数学家发明公式可算出最佳求婚时间

 　　Worried your boyfriend is never going to propose? Then buy him a calculator。

　　Mathematicians¹ have come up with a 'fiancee formula' that allows men to work out the perfect time to pop the question。

　　All he needs is the age he would first consider marrying and hiscut-off point - and the equation does the rest。

　　Maths professor Anthony Dooley said: 'Applying maths to matters of the heart is alwaysdangerous. In life you are dealing² with emotions and have to think much harder。

　　But if you want to work out the right moment to start getting serious, this gives you a mathematical framework.'

　　The formula is based on a statistical³ technique known as optimal⁴ stopping - or the best time to do something。

　　Professor Dooley's colleague, Professor Bruce Brown, said the formula was a 'reasonable approach' unwittingly followed by many young men, including himself。

　　Writing in the third person, he said: 'As for the author, he can tell you that, looking backand doing some calculations, he did follow the marriage solution, albeit⁵ by accident, and it has worked out perfectly⁶.'

　　The formula wasdevised with men in mind but could equally apply to women, including those uncertain about whether to accept a proposal. It could also help nervous men calculate when to avoid the ultimate commitment。

　　But those who find they have passed the optimal age for proposing should not panic - simply pop the question to the next good prospect⁷ who comes along。

　　Professor Dooley, ofNew South Wales University in Sydney, added: 'Probability isn't the most romantic basis for a marriage but while the formula won't fit everyone it does seem to fit a lot of couples, whether through accidentor design.'

　　担心男友不向你求婚？给他买个计算器吧！

　　日前，数学家研究出一个“求婚公式”，让男士们可以计算出求婚的最佳时间。

　　在计算过程中，只需提供最初考虑结婚的年龄和最迟结婚期限，剩下的都交给公式来处理。

　　数学教授安东尼?杜利说：“把数学运用到感情问题中通常不保险。在生活中，你得处理感情问题，而且需要更仔细地思量。

　　“但如果你想算出最佳结婚时间，这个公式可为你提供一个参考。”

　　该公式基于一个被称为“最优停止”的统计学技术，可计算出做某事的最佳时间。

　　杜利教授的同事布鲁斯?布朗教授说，该公式是一个“合理的方法”，很多年轻男士都在不知不觉中遵循着这一公式，包括他本人。

　　杜利教授在研究报告中以第三人称写道：“至于作者，他可以告诉你，回过头去看看，再做番计算，他的确遵循了这一婚姻公式——尽管是偶然的巧合，而且应用得很完美。”

　　尽管这一公式是为男士设计的，但对女士同样适用，比如那些正在犹豫是否接受求婚的女性。该公式还可以帮助紧张不安的男士计算出避免求婚的时间。

　　不过发现自己已经错过最佳求婚年龄的人也不要恐慌——就直接向下一个可能结为连理的对象求婚吧。

　　悉尼新南威尔士大学的杜利教授说：“概率不是婚姻最为浪漫的基础，但尽管这一公式不适用于每一个人，它确实适用于很多夫妻，不论是巧合还是精心设计的。”

1 mathematicians   

数学家( mathematician的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do you suppose our mathematicians are unequal to that? 你以为我们的数学家做不到这一点吗？ 来自英汉文学
• Mathematicians can solve problems with two variables. 数学家们可以用两个变数来解决问题。 来自哲学部分

2 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

3 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。

4 optimal   

adj.最适宜的；最理想的；最令人满意的

参考例句：

• What is the optimal mix of private and public property rights in natural resources?私人和国家的自然资源产权的最适宜的组合是什么？
• Optimal path planning is a key link for the sailing contest.帆船最优行驶路径规划是帆船比赛取胜的关键环节。

5 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

6 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

7 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。