The Mathematical Bridge
One famous narrative relates to Queens' College's so-called Mathematical Bridge (pictured right). The story usually goes as follows: constructed by Sir Isaac Newton, it held itself together without any bolts or screws. Years later, inquisitive students took it apart in order to see how it fitted together and the deconstructers were unable to reassemble it without bolts. (A variation on this tale has the bridge being dismantled by the college's Fellows due to the onset of World War II). However the bridge was erected 22 years after Newton's death and always used pins and screws at the joints (although the current version of the bridge does use more visible nuts and bolts).
Read more about this topic: University Of Cambridge Legends
Famous quotes containing the words mathematical and/or bridge:
“What he loved so much in the plant morphological structure of the tree was that given a fixed mathematical basis, the final evolution was so incalculable.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)
“In bridge clubs and in councils of state, the passions are the same.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)