Subject: [HM] Boyer's Law
From: Antreas P. Hatzipolakis (xpolakis@otenet.gr)
Date: Sat Mar 25 2000 - 21:18:47 EST
Julio quoted:
"Mathematical formulas and theorems are usually
not named after their original discoverers."
Barry Cipra asked:
> I'll ask the obvious question: Who is the original discover of
> Boyer's Law?
------------------
Subject: Re: Boyer's Theorem
From: David Kullman <kullmade@CASMAIL.MUOHIO.EDU>
Barnabas Hughes reminded us of "Boyer's Theorem" in the history of
mathematics. It appears on page 469 of his History of Mathematics
[1968]. After discussing the anticipation of the so-called Maclaurin's
series by earlier workers, Boyer observed, "Clio, the muse of history,
often is fickle in the matter of attaching names to theorems!"
It was H.C. Kennedy who first called this "Boyer's Law: Mathematical
formulas and theorems are usually not named after their original
discoverers." Amer. Math. Monthly, 79:1 (1972), 66-67. Kennedy also
noted that "this is probably a rare instance of a law whose statement
confirms its own validity."
------------------
Antreas
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b28 : Sat Mar 25 2000 - 23:59:17 EST