[Maths-Education] Douglas Quadling and Maths Museum

[John Bibby]

I am sure that Douglas will not mind if I circulate this brief exchange of
emails from the last time we met. It shows how thoughtful and helpful
Douglas could be after what was after all only a chancew encounter.

JOHN BIBBY

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John Bibby <johnbibbyjohnbibby at gmail.com>
Date: 24 June 2013 at 20:22
Subject: Re: Maths Museum
To: Douglas Quadling <quadling at waitrose.com>


Yes indeed - the proof that there are only 5 platonic solids perhaps
(I don;t know how it could generalise), or even that the locus of a
fixed angle is a circle. (This last one has a generalisation I have
only just learned - if one line moves twice as fast as the other, then
the locus is ?an ellipse? I forget the details, but is a nice example
of something that is a lot easier to envisage with dynamic geometry
software.)

Yes it was an amazing coincidence to see you as i know very few people
who live in Cambridge. Also, as well as having a distinctive name you
have a distinctive face!

(Shirley was fascinated by the origin of your name and wondered
whether it meant "quadruplet" at some stage. I have known your name
since I was at school so it has never seemed peculiar to me!)

All the best

JOHN

On 24 June 2013 19:51, Douglas Quadling <quadling at waitrose.com> wrote:
> Dear John
>
> I'm astonished that you should have recognised me as I walked down Mill
Lane
> –  it must be quite a while since we last met. It was very good to see you
> again. I hope you didn't miss your train as a result.
>
> It was my second unexpected encounter of the weekend. On Saturday I had
run
> into one of my best mathematicians from Marlborough days, whom I hadn't
seen
> since he left school. We were both in the local pharmacists, and he heard
me
> asking for my wife's prescription by name  –
> an advantage of having such an unusual surname.
>
> I have been thinking about the museum idea  –  it's easier to envisage
what
> it shouldn't be than what it should! Not just mathematical puzzles or
> mathematics teaching, but some real mathematics; for example, could one
> identify 20 key mathematical results which would be intelligible to the
> layperson, and for which one could also involve the visitor sufficiently
to
> give an inkling of the proof? I'll let you know if I have any brainwaves.
>
> Best wishes, Douglas
>
>
>
> On 24 Jun 2013, at 08:38, John Bibby wrote:
>
>> Dear Douglas
>>
>> I was so glad to run into you yesterday as we headed for our train. You
>> can see some details about our plans at
>> MathsWorldUK.com
>>
>> We would of course be delighted if you can lend us your support.
>>
>> Sincerely
>>
>> JOHN BIBBY
>
>