Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site cosivax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!petrus!sabre!zeta!epsilon!mb2c!umich!cosivax!sb From: sb@cosivax.UUCP (Sam Black) Newsgroups: net.jokes Subject: Re: Request for computer science bloope Message-ID: <153@cosivax.UUCP> Date: Thu, 15-Aug-85 10:48:51 EDT Article-I.D.: cosivax.153 Posted: Thu Aug 15 10:48:51 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 18-Aug-85 05:07:39 EDT References: <53100120@trsvax> <628@deepthot.UUCP> Organization: COSI, Ann Arbor, MI Lines: 15 A friend of mine once took a course from Von Neumann and had a humorous anecdote to relate. Von Neumann was proving a theorem to his class. He wrote up the first step, paused for a second,a nd wrote up the conclusion. One student raised his hand and said "I didn't quite follow that, professor." So, Von Neumann erased the board, wrote up the first step, paused for about 10 seconds, and wrote up the conclusion. The same student said "I still don't follow the proof; could you go through it in some more detail?" So, again Von Neumann wrote the first step on the board, paused for a full minute, and wrote the conclusion. Now, the student still seemed confused. Von Neumann said, "Look, I've done it three different ways now. If you don't understand it now, you'll have to work it out for yourself."