ATTN Mathematicians!

[anagrama]

Now this is a genuinely unusual auction O_O :

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3189039958

I'm curious as to how many other DPers know what it's all about?

[portnoyd]

I'm guessing it's the math geek version of the Kevin Bacon game.

dave

[anagrama]

Yeah, more or less :)
It links co-authors of scientific papers back to Paul Erdos, who was the greatest and most prolific mathematician of the 20th Century. Type "Erdos number" into Google for the (somewhat bewildering) full lowdown...

[Vroomfunkel]

Yep, details above are correct. I actually got a book for Christmas a while back about Paul Erdös (pronounced "Air-dish"). I was pretty underwhelmed .. until I read it. As it happened, it was actually fascinating. He was, as most great mathematicians are, completely barking mad. Which makes for fun reading! It was called "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers" .. recommended!

Vroomfunkel

[anagrama]

Yeah, despite having a Maths degree, I wasn't familiar with him until reading that book. :)
It's a great read, and Erdos is a fascinating character. Absolute genius, and terrifyingly single-minded in his pursuit of knowledge through numbers.