Mathematicians Of The Day

11th April



On this day in 1936, Konrad Zuse filed a patent for the automatic execution of calculations, a process he invented while working on what would become the Z-1, Germany's first computer. It was a mechanical rather than an electronic machine.

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Quotation of the day

From John Conway
...You get surreal numbers by playing games. I used to feel guilty in Cambridge that I spent all day playing games, while I was supposed to be doing mathematics. Then, when I discovered surreal numbers, I realized that playing games IS mathematics.