Comments on: Misnomers http://unimodular.net/blog/?p=51 ecstatic over numbers Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:29:51 +0800 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: tpc http://unimodular.net/blog/?p=51&cpage=1#comment-28422 tpc Fri, 06 Jul 2012 00:12:47 +0000 http://unimodular.net/blog/?p=51#comment-28422 Apparently Boyer's Law is more apt, according to Kennedy (Amer. Math. Monthly 1972). He states in his article: <strong>BOYER'S LAW</strong>. Mathematical formulas and theorems are usually not named after their original discoverers. <em>It is perhaps interesting to note that this is probably a rare instance of a law whose statement confirms its own validity!</em> Apparently Boyer’s Law is more apt, according to Kennedy (Amer. Math. Monthly 1972). He states in his article:
BOYER’S LAW. Mathematical formulas and theorems are usually not named after their original discoverers.

It is perhaps interesting to note that this is probably a rare instance of a law whose statement confirms its own validity!

]]> By: tpc http://unimodular.net/blog/?p=51&cpage=1#comment-23002 tpc Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:38:29 +0000 http://unimodular.net/blog/?p=51#comment-23002 Another misnomer. The Mobius strip/band was first discovered and first published by Listing. See the second last paragraph of http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Mobius.html The MAA digital Library states that Johann Listing discovered the surface two months earlier than Mobius. (No reference given.) http://mathdl.maa.org/mathDL/?pa=historicalEvent&sa=browseFrontEnd&month=8&day=26&x=56&y=13 Another misnomer. The Mobius strip/band was first discovered and first published by Listing. See the second last paragraph of http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Mobius.html

The MAA digital Library states that Johann Listing discovered the surface two months earlier than Mobius. (No reference given.) http://mathdl.maa.org/mathDL/?pa=historicalEvent&sa=browseFrontEnd&month=8&day=26&x=56&y=13

]]> By: tpc http://unimodular.net/blog/?p=51&cpage=1#comment-2222 tpc Sun, 09 Apr 2006 14:23:07 +0000 http://unimodular.net/blog/?p=51#comment-2222 There is supposed to be a name for this: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigler%27s_law_of_eponymy">Stigler's Law</a>. And I've read that misnomy is common in Statistics as well. It seems that the Gaussian and Poisson distribution were all originally discovered by one of the Bernoulli's. There is supposed to be a name for this: Stigler’s Law.

And I’ve read that misnomy is common in Statistics as well. It seems that the Gaussian and Poisson distribution were all originally discovered by one of the Bernoulli’s.

]]> By: tpc http://unimodular.net/blog/?p=51&cpage=1#comment-1161 tpc Sat, 08 Oct 2005 01:57:34 +0000 http://unimodular.net/blog/?p=51#comment-1161 I just read that the Gram-Schmidt process was first used by Laplace. So the list goes on ... All other contributions are welcomed and much appreciated. I just read that the Gram-Schmidt process was first used by Laplace. So the list goes on … All other contributions are welcomed and much appreciated.

]]> By: Aeryk http://unimodular.net/blog/?p=51&cpage=1#comment-1111 Aeryk Tue, 27 Sep 2005 02:37:55 +0000 http://unimodular.net/blog/?p=51#comment-1111 Another classic misnomer: L'Hospital's rule, actually discovered by Johann Bernoulli and then purchased by L'Hospital to put in his text book. Another classic misnomer: L’Hospital’s rule, actually discovered by Johann Bernoulli and then purchased by L’Hospital to put in his text book.

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