Newton calculus

Forum Index GMAT Verbal & Essays Critical Reasoning

New MBA Student Life Forum: Ask your questions to current MBA students from Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Kellogg and Haas

Post new topic   Reply to topic

gmatmachoman
GMAT Destroyer!



Joined: 28 Jul 2008
Posts: 427

Thanks given: 8
Thanked 6 times in 6 posts
Location: Mysore
Topic: Newton calculus
PostSat Nov 07, 2009 10:16 am Reply with quote
Historian: Leibniz, the seventeenth-century
philosopher, published his version of calculus
before Newton did. But then Newton revealed
his private notebooks, which showed he had
been using these ideas for at least a decade
before Leibniz’s publication. Newton also
claimed that he had disclosed these ideas to
Leibniz in a letter shortly before Leibniz’s
publication. Yet close examination of the letter
shows that Newton’s few cryptic remarks did
not reveal anything important about calculus.
Thus, Leibniz and Newton each independently
discovered calculus.

Which one of the following is an assumption
required by the historian’s argument?

(A) Leibniz did not tell anyone about calculus
prior to publishing his version of it.
(B) No third person independently discovered
calculus prior to Newton and Leibniz.
(C) Newton believed that Leibniz was able to learn
something important about calculus from his
letter to him.
(D) Neither Newton nor Leibniz knew that the other
had developed a version of calculus prior to
Leibniz’s publication.
(E) Neither Newton nor Leibniz learned crucial
details about calculus from some third source
_________________
Go ..Go..1..2..3..MBA
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
maihuna
GMAT Destroyer!



Joined: 28 Dec 2008
Posts: 962

Thanks given: 46
Thanked 38 times in 38 posts

Target GMAT Score: 750
GMAT Score: 680
PostSat Nov 07, 2009 10:25 am Reply with quote
IMO E:

E kills an alternate explanation that other than the letter they did not exchanged information through any other medium. SO E is an assumption that they didn't shared the info about the calculus.
_________________
Where a mathematical reasoning can be had, it is as great a folly to make use of any other, as to grope for a thing in the dark, when you have a candle in your hand. � JOHN ARBUTHNOT
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   

Post new topic   Reply to topic All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1