Richard Hamming quotes

Richard Hamming was an American mathematician and computer scientist celebrated for his work in information theory. His invention of the Hamming code greatly advanced error detection and correction in digital communications. He also made significant contributions to numerical analysis and the philosophy of science. Here are 102 of his quotes:

The purpose of computing is insight, not numbers. (Richard Hamming)
If the prior distribution, at which I am frankly guessing, has little or no effect on the result, then why bother; and if it has a large effect, then since I do not know what I am doing how would I dare act on the conclusions drawn? View quote
Richard Hamming
Typing is no substitute for thinking. View quote
Richard Hamming
Theorems... record more complex patterns of thinking that once shown to be valid need not be repeated every time they are needed. View quote
Richard Hamming
This is the type of AI I am interested in-what can the human and machine do together, and not in the competition which can arise. ...There are doubts as to what fraction of the population can compete with computers, even with nice interactive prompting menus. View quote
Richard Hamming
The past is... much more uncertain-or even falsely reported-than is usually recognized. View quote
Richard Hamming
We are beginning to find not only is intelligence not adequately defined so arguments can be settled scientifically, but a lot of other associated words like, computer, learning, information, ideas, decisions, expert behavior-all are a bit fuzzy... View quote
Richard Hamming
Besides the theory there are a lot of small technical details that must be learned so well that you can recall them almost instantaneously, such as the trigonometric identities... put one part of the identity on one side of a 3 x 5 card and the other part on the other side. Using these flash cards you can, in the odd moments of your daily life, learn the mechanical parts of the course. ...for this kind of low-level material many short learning sessions are much more efficient than a few long, intense ones; but this is not necessarily true for larger ideas. ...most students will not use such trivial devices as flash cards; it seems to be beneath their dignity. They suffer accordingly. View quote
Richard Hamming
Teachers should prepare the student for the student's future, not for the teacher's past. View quote
Richard Hamming
If you don't work on important problems, it's not likely that you'll do important work. View quote
Richard Hamming
The assumptions and definitions of mathematics and science come from our intuition, which is based ultimately on experience. They then get shaped by further experience in using them and are occasionally revised. They are not fixed for all eternity. (Richard Hamming)
Either you will be a leader, or a follower, and my goal is for you to be a leader. View quote
Richard Hamming
Apparently an "art"-which almost by definition cannot be put into words-is probably best communicated by approaching it from many sides and doing so repeatedly, hoping thereby students will finally master enough of the art, or if you wish, style, to significantly increase their future contributions to society. View quote
Richard Hamming
Perhaps thinking should be measured not by what you do but by how you do it. View quote
Richard Hamming
Somewhere in the mid-to-late 1950s in an address to the President and V. Ps of Bell Laboratories I said, "At present we are doing 1 out of 10 experiments on the computers and 9 in the labs, but before I leave it will be 9 out of 10 on the machines". They did not believe me... by now we do somewhere between 90% to 99% on the machines... And this trend will go on! View quote
Richard Hamming
Calculus is the mathematics of change. ...Change is characteristic of the world. View quote
Richard Hamming
Much of present science rests on engineering tools, and as time goes on, engineering seems to involve more and more of the science part. ...the two fields are growing together! ...and now there is not enough time to allow us the leisure which comes from separating the two fields. View quote
Richard Hamming
If you expect to continue learning all your life, you will be teaching yourself much of the time. You must learn to learn, especially the difficult topic of mathematics. View quote
Richard Hamming
It is probable that the future will be more limited by the slow evolution of the human animal and the corresponding human laws, social institutions, and organizations than it will be by the rapid evolution of technology. View quote
Richard Hamming
We do not always know what we are talking about.... Troubles... can be made to arise whenever what is being said includes itself-a self-referral situation. View quote
Richard Hamming
He who works with the door open gets all kinds of interruptions, but he also occasionally gets clues as to what the world is and what might be important. (Richard Hamming)
Probability and statistics are now so obviously necessary tools for understanding many diverse things that we must not ignore them even for the average student. View quote
Richard Hamming
Science and mathematics... have added little to our understanding of such things as Truth, Beauty, and Justice. There may be definite limits to the applicability of the scientific method. View quote
Richard Hamming
You ought to try to make significant contributions to humanity rather than just get along through life comfortably... the life of trying to achieve excellence in some area is in itself a worthy goal... A life without a struggle on your part to make yourself excellent is hardly a life worth living. ...a life without such a goal... is merely existing... View quote
Richard Hamming
Unforeseen technological inventions can completely upset the most careful predictions. View quote
Richard Hamming