The Mathematician Who Never Was

In summary, the conversation discusses the creation of a fake faculty member, Prof AH Neato, in the Physics department during college. This idea was inspired by the concept of N Bourbaki created by mathematicians in the 1930s. However, Bourbaki was a real person and not a fictional character like AH Neato. Bourbaki's impact on the language and structure of mathematics is significant and has divided the history of mathematics into a pre- and post-Bourbaki era. The book "The Artist and the Mathematician" delves deeper into the story of N. Bourbaki.
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TL;DR Summary
The story of Nicolas Bourbaki, a group of top mathematicians band together to form a highly influential anonymous group under the authorship of N Bourbaki
While in college, many decades ago we thought it would be fun to create a fake faculty member of the Physics department. His name was Prof AH Neato. It was coined from me always saying “Ah neato” when I saw something remarkable in our studies. One student put on a lab coat and some of those silly glasses with mustache and snozzola and another took a photo of him and AH Neat was born. We were on our way to creating a legend until we got bored after a couple of days and stopped as a result of college student apathy when work must be done homework or otherwise to succeed.

in the 1930’s some brilliant upcoming mathematicians came up with the same notion and N Bourbaki was created. But like all great ideas, someone thought of it before and so we were scooped by 40 years.

https://theconversation.com/nicolas-bourbaki-the-greatest-mathematician-who-never-was-122845
 
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You can partition the history of mathematics in a pre - and post Bourbaki era. The pre Bourbaki era possibly in ancient and post Euler. But Bourbaki was more than a mathematician who wasn't. They fundamentally changed the way we speak mathematics. Textbooks were written as essays until then, after them as collection of formulas. Of course cum grano salis. Bourbaki has brought system, structure and rigor into the language. We are nowadays so used to read ##G=\{\,g\in G\,|\,g^{-1}n^{-1}gn \in N \text{ for all }n\in N\,\}## instead of invariant subgroup. And proofs refer to Corollary 2.3.1 and not to as we saw in chapter two anymore.
 
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Interested in the story behind N. Bourbaki? Read "The Artist and the Mathematician - The Story of Nicholas Bourbaki, the Genius Mathematician Who Never Existed" By Amir D. Aczel.
 
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1. Who was "The Mathematician Who Never Was"?

"The Mathematician Who Never Was" refers to a hypothetical mathematician who is often used as an example in mathematical thought experiments or proofs. This person does not actually exist, but is instead a concept or idea used to illustrate a point.

2. Why is "The Mathematician Who Never Was" important in mathematics?

This concept is important because it allows mathematicians to explore and explain complex ideas or theories without being constrained by real-world limitations. By using a hypothetical mathematician, they can focus solely on the mathematical concepts and principles at hand.

3. Is "The Mathematician Who Never Was" based on a real person?

No, this concept is purely hypothetical and not based on any real person. It is simply a tool used in mathematics to aid in understanding and explaining concepts.

4. How is "The Mathematician Who Never Was" used in mathematical proofs?

In mathematical proofs, "The Mathematician Who Never Was" may be used as a placeholder or variable to represent an unknown quantity or concept. This allows mathematicians to generalize their proofs and apply them to a wider range of scenarios.

5. Can "The Mathematician Who Never Was" be applied to other fields of study?

While this concept is primarily used in mathematics, it can also be applied to other fields of study, such as philosophy or logic. The idea of a hypothetical entity or situation can be useful in exploring and understanding complex ideas in various disciplines.

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