According to wikiquote it was John von Neumann: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_von_Neumann except they have it as: "With four parameters I can fit an elephant, and with five I can make him wiggle his trunk." Abby
*Abby Grace Drake, PhDDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyCornell UniversityPhone: 508.981.2783Skype: abby.drake* On Wed, Oct 19, 2016 at 1:10 PM, Bill Sellers <w...@mac.com> wrote: > Dear All, > > I wonder if anyone can help me. I'm trying to trace a quotation that a now > long retired colleague of mine used to use. He doesn't remember where he > got it from but it is very apt, and since it relates to animal shape I'm > hoping someone on this mailing list will recognise it (particularly since > I'm probably not remembering it quite properly and google is being > unhelpful). The quote as best I remember it is: > > "Give me 4 parameters and I can build you an elephant. Give me 5 and I can > make it wag its tail." > > I've always imagined it was something that a 1930s developmental biologist > or mathematician would have said when discussing the utility of > developmental models at the time. > > Can anyone help? > > Cheers > Bill > -- > Bill Sellers, Tel: 01612751719, Mobile: 07857655786, > http://www.animalsimulation.org > University of Manchester, D1239 Michael Smith Building, Manchester, M13 > 9PT. > > -- > MORPHMET may be accessed via its webpage at http://www.morphometrics.org > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MORPHMET" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to morphmet+unsubscr...@morphometrics.org. > > -- MORPHMET may be accessed via its webpage at http://www.morphometrics.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MORPHMET" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to morphmet+unsubscr...@morphometrics.org.
