1. Fundamentals of Software Development 1Slide 1 Paul Erdös (1913-96) The Most Prolific Mathematician Ever! Born: Budapest, HungaryBorn: Budapest, Hungary Died: Warsaw, PolandDied: Warsaw, Poland Mathematics was his life…Mathematics was his life… –Number theory, combinatorics, discrete mathematics… these form the foundation of computingthese form the foundation of computing Everything else was an encumbrance to his mathematical pursuitsEverything else was an encumbrance to his mathematical pursuits –property, money, clothes, intimacy, social pleasantries… lived out of a suitcaselived out of a suitcase

2. Fundamentals of Software Development 1Slide 2 A True Genius: Erdös Number Erdös traveled the worldErdös traveled the world –living out of a suitcase –to pose and solve problems –welcomed at any university or research center –the host's responsibility to lodge, feed, do income taxes Erdös wrote may be over a thousand research papersErdös wrote may be over a thousand research papers –His Erdös number is 0 –Erdös’s co-authors have Erdös number 1 –People who have written a joint paper with someone with Erdös number 1 have Erdös number 2, and so on.

3. Fundamentals of Software Development 1Slide 3 Erdös Number Source http://www.oakland.edu/enp/ Erdös number 0 --- 1 personErdös number 0 --- 1 person Erdös number 1 --- 504 peopleErdös number 1 --- 504 people Erdös number 2 --- 6593 peopleErdös number 2 --- 6593 people Erdös number 3 --- 33605 peopleErdös number 3 --- 33605 people –(includes David Mutchler) David Mutchler : Sushil Jajodia : Yechezkel Zalcstein : ErdösDavid Mutchler : Sushil Jajodia : Yechezkel Zalcstein : Erdös Erdös number 4 --- 83642 peopleErdös number 4 --- 83642 people –(includes Salman Azhar) S. Azhar : John Reif : Ramamohan Paturi : Endre Szemerédi : ErdösS. Azhar : John Reif : Ramamohan Paturi : Endre Szemerédi : Erdös Erdös number 5 --- 87760 peopleErdös number 5 --- 87760 people –(includes Steve Chenoweth) S. V. Chenoweth : Francis Murray : Kenneth Miller : Harold Shapiro ErdösS. V. Chenoweth : Francis Murray : Kenneth Miller : Harold Shapiro Erdös

4. Fundamentals of Software Development 1Slide 4 Sources www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/ history/Mathematicians/Erdos.htmlwww-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/ history/Mathematicians/Erdos.html www.oakland.edu/~grossman/erdoshp.htmlwww.oakland.edu/~grossman/erdoshp.htmlwww.oakland.edu/~grossman/erdoshp.html www.oakland.edu/enp/www.oakland.edu/enp/www.oakland.edu/enp/