[Translated from Yu. V. Pukhnatchov, Yu. P. Popov. *Mathematics without formulae*. - Moscow. - ‘Stoletie’. − 1995. - pp. 404-405. All mistakes are my own.]
The East is famous for her legends… They say that once upon a time, in a certain town, there lived two well-known carvers of ganch (alabaster that hasn’t quite set yet.) And their mastery was so great, and their ornaments were so delightful, that the people simply could not decide, which one is more skillful.
And so a contest was devised. A room of a house just built, which was to be decorated with carvings, was partitioned into two halves by a [nontransparent] curtain. The masters went in, each into his own place, and set to work.
And when they finished and the curtain was removed, the spectators’ awe knew no bounds...
… for the ornaments in both halves were identical, up to the smallest cartouche!
Only when the people looked closely at their work, they saw that one master did his part conscientiously, and the other decided to apply his wit, and polished the walls into mirrors, so that they reflected the embellishments on the other walls.
The legend says that the victory was given to the second one. And we, as mathematicians, would without doubt join this decision. For having turned the walls into mirrors, he exhibited not only mastery (of which everybody already knew), but also a deep understanding of the very nature of ornament, which lies exactly in the repetitiveness of the elements. […]
So! The first one cooperated, the second one defected:) and if both defected or both cooperated, the room would be worse off, though at least in the last case the carvers would still be judged for their skill… No associations, anyone?:))
The ganch gamble
[Translated from Yu. V. Pukhnatchov, Yu. P. Popov. *Mathematics without formulae*. - Moscow. - ‘Stoletie’. − 1995. - pp. 404-405. All mistakes are my own.]
The East is famous for her legends… They say that once upon a time, in a certain town, there lived two well-known carvers of ganch (alabaster that hasn’t quite set yet.) And their mastery was so great, and their ornaments were so delightful, that the people simply could not decide, which one is more skillful.
And so a contest was devised. A room of a house just built, which was to be decorated with carvings, was partitioned into two halves by a [nontransparent] curtain. The masters went in, each into his own place, and set to work.
And when they finished and the curtain was removed, the spectators’ awe knew no bounds...
… for the ornaments in both halves were identical, up to the smallest cartouche!
Only when the people looked closely at their work, they saw that one master did his part conscientiously, and the other decided to apply his wit, and polished the walls into mirrors, so that they reflected the embellishments on the other walls.
The legend says that the victory was given to the second one. And we, as mathematicians, would without doubt join this decision. For having turned the walls into mirrors, he exhibited not only mastery (of which everybody already knew), but also a deep understanding of the very nature of ornament, which lies exactly in the repetitiveness of the elements. […]
So! The first one cooperated, the second one defected:) and if both defected or both cooperated, the room would be worse off, though at least in the last case the carvers would still be judged for their skill… No associations, anyone?:))