提起数学,一定会戳到某些人的痛处,因为在他们眼里,它是一门无比艰深的学科。但对于另外一些人,情况却恰恰相反——数学是他们的最爱,在他们眼中,这门学科不但充满乐趣,而且无所不能,甚至可以用它来预测外星人的数量和大小。西班牙巴塞罗那大学的一位数学家辛普森就是这么干的。他用数学模型来预测外星人的大小,并且认为外星人可能会像狗熊那样魁梧。 Mentioning mathematics will surely pound some people’s sores, because in their eyes it is a very difficult discipline. But for others, the opposite is true - mathematics is their favorite, in their eyes, the discipline is not only fun but also omnipotent, and can even be used to predict the number and size of aliens. That’s what Simpson, a mathematician at the University of Barcelona in Spain, did. He uses mathematical models to predict the size of an alien, and thinks aliens may be as burly as a bear.