A certain well-known pure mathematician had a wife who, whileintelligent, was not into mathematics. However, by continuedpractice, she learnt to distinguish between the conversationsof algebraists and analysts. So when he had guests to dinnerwho were talking about mathematics, if they were analysts, shewould introduce at a suitable pause in the conversation: "But what happens at the boundary?"Whereas, if they were algebraists, she would say: "But do the roots lie in the field?"By this means she was always able to impress his visitors byher knowledge of mathematics.