Delusion Quotes (1)
De Morgan was explaining to an actuary what was the chance that a certain proportion of some group of people would at the end of a given time be alive; and quoted the actuarial formula, involving p [pi], which, in answer to a question, he explained stood for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. His acquaintance, who had so far listened to the explanation with interest, interrupted him and exclaimed, 'My dear friend, that must be a delusion, what can a circle have to do with the number of people alive at a given time?'
Mathematical Recreations and Problems (1896), 180; See also De Morgan's Budget of Paradoxes (1872), 172.
See also: | Anecdote (14) | Answer (24) | Chance (33) | Circle (3) | Circumference (2) | Death (91) | Augustus De Morgan (21) | Diameter (2) | Explanation (20) | Formula (16) | Group (2) | Interest (6) | Number (45) | Pi (3) | Proportion (6) | Question (45) | Ratio (2)
