Who Crapped in My Gauss?

{Grumpiness omitted.  New title}

Knickers: A Case Study of panted Bunnies

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Modern abstract mathematics.  I should have started here:

Gauss' Disquisitiones Arithmeticae

From the introduction:

"If, for a number of difficult questions, I have used synthetic demonstrations and left out the analysis which led me to them, I have decided to do so out of the desire to reduce the length, to which I had to conform as much as possible."

Synthetic proofs obscure the path.  They are like a magic trick: the apparent simplicity is a lie.  Pick it up, turn it over, and it will close its mouth as you hunt for a method for solution.  Clever little lens.

At least if Gauss does it to me, it will be on purpose.  That is a challenge I can accept.  It will be a nice change. 

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....music.....