“Those who really solve mathematical puzzles are the physicists.”

— Carlo Beenakker

In Interview with Professor Carlo Beenakker. Interviewers: Ramy El-Dardiry and Roderick Knuiman (February 1, 2006).
Context: … mathematicians are much more concerned for example with the structure behind something or with the whole edifice. Mathematicians are not really puzzlers. Those who really solve mathematical puzzles are the physicists. If you like to solve mathematical puzzles, you should not study mathematics but physics!

Original

... de wiskunde (houdt) zich veel meer bezig (...) met bijvoorbeeld de structuur achter iets of met het bouwwerk van iets. Wiskundigen zijn ook niet echt een soort puzzelaars. Degenen die echt wiskundige puzzels oplossen dat zijn de natuurkundigen. Als je het leuk vindt om wiskundige puzzels op te lossen, moet je geen wiskunde maar natuurkunde gaan studeren!

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Carlo Beenakker 4

Dutch physicist 1960

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