Startup_7

previous installment is here

--------------------------------------------------

Mathematica Inutilis

Ler and Noulli stroll around the snowy St. Petersburg. Noulli holds Ler's elbow to guide him around the obstacles but Ler is surprising agile in spite of his age and blindness. It is a bitterly cold, windless day as they head toward the Academy.

"I am working on Mathematica Inutilis," starts Ler, "but it is not as easy as it looks."
"For example," he continues, "I was sure that the fact that one cannot cross all seven bridges in Konigsberg without crossing one twice would clearly be in that category. But I am not so sure anymore."
"Hmm," Noulli is not certain either, "remember this cute observation that was made 100 years ago, that for a prime number p and any positive integer a, a and a^p, give the same remainder when divided by p?"
"Oh, yeah, what about it?" Ler gets interested particularly that he has discovered this fact himself as well.
"Well, this clearly belongs to Mathematica Inutilis, hundred years has passed and I see not much use for it."
"Maybe, maybe," says Ler slipping on ice and cursing Russian winter.
They walk in silence until Ler finally confesses, "I have a feeling that developing Mathematica Inutilis will be my utter and complete failure."
"Then you will have to recon with these fuckers from the Society of Mathematicians," warns Noulli, "remember what they did to Wton."
Ler becomes more distraught and miserable. "Can't they see that I have a disability?" he moans.
"I am not sure that your disability explains why you singlehandedly uncovered more mathematics than the rest of humanity in the last hundred years," Noulli explains patiently.
"And why is that?" says Ler defiantly, "I am old and miserable," he goes on and on, "why don't they cut me some slack?"


Retreat

Every fall the Mathematics Unit of the Government Science Foundation has a daylong retreat and this year it is devoted to the revelations from the Society of Mathematicians.
Mek volunteered to give a presentation about the Flat and its consequences for science. Program Commanders are a bit worried since Mek usually turns serious matters into nonsense and rarely gives a return ticket. These worries are partly confirmed when Mek demands that they all meet next day at the Panda exhibit in the local zoo.
Nevertheless when they all assemble in front of the Panda enclosure he is professional and serious. On the other hand, both pandas are dozing off and snoring loudly after having consummed a large amount of bamboo.
Mek looks around and begins, "Current world population is a little over 7 billion and it has doubled in my lifetime. However, it is not going to double in anybody's lifetime again."
"We are at the inflection point predicted by Wton," he continues, "and various models posit that in a hundred years there will be a 50% growth, a 15% decline or that the world population will reach a constant and stable level, The Flat in Archim's terms."
"It is a good guess that Archim was right," he concludes with grim satisfaction, "and we should anticipate it."

He pauses briefly, and continues emphatically, "Archim had predicted that such scenario spells the end of science, and unfortunately he was right."
He pauses, points towards the pandas, and says accusingly, "They do not fuck!"

There is a great deal of confusion among the Program Commanders. Someone suggests a discussion that might clarify these comments, and Mek decides to unpack his message.
"This enclosure," he starts, "contains two pandas of opposite gender, and there will always be two pandas here although not the same ones. This is The Flat in miniature."
"In such environment pandas not only lost interest in procreation but they seem to have lost the knowledge how to fuck. The technical term is sexually incompetent," he adds after a pause wanting to sound more professional.

"Have you lost your mind?" Uce is completely exasperated with this gibberish, "what does it have to do with science?"
"Well," Mek announces somewhat pompously, "if a panda can unlearn how to fuck then we can certainly unlearn how to do mathematics."

The point is well taken and the Program Commanders slowly head towards the exit leaving barmy pandas behind.


Breakthrough

"Poor Ler", Uss murmurs to himself looking at the giant pile of mathematical manuscripts, "he really messed things up."
He looks up and faces 27-year old Mann who is fishing for a project, "You have to promise me that you will be more responsible," he says in a fatherly tone. Mann is flabbergasted and does not know what his master is talking about. "I will be responsible," he promises in order to get things going.

"It is about Mathematica Inutilis," Uss starts, "Ler failed to develop it, and frankly I have my doubts that it exists."
"Mathematica Inutilis?" Mann muses trying to remember his Latin, "isn't this geometry project that we were talking about a good example?"
"Perhaps," Uss concedes, "but perhaps not. I am starting to have doubts about the whole concept."
They sit in silence and Uss looks like he dozed off, while Mann is getting more and more restless. Suddenly Uss jumps up with energy unusual for 75-year old scholar, "Fuck, I think I got it."
Mann perks up and looks with expectation in his eyes.
"Perhaps there is no Mathematica Inutilis but I am quite convinced that there is Mathematicus Inutilis," he announces.
"Am I a Mathematicus Inutilis," asks Mann with certain level of indifference.
Uss looks at him appraisingly, "you could be," he says slowly, "even though you are most likely my best student."
"So what should I do?" Mann warms up to the idea.
"Just make sure that nobody can understand your work for the next hundred years," Uss says solemnly.
Mann ponders briefly, and smiles happily. "I think I can do it, yes, I am sure I can do it," he promises.
He looks at Uss and suddenly feels the warmth of the master's praise.
"But you could not do it, could you?" he asks as suspicion suddenly dawned on him.
"I could not," Uss admits sadly, "you would not believe the stuff I gave up."


----------------------

next installment is here