Could a Lawyer become a Mathematician?

There is something about a lawyer wanting to become a mathematician that says something about the inner turmoil of the lawyer. The lawyer is both a logician and a professional 'presenter' -- if not an outright liar. At some point the angst of dancing between the truth and theater has to eat at the soul. If it doesn't, the lawyer is probably going to hell.

Could a prison "writ writer" become an very amateur mathematician? You bet! See, e.g., Pratt v. Sumner, 807 F.2d 817 (9th Cir. 1987). As to my mathematical work . . . well, I'm still working on trisecting angles with a straightedge and compass.

The point is that I have more respect for science and math on moral grounds.

Let the lawyer become a mathematician.

Very Respectfully,
Ray Donald Pratt

 

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Hmmm... I used to know a lot about impossible ruler and compass constructions, and if memory serves me right, this is one of the impossible cases, originally proved by Gauss himself. You can do an approximate trisection, sure, but the necessary points for an exact trisection can't be constructed by ruler and compass in a finite number of steps. Of course I don't know if you're just using this as a metaphor, so if that's the case, I apologize for misunderstanding.

Edit: If you're serious about trisecting angles with ruler and compass, you might want to read this first.

 

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In August, raydpratt started a thread on angle trisection, was immediately told it was impossible within the constraints, and I showed analytically that his method specifically didn't work.
http://sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=103380

This "impossible" takes the form of a (mathematical as opposed to some other sense) proof.

http://www.jimloy.com/geometry/trisect.htm

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/GeometricProblemsofAntiquity.html
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/AngleTrisection.html
http://www.geom.uiuc.edu/docs/forum/angtri/

 

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I accept that trisecting angles with a straightedge and compass may be impossible, but I have never enjoyed or thought about geometry as deeply as I have since undertaking this adventure.

For example, I have recently discovered that the simple Euclidian structure for creating an equalateral triangle from a given line segment will invariably enclose and provide stable reference points for any Archimedian trisection (0 to 90 degrees). You can see one of my final creations as well as about 6 pictures of how to create it.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=45329&id=100000573024201&l=341cd8f74f

Although the structure would produce any angle for trisection as a function of a point on a stable-legnth line segment, the whole show of finding that function in pure geometry eludes me -- of course -- and I hope that it continues to do so.

I saved all your links to my favorites -- thank you.

Very Respectfully,
Ray Donald Pratt

 

If A is proven impossible and A can be done if B is true then it follows that B is false. At best you can hope for some kind of regression where you can show B is true if C is but then C is impossible and then you might be able to show C is possible if D is true but then D is impossible, etc etc.

There are plenty of additional assumptions which you can make in constructive geometry which makes trisecting an angle or squaring the circle possible. All you'll get by what you're doing is a list of such assumptions, but you'll not find a requirement which is already fulfilled by the axioms of constructive geometry.

If you can use a ruler and not just a straight edge that's often enough. My favourite is origami, if you allow the paper to be folded then it opens up much more powerful 'operations' which solve quite a few of these 'impossible constructs'.

 

I like the logic. I have so far found that the problem is continuously fractal -- specifically, I always come to a point where I need a trisection to find a trisection.

I have tentatively hypothesized that the root of the problem is right at the level of the difference between odd and even numbers. An odd number like 3 does not intersect with an even number like 2, and virtually all the constructions in Euclidian geometry break things into two parts, equal or not, but never three parts.

One of my brainstorms from that was that 3 and 2 intersect only as a product, and that I might be able to find trisections where the space is 2 x 3 or 3 x 2. That idea led me to a technique where if given one trisection randomly created in quadrant, I can trisect the remainder of the quadrant.

However, the whole show is the first trisection, and I cannot derive that for a given angle. It is a pristine 3.

I have not given up, but I respect the possibility that it is impossible.

Very Respectfully,
Ray Donald Pratt

 

Hi , seeing this post just had me so emotional .

I’m 18 , doing my first year in Mathematical Sciences . However , I spent the whole year drawn to law so much it felt insane , I attended moot court sessions , watched hours of court proceedings on you tube , I looked through a lot of law text books . I spent this year so miserable in maths because I had just discovered that law feels like my passion .

It’s very important to say this ,

I’m full heartedly passionate about debating . That’s all I did in high school - went for debating competitions . My love for debating cannot be compared to anything .

But I’m so confused right now ! I could either leave maths and do Law next year .. but why do I feel like I can’t exist without mathematics! Why do I feel like I’m not supposed to be in that maths class ? ( well don’t answer that ) but I throughly enjoyed studying logic this year

I feel so conflicted between law and maths . I don’t want to study maths then do Law . No ! I don’t see value in beating around the bush . I want to put my energy into one thing for the rest of my life and master that .

But wait , I have a love-hate relationship with maths . I feel like I won’t fully grow to my potential with maths .. I’m too much of a debater , into student politics .

Okay I’m gonna end it here .

Please share your thoughts, I would deeply appreciate . Have you experienced this conflict ?

 

The world is in serious need of lawyers (and judges, and legislators) competent in mathematics.
Serious.

 

the best advice I ever read:
Follow your bliss
be a dilatant
do what delights you
...........................
something I told my children long ago
"Never ask for advice until after you have learned how to to ignore it."

 

Economics could be more fundamental than physics in some sense because all aspects of our lives are governed by economics.

Society (and especially the press and the media) takes economics much more seriously than it does physics anyway.

 

I know its impossible to do both at the same time... Unless your really quick or incredibly forgetful

 

What about gravity? That's physics and it would seem that the majority of society keep away from cliff-edges.

 

Is a cliff edge like your car dealer threatening you with Hippa laws?

 

What's a, "hippa law?"

 

Ask someone on clorpromazine...

 

Why, do car-dealers take that??

 

Take what Mr adjective.

 

Clorpromazine, fuzzy wozzy?