Word: mathematician
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...colleague of Singmaster's with the inimitably British name of Morwen B. Thistlethwaite is believed to be the first cubist to have realigned the puzzle in 50 moves. Mathematician Thistlethwaite claims that "50 is not very good. It should be possible to do it in 20, but no one has yet found a method." Unlike scientists, who concentrate on plotting specific procedures called algorithms that will reduce the number of necessary moves, brainy young cubers seem more interested in setting speed records. One English high school student, Nicolas Hammond, 16, has managed to unscramble a cube in 28 seconds...
Still, Mary Gray, a mathematician at American University, says too little is known about mathematical reasoning to conclude that genetics plays a major part. Another possible objection to the study: showing that the best girls score lower than the best boys does not establish a general sexual difference. Yet the authors argue that results did not change when the study was broadened from the top 2% to 5%, and would probably have stayed the same in samples of lower-scoring students. Besides, say the authors, most of the concern has been about intellectually able girls...
...although Gundzinger may not be the emotionally frigid woman we expect in a mathematician, her exaggerated angst at life's problems seems to corroborate another insupportable stereotype; that a woman's intelligence is not a blessing, but a curse. Gundzinger's suggested brilliance--one only gets an inkling of it in the film--always conspires to work against her. The men who are attracted to her are attracted not because but in spite of her intellect. Her intelligence merely makes it difficult, if not impossible, for her to maintain satisfying relationships. The screenplay, by involving her with a somewhat pedestrian...
...fine portrayal of awkwardness that is the film's major virtue is also its downfall. In trying to topple the conventional stereotype of the career woman as a coldly efficient bitch, the film goes too far. It's My Turn tries to prove that a woman mathematician and professor at the University of Chicago can be femininely vulnerable; it ends up portraying her as a klutz...
...problem arises when the humorously sweet vulnerability intended to balance the mathematician's flawless competence becomes instead her most striking characteristic...