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81 " And it helped that he forgot what he’d taught me before, so I was free to repeat the same question until I "
― Yōko Ogawa , The Housekeeper and the Professor
82 " A problem has a rhythm of its own, just like a piece of music," the professor said. "Once you get the rhythm, you get the sense of the problem as a whole, and you can see where the traps might be waiting. "
83 " The gentle patter of the rain was punctuated by the scratching of pencil on paper. "
84 " and he seemed convinced that children’s questions were much more important than those of an adult. He preferred smart questions to smart answers. "
85 " he had discovered the natural connection between numbers that seemed completely unrelated. "
86 " Life isn't going to be easier, nor is anyone going to make a fortune, just because they know something about prime numbers. "
87 " No era una vergüenza el no saber, sino solo una señal que podía llevar hacia una nueva verdad. "
88 " The mathematical order is beautiful precisely because it has no effect on the real world. Life isn't going to be easier, nor is anyone going to make a fortune, just because they know something about prime numbers. Of course, lots of mathematical discoveries have practical applications, no matter how esoteric they may seem. Research on ellipses made it possible to determine the orbits of the planets, and Einstein used non-Euclidean geometry to describe the form of the universe. Even prime numbers were used during the war to create codes—to cite a regrettable example. But those things aren't the goal of mathematics. The only goal is to discover the truth. "
89 " He treated Root exactly as he treated prime numbers. For him, primes were the base on which all other natural numbers relied; and children were the foundation of everything worthwhile in the adult world. "
90 " children were the foundation of everything worthwhile in the adult world. "
91 " The truly correct proof is one that strikes a harmonious balance between strength and flexibility. There are plenty of proofs that are technically correct but are messy and inelegant or counterintuitive. But it’s not something you can put into words—explaining why a formula is beautiful is like trying to explain why the stars are beautiful. "
92 " In the midst of a vast field of numbers, a straight path opened before my eyes. "
93 " At first, I was conscious of wanting to please the Professor, but gradually that feeling faded and I realized it had become a battle between the problem and me. "
94 " No one gets the best spot all the time—they have to compromise. "
95 " So you think that zero was there waiting for us when humans came into being, like the flowers and the stars? You should have more respect for human progress. We made the zero, through great pain and struggle. "
96 " That’s right! The sum of the factors of 220 is 284, and the sum of the factors of 284 is 220. They’re called ‘amicable numbers,’ and they’re extremely rare. "
97 " Eternal truths are ultimately invisible, and you won't find them in material things or natural phenomenon, or even in human emotions. "
98 " Giáo sư coi Căn như số nguyên tố. Ông cho rằng trẻ con là những nguyên tử vô cùng cần thiết với những người lớn như chúng tôi, tựa như số nguyên tố là nhân tố cấu thành mọi số tự nhiên khác. Ông tin rằng bản thân mình tồn tại đượclà nhờ những đứa trẻ. "
99 " To me, the appeal of prime numbers had something to do with the fact that you could never predict when one would appear. They seemed to be scattered along the number line at any place that took their fancy. "
100 " Lo que yo puedo hacer no es sino insignificante. Si puedo hacerlo yo, cualquiera puede hacerlo. "