The excitement that a gambler feels when making a bet is equal to the amount he might win times the probability of winning it.
In N. Rose, Mathematical Maxims and Minims, Raleigh NC: Rome Press Inc., 1988.
Loci: Loci: Convergence
On This Day ...
Important events from the history of math that happened on this day:
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January 1st
| 45 B.C. | The first day of the first year of the Julian calendar, which remained in effect in the western world until October 4, 1582. The previous year, 46 BC, known as "the last year of confusion," was the longest year on record at 445 days.
More information about: The Julian Calendar |
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| 4713 B.C. | This was Julian Day 1 and began at noon Greenwich or Universal Time (U.T.). It provided a convenient way to keep track of the number of days between events, particularly astronomical events. Noon, January 1, 1984, for example, began Julian Day 2,445,336. For the use of the Chinese Remainder Theorem in determining this date, see American Journal of Physics 49 (1981), pages 658-661.
More information about: Chinese Remainder Theorem Julian day |
| 1748 | Johann Bernoulli died in Basel, Switzerland. He learned mathematics from his older brother, Jakob Bernoulli, and, in turn, taught mathematics to l'Hospital.
More information about: Johann Bernoulli Jakob Bernoulli Gillaume de l'Hospital |
| 1806 | France adopted the Gregorian calendar for the second time.
More information about: Gregorian Calendar |
| 1992 | Computer pioneer Grace Hopper died in Arlington, Virginia, USA. While working for private industry, she invented the compiler that would become the COBOL computer language. She retired from the U.S. Navy as a Rear Admiral in 1986 at the age of 80.
More information about: Grace Hopper |
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