Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.
Quote of the Week 15 “ Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.” ― Henri Poincaré Triggered by the use of a variation of the quote by Robert Fuchs on LinkedIn. As opposed to poetry : “ Poetry is the art of giving different names to the same thing.” “L a Mathématique est l’art de donner le même nom à des choses différentes. ” ― Henri Poincaré In 1908, the Fourth International Congress of Mathematicians was held in Rome. During the Congress, the mathematician Jean-Gaston Darboux presented an address written by Henri Poincaré entitled “L’avenir des mathématiques,” and Poincaré included the paper as a chapter in his book Science et Méthode. An authorized English translation by George Bruce Halsted appeared as the chapter “The Future of Mathematics” in The Foundations of Science, first published in 1913. ... Out of context, it is possible to misinterpret “giving the same name to different things” as saying that words in mathematics are us...