Goodwin wasn’t going to let something trivial like the proven mathematical impossibility of his task deter his efforts, though. He persevered, and in 1894 he even convinced the upstart journal American Mathematical Monthly to print the proof in which he “solved” the squaring-the-circle problem.... One of the odd side effects of Goodwin’s machinations was that the value of pi morphed into 3.2.
He didn’t just publish his faulty method in journals; he copyrighted it.... The state could avoid paying royalties if and only if the legislature would accept and adopt this “new mathematical truth” as state law. Goodwin convinced Representative Taylor I. Record to introduce House Bill 246, which outlined both this bargain and the basics of his method.
Professor C.A. Waldo of Purdue University was in Indianapolis while the pi hoopla was unfolding, and after watching part of the debate at the statehouse he was so thoroughly horrified that he decided to intervene. After receiving Waldo’s coaching, the Senate realized that the new bill was a very, very bad idea. Senator Orrin Hubbel moved that a vote on the bill be postponed indefinitely, and Goodwin’s new math died a quiet legislative death. The Indiana legislature hasn’t tried to rewrite the basic principles of math in all the years since.
Consider the possibility that Indiana had voted to set pi exactly equal to 3.2. This is objectively false. Would it then really be "undemocratic" to call for a second vote after the legislators were properly informed ?
http://mentalfloss.com/article/30214/new-math-time-indiana-tried-change-pi-32
Second amendment made it to US Constitution, and it's obvious to a lot of people that it's wrong. They are having a really hard time trying to null that one.
ReplyDeleteRight now, you have the extension of the problem that brought us in this situation in the first place - the media behind right wing, and that's not an opponent to frown upon. They are already focused on the results of first referendum and its consequences, I'm afraid that turning the time backwards is not going to be possible in this instance. If I were to put money on second referendum happening - well, I wouldn't.
I'm not sure what's going to happen. At the rate the poll is going, it will almost certainly exceed 10% of the electorate in the next few days. It's pretty hard to ignore a call that strong, though of course we don't know how many people signing it were already pro-Remain and how many are Leavers who've changed their mind. Lots of reports lately about Leavers regretting what they did, but no hard numbers.
ReplyDeleteProbably the best hope for preventing Brexit is that Cameron decided to leave invoking Article 50 to his successor (which, if he did it, would very likely be the nail in Johnson's political coffin). That gives time for other options to present themselves.