"Mathematics is of two kinds, Rigorous and Physical. The former is Narrow: the latter Bold and Broad. To have to stop to formulate rigorous demonstrations would put a stop to most physico-mathematical inquiries. Am I to refuse to eat because I do not fully understand the mechanism of digestion?"
— Oliver Heaviside

January 1, 1970

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Added on April 10, 2026
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UnitariansMathematicians from EnglandElectrical engineersAcademics from the United KingdomPhysicists from England
Original Language: English

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This quote cannot be found in Heaviside's corpus, Edge provides no reference, the quote first appears around the 1940s attributed to Heaviside without any references. The quote is actually a composite of a modified sentence from Electromagnetic Theory I (changing 'dinner' to 'eat'), a section header & later sentence from Electromagnetic Theory II, and the paraphrase of Heaviside's views by Carslaw 1928 ("Operational Methods in Mathematical Physics"), respectively: — Nor is the matter an unpracti