Underwood Dudley
Encyclopedia
Underwood Dudley is a mathematician
, formerly of DePauw University
, who has written a number of research works and textbooks but is best known for his popular writing. Most notable are several books describing crank
mathematics by people who think they have squared the circle
or done other impossible things. That sort of work is thrown away by most professionals, but Dudley has saved and analyzed it, calling it the folklore of mathematics.
These books, which alternate between appreciation and exasperation, include The Trisectors (MAA 1996, ISBN 0-88385-514-3), Mathematical Cranks (MAA 1992, ISBN 0-88385-507-0), and Numerology: Or, What Pythagoras Wrought (MAA 1997, ISBN 0-88385-524-0). They helped him win the Trevor Evans Award for expository writing from the Mathematical Association of America
(MAA) in 1996. Dudley has also written and edited straightforward mathematical works such as Readings for Calculus (MAA 1993, ISBN 0-88385-087-7) and Elementary Number Theory (W.H. Freeman 1978, ISBN 0-7167-0076-X).
Dudley is a native of New York City
. He received bachelor's
and master's
degrees from the Carnegie Institute of Technology
and a Ph.D.
from the University of Michigan
. His academic career consisted of two years at Ohio State University
followed by thirty-seven at DePauw University, from which he retired in 2004. He has edited the College Mathematics Journal
and the Pi Mu Epsilon Journal, and was a Polya Lecturer for the MAA for two years.
. The suit was dismissed in 1996 due to failure to state a claim.
The dismissal was upheld on appeal in a decision written by Richard Posner
. From the decision: "A crank
is a person inexplicably obsessed by an obviously unsound idea—a person with a bee in his bonnet. To call a person a crank is to say that because of some quirk of temperament he is wasting his time pursuing a line of thought that is plainly without merit or promise. ... To call a person a crank is basically just a colorful and insulting way of expressing disagreement with his master idea, and it therefore belongs to the language of controversy rather than to the language of defamation."http://www.projectposner.org/case/1996/75F3d307
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, formerly of DePauw University
DePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
, who has written a number of research works and textbooks but is best known for his popular writing. Most notable are several books describing crank
Crank (person)
"Crank" is a pejorative term used for a person who unshakably holds a belief that most of his or her contemporaries consider to be false. A "cranky" belief is so wildly at variance with commonly accepted belief as to be ludicrous...
mathematics by people who think they have squared the circle
Squaring the circle
Squaring the circle is a problem proposed by ancient geometers. It is the challenge of constructing a square with the same area as a given circle by using only a finite number of steps with compass and straightedge...
or done other impossible things. That sort of work is thrown away by most professionals, but Dudley has saved and analyzed it, calling it the folklore of mathematics.
These books, which alternate between appreciation and exasperation, include The Trisectors (MAA 1996, ISBN 0-88385-514-3), Mathematical Cranks (MAA 1992, ISBN 0-88385-507-0), and Numerology: Or, What Pythagoras Wrought (MAA 1997, ISBN 0-88385-524-0). They helped him win the Trevor Evans Award for expository writing from the Mathematical Association of America
Mathematical Association of America
The Mathematical Association of America is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure and applied mathematicians; computer scientists;...
(MAA) in 1996. Dudley has also written and edited straightforward mathematical works such as Readings for Calculus (MAA 1993, ISBN 0-88385-087-7) and Elementary Number Theory (W.H. Freeman 1978, ISBN 0-7167-0076-X).
Dudley is a native of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He received bachelor's
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
and master's
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
degrees from the Carnegie Institute of Technology
Carnegie Institute of Technology
The Carnegie Institute of Technology , is the name for Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering. It was first called the Carnegie Technical Schools, or Carnegie Tech, when it was founded in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie who intended to build a “first class technical school” in Pittsburgh,...
and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. His academic career consisted of two years at Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
followed by thirty-seven at DePauw University, from which he retired in 2004. He has edited the College Mathematics Journal
College Mathematics Journal
The College Mathematics Journal, published by the Mathematical Association of America, is an expository journal aimed at teachers of college mathematics, particular those teaching the first two years. It is a continuation of Two-Year College Mathematics Journal. It covers all aspects of mathematics...
and the Pi Mu Epsilon Journal, and was a Polya Lecturer for the MAA for two years.
Lawsuit
In 1995, Dudley was one of several people sued by William Dilworth for defamation because Mathematical Cranks included an analysis of Dilworth's "A correction in set theory," an attempted refutation of Cantor's diagonal methodCantor's diagonal argument
Cantor's diagonal argument, also called the diagonalisation argument, the diagonal slash argument or the diagonal method, was published in 1891 by Georg Cantor as a mathematical proof that there are infinite sets which cannot be put into one-to-one correspondence with the infinite set of natural...
. The suit was dismissed in 1996 due to failure to state a claim.
The dismissal was upheld on appeal in a decision written by Richard Posner
Richard Posner
Richard Allen Posner is an American jurist, legal theorist, and economist who is currently a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School...
. From the decision: "A crank
Crank (person)
"Crank" is a pejorative term used for a person who unshakably holds a belief that most of his or her contemporaries consider to be false. A "cranky" belief is so wildly at variance with commonly accepted belief as to be ludicrous...
is a person inexplicably obsessed by an obviously unsound idea—a person with a bee in his bonnet. To call a person a crank is to say that because of some quirk of temperament he is wasting his time pursuing a line of thought that is plainly without merit or promise. ... To call a person a crank is basically just a colorful and insulting way of expressing disagreement with his master idea, and it therefore belongs to the language of controversy rather than to the language of defamation."http://www.projectposner.org/case/1996/75F3d307