflect its purpose: to publish a broad range of books includ-
ing biographies,accessible expositionsof old or new mathematical ideas,
reprints and revisions of excellent out-of-printbooks, popular works, and
other monographs of high interest that will appeal to a broad range of
readers,includingstudentsandteachersofmathematics,mathematicalam-
ateurs,andresearchers.
777MathematicalConversationStarters,byJohndePillis
99PointsofIntersection:Examples—Pictures—Proofs,byHansWalser.Translated
fromtheoriginalGermanbyPeterHiltonandJeanPedersen
AhaGotchaandAhaInsight,byMartinGardner
AlltheMathThat’sFittoPrint,byKeithDevlin
BeautifulMathematics,byMartinErickson
CalculusandItsOrigins,byDavidPerkins
CalculusGems:BriefLivesandMemorableMathematics,byGeorgeF.Simmons
CarlFriedrichGauss:TitanofScience,byG.WaldoDunnington,withadditional
materialbyJeremyGrayandFritz-EgbertDohse
TheChangingSpaceofGeometry,editedbyChrisPritchard
Circles:AMathematicalView,byDanPedoe
ComplexNumbersandGeometry,byLiang-shinHahn
Cryptology,byAlbrechtBeutelspacher
TheEarlyMathematicsofLeonhardEuler,byC.EdwardSandifer
TheEdgeoftheUniverse:Celebrating10YearsofMathHorizons,editedbyDeanna
HaunspergerandStephenKennedy
EulerandModernScience,editedbyN.N.Bogolyubov,G.K.Mikhailov,andA.P.
Yushkevich.TranslatedfromRussianbyRobertBurns.
Eulerat300:AnAppreciation,editedbyRobertE.Bradley,LawrenceA.D’Antonio,
andC.EdwardSandifer
ExpeditionsinMathematics,editedbyTatianaShubin,DavidF.Hayes,andGerald
L.Alexanderson
FiveHundredMathematicalChallenges,byEdwardJ.Barbeau,MurrayS.Klamkin,
andWilliamO.J.Moser
TheGeniusofEuler:ReflectionsonhisLifeandWork,editedbyWilliamDunham
TheGoldenSection,byHansWalser.TranslatedfromtheoriginalGermanbyPeter
Hilton,withtheassistanceofJeanPedersen.
TheHarmonyoftheWorld:75YearsofMathematicsMagazine,editedbyGeraldL.
AlexandersonwiththeassistanceofPeterRoss
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AHistorianLooksBack:TheCalculusasAlgebraandSelectedWritings,byJudith
Grabiner
History of Mathematics: Highways and Byways,by Amy Dahan-Dalme´dico and
JeannePeiffer,translatedbySanfordSegal
HowEulerDidIt,byC.EdwardSandifer
In the Darkonthe SunnySide: A Memoir of an Out-of-Sight Mathematician,by
LarryBaggett
IsMathematicsInevitable?AMiscellany,editedbyUnderwoodDudley
IWanttoBeaMathematician,byPaulR.Halmos
JourneyintoGeometries,byMartaSved
JULIA:alifeinmathematics,byConstanceReid
TheLighterSideofMathematics:ProceedingsoftheEuge`neStrensMemorialCon-
ferenceonRecreationalMathematics&Its History,editedbyRichardK.Guy
andRobertE.Woodrow
LureoftheIntegers,byJoeRoberts
MagicNumbersoftheProfessor,byOwenO’SheaandUnderwoodDudley
MagicTricks,CardShuffling,andDynamicComputerMemories:TheMathematics
ofthePerfectShuffle,byS.BrentMorris
MartinGardner’sMathematicalGames:TheentirecollectionofhisScientificAmer-
icancolumns
TheMathChatBook,byFrankMorgan
MathematicalAdventuresforStudentsandAmateurs,editedbyDavid Hayesand
TatianaShubin.WiththeassistanceofGeraldL.AlexandersonandPeterRoss
MathematicalApocrypha,byStevenG.Krantz
MathematicalApocryphaRedux,byStevenG.Krantz
MathematicalCarnival,byMartinGardner
Mathematical Circles Vol I: In Mathematical Circles Quadrants I, II, III, IV, by
HowardW.Eves
MathematicalCirclesVolII:MathematicalCirclesRevisitedandMathematicalCir-
clesSquared,byHowardW.Eves
MathematicalCirclesVolIII:MathematicalCirclesAdieuandReturntoMathemat-
icalCircles,byHowardW.Eves
MathematicalCircus,byMartinGardner
MathematicalCranks,byUnderwoodDudley
MathematicalEvolutions,editedbyAbeShenitzerandJohnStillwell
MathematicalFallacies,Flaws,andFlimflam,byEdwardJ.Barbeau
MathematicalMagicShow,byMartinGardner
MathematicalReminiscences,byHowardEves
MathematicalTreks:FromSurrealNumberstoMagicCircles,byIvarsPeterson
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AMathematicianComesofAge,byStevenG.Krantz
Mathematics:QueenandServantofScience,byE.T.Bell
MathematicsinHistoricalContext,,byJeffSuzuki
MemorabiliaMathematica,byRobertEdouardMoritz
Musings of the Masters: An Anthology of Mathematical Reflections, edited by
RaymondG.Ayoub
NewMathematicalDiversions,byMartinGardner
Non-EuclideanGeometry,byH.S.M.Coxeter
NumericalMethodsThatWork,byFormanActon
NumerologyorWhatPythagorasWrought,byUnderwoodDudley
OutoftheMouthsofMathematicians,byRosemarySchmalz
Penrose Tiles to Trapdoor Ciphers ...and the Return of Dr. Matrix, by Martin
Gardner
Polyominoes,byGeorgeMartin
PowerPlay,byEdwardJ.Barbeau
ProofandOtherDilemmas:MathematicsandPhilosophy,editedbyBonnieGold
andRogerSimons
TheRandomWalksofGeorgePo´lya,byGeraldL.Alexanderson
RemarkableMathematicians,fromEulertovonNeumann,byIoanJames
TheSearchforE.T.Bell,alsoknownasJohnTaine,byConstanceReid
ShapingSpace,editedbyMarjorieSenechalandGeorgeFleck
SherlockHolmesin BabylonandOther Talesof MathematicalHistory,editedby
MarlowAnderson,VictorKatz,andRobinWilson
Sophie’sDiary,SecondEdition,byDoraMusielak
StudentResearchProjectsinCalculus,byMarcusCohen,ArthurKnoebel,Edward
D.Gaughan,DouglasS.Kurtz,andDavidPengelley
Symmetry,byHansWalser.Translatedfrom theoriginal GermanbyPeter Hilton,
withtheassistanceofJeanPedersen.
TheTrisectors,byUnderwoodDudley
TwentyYearsBeforetheBlackboard,byMichaelStuebenwithDianeSandford
Who GaveYouthe Epsilon?andOther Talesof Mathematical History,edited by
MarlowAnderson,VictorKatz,andRobinWilson
TheWordsofMathematics,byStevenSchwartzman
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Contents
Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1 UncleAl’sTruss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2 AQuantumMoment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3 LouisandtheProblemofSixty-Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Sidebar:CountingDominoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4 ACaneMutiny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Sidebar:StepsforCaningChairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
5 PinocchioBecomesaRealBoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
6 AuntMildredandtheCircleofFifths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Sidebar:TheCommaofPythagoras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
7 ScarletRibbons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
8 DauntlessCourage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Sidebar:DefinitionoftheLimitofaSequence . . . . . . . . . 115
9 TheAgeofEnlightenment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Sidebar:MathematicalInduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
10 Baggettv.Bullitt,andAllThatJazz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Sidebar:DesigningChords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Sidebar:MorefromPythagoras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
11 PublishorPerish,MyBestWork. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
12 TheRenaissance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
13 “SoHow’dThatAllWorkOutforYou?” . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Author’sNotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
ix
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