and it doesn’t prove the point. all it shows is that a single person didn’t know their 17 times tables off the top of their head. there’s no reason to expect someone to be as confident that 51 is or is not prime than 7 is or is not prime—and anyway, the point of the story should have been that, eventually, 7 might NOT be prime. which it’s always going to be.
that anecdote wasn’t amusing at all.
and it wasn’t an anecdote.
and it doesn’t prove the point. all it shows is that a single person didn’t know their 17 times tables off the top of their head. there’s no reason to expect someone to be as confident that 51 is or is not prime than 7 is or is not prime—and anyway, the point of the story should have been that, eventually, 7 might NOT be prime. which it’s always going to be.
i didn’t get it.