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Communication then wasn't like it is now, so it may have been months or years before Newton and Leibniz discovered the similarities between their work, and longer before they actually communicated...

Besides which, Newton had his day job as Master of the Mint to deal with; he was probably obsessed with making the pound notes and coins the way he wanted them to look.

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Oh, he definitely found plenty of time to be obsessed with Leibniz.

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They did have a bit of a feud, eventually.

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I think there are multiple examples of similar breakthroughs, diff people, same time. Like Darwin and what’s his name. Alfred Russsel Wallace thank you internets! Maybe electricity was another - Tesla, Edison and Westinghouse

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Yes, precisely! Great examples too. It seems like this is almost a rule and not an exception: as soon as the conditions are ready, the "genius" appears.

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Assuming constant speed of both runners as a percentage of the length of track the race would be a tie.

The problem itself reminds me of how short do you make a cut so that a short piece of trim fits space available with the smallest crack.

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Oct 8Liked by Andrew Smith

This principle is precisely whey I can now win Olympic sprinting medals against the world's fastest men by asking for a one-centimeter headstart. So long, Usain Bolt. Good luck trying to catch me now!

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I'm envisioning a 100 meter sprint, where you start at the 50 meter line and turn back to flick off Usain. "Take that, motherf...." you start to get out as your hair blows back. Usain is on the podium before you can turn around.

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Oct 8Liked by Andrew Smith

...in a cruel twist, Usain never learns that I was about to tell him "mother found you a nice new sweater for Christmas."

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And, inside the sweater you're about to hand him is an original US Constitution in mint condition.

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