20 Responses to “Spellbound”

1. Nakul Says:
   March 21st, 2009 at 9:55 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1237672558 )

   witch of Agnesi The curve was studied by Pierre de Fermat in 1666, Guido Grandi in 1701, and by Maria Agnesi in 1748. In Italian, the curve is called la versiera di Agnesi which means \

   
   
2. Jean Valjean Says:
   March 21st, 2009 at 10:04 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1237673083 )

   Pic 1 – Maria Gaetana Agnesi Pic 2 – The witch of agnesi Pic 3 – John Colson 1\’s greatest work was Instituzioni analitiche ad uso della gioventu italiana which was regarded as the best introduction extant to the works of Euler. 3 did the english translation of the work and mistranlated the name of the curve 2, which, was supposed to be derived from the italian word for \

   
   
3. u2001137 Says:
   March 21st, 2009 at 10:24 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1237674264 )

   1. Maria Agnesi 2. Witch of Agnesi 3. Pierre de Fermat The curve was actually discovered by Fermat in 1666, but he didnot give it any name. It was again studied by Guido Grandi in 1701, who named it as “versiera”. Maria Agnesi again studied it in 1748. In Italian, the curve is called “la versiera di Agnesi” which means “the curve of Agnesi”. The word “versiera” is derived from Latin word “vertere”, which means “to turn”. Cambridge professor John Colson once read it as “l’avversiera di Agnesi” which means “witch of agnesi”. The silly pun is still lovingly preserved.

   
   
4. Ajay Parasuram Says:
   March 21st, 2009 at 10:45 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1237675537 )

   Witch of Agnesi(1) – a problem first suggested by John Colson(3)

   
   
5. p vs np Says:
   March 22nd, 2009 at 9:00 am, GMT +0000 ( 1237712445 )

   Lovely question.. Too good :) Details: 1. Maria Gaetana Agnesi, a child prodigy and a mathematician at the University of Bologna. 2. The curve y = a^3/(x^2 + a^2), named initially as ‘aversiera’ by Agnesi, which was analysed by her in her teaching manual. 3. British mathematician John Colson, fifth Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge. The curve,’aversiera’, which means ‘to turn’, was translated as ‘avversiere’, which means ‘witch’ when read by Colson. Hence, ‘Witch of Agnesi’ stuck, the name by which we know the curve today. And coincidentally, the curve does look like a witch’s hat! :) Cracked by p vs np and his Merry Men :)

   
   
6. Raghuvansh Says:
   March 22nd, 2009 at 9:29 am, GMT +0000 ( 1237714162 )

   Maria Agnesi had the “Curve of Agnesi” named after her; something was lost in translation by John Colson and it ended up being named “Witch of Agnesi” in English.

   
   
7. sumo_ftb Says:
   March 22nd, 2009 at 10:48 am, GMT +0000 ( 1237718934 )

   witch of agnesi

   
   
8. udupendra Says:
   March 22nd, 2009 at 11:40 am, GMT +0000 ( 1237722014 )

   The curve Witch of Agnesi (2) is named after Maria Agnesi (1), and named by John Colson (3). Wiki says – In Italian, the curve is called la versiera di Agnesi which means “the curve of Agnesi”. Early on this was read by Cambridge professor John Colson as “l’avversiera di Agnesi”, where “avversiera” means “woman contrary to God” and hence “witch”, and the mistranslation into English stuck.

   
   
9. varuns88 Says:
   March 22nd, 2009 at 11:59 am, GMT +0000 ( 1237723177 )

   Prof. John Colson used his awesome Italian prowess to mispronounce ‘la versiera di Agnesi’(curve of Agnesi) as ‘l’avversiera di Agnesi’(witch of Agnesi) leaving Maria Agnesi mighty pissed.

   
   
10. shrik Says:
    March 22nd, 2009 at 12:07 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1237723641 )

    John Colson (3) mis-translated Maria Agnesi’s (1) representation of her curve, from Italian to English as the Witch of Agnesi (2)

    
    
11. malcaluffin Says:
    March 22nd, 2009 at 12:44 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1237725894 )

    Witch of Agnesi

    
    
12. malcaluffin Says:
    March 22nd, 2009 at 12:45 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1237725945 )

    The curve was studied by Pierre de Fermat in 1666, Guido Grandi in 1701, and by Maria Agnesi in 1748. In Italian, the curve is called la versiera di Agnesi which means “the curve of Agnesi”. Early on this was read by Cambridge professor John Colson as “l’avversiera di Agnesi”, where “avversiera” means “woman contrary to God” and hence “witch”, and the mistranslation into English stuck

    
    
13. sidsen Says:
    March 22nd, 2009 at 2:05 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1237730733 )

    how the witch of agnesi gets its name can i also request you guys to update crediting me with points for v2 frau mond thanks

    
    
14. sand Says:
    March 22nd, 2009 at 4:12 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1237738377 )

    the famous witch of agnesi curve. investigated by italian maria agnesi (pic 1) but the name ‘witch’ is attributed to a mistranslation by John Colson, Lucasian chair in Cambridge (pic 3).

    
    
15. Anand Krishna Shankar Says:
    March 22nd, 2009 at 5:14 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1237742059 )

    1. Maria Gaetana Agnesi (May 16, 1718 – January 9, 1799) was an Italian linguist, mathematician, and philosopher. Agnesi (pronounced \’Anyesi\’) is credited with writing the first book discussing both differential and integral calculus. Story : Madame Agnesi also wrote a commentary on the Traite analytique des sections coniques du marquis de l\’Hôpital, which, though highly praised by those who saw it in manuscript, was never published. She discussed the curve known as the \

    
    
16. Anand Krishna Shankar Says:
    March 22nd, 2009 at 5:15 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1237742156 )

    I believe the first post was too long :) The answers : 1.Maria Gaetana Agnesi 2.The witch of Agnesi. 3.Johnathan ‘John’ Colson Check out the story @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Gaetana_Agnesi Gist : Colson, who translated Agnesi’s text to English, perhaps confused “la versiera” with “l’avversiera”, and so mistranslated it as “she-devil” or “the witch”, with the result that English-speakers and, for some reason, Spanish speakers from Mexico, Cuba, and Spain, know the curve as the “Witch of Agnesi

    
    
17. Dibyo Says:
    March 22nd, 2009 at 5:36 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1237743397 )

    1. Maria Gaeta Agnesi 2. The Witch of Agnesi 3. John Colson The curve was studied by Maria Agnesi in 1748. In Italian, the curve is called la versiera di Agnesi which means “the curve of Agnesi”. Early on this was read by Cambridge professor John Colson as “l’avversiera di Agnesi”, where “avversiera” means “woman contrary to God” and hence “witch”, and the mistranslation into English stuck

    
    
18. darthshak Says:
    March 22nd, 2009 at 10:36 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1237761369 )

    Pic 1 -> Maria Agnesi Pic 2 -> “Witch of Agnesi” Pic 3 -> John Colson. The Witch of Agnesi was a curve that was studied by Agnesi and Fermat. The name of the curve originated when John Colson was translating Agnesi’s work and wound up translating it accidentally as Witch.

    
    
19. Rithwik K Says:
    March 23rd, 2009 at 1:43 am, GMT +0000 ( 1237772600 )

    The curve was studied by Pierre de Fermat in 1666, Guido Grandi in 1701, and by Maria Agnesi in 1748.

    
    
20. ragwho Says:
    March 23rd, 2009 at 4:09 am, GMT +0000 ( 1237781359 )

    Agnesi’s Witch