to arrive at? Fittingly so?? 2

[keannu]

In the below paragraph, I guess to arrive at means "be able to arrive ", but there could be a possibility of "be scheduled to" or something as "be to infinitive" has lots of usage. I used to learn for the meaning of possbility, a passive tense is made like this "Not a sound was to be seen= They couldn't hear any sound"
But is possibility found in active tense as well?

".....A brilliant friend of mine once told me, "When you suddenly see a problem, something happens that you have the answer - before you are able to put it into words. It is all done subconsciously.This has happened many times to me." He also said "I have had my results for a long time; but I do not yet know how I am to arrive at them." Fittingly so, sometimes true genius simply cannot be put into words......"

I also wonder the exact meaning of "fittingly so" which I think is "properly something", but I'm not sure. So is hard to infer its meaning

 

[Khosro]

I learn English and at the same time I teach English.
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My suggestion, based upon one of the meanings of the verb "to be":

How I am to arrive at them = How I am supposed to arrive at them

 

[BobK]

..."I have had my results for a long time; but I do not yet know how I am to arrive at them."
This does not make sense. If he has them he has arrived at them. I see two possible meanings - each of which should be conveyed by different words:

• 'I am supremely confident in my ability to pass; it is a foregone conclusion. I might as well say I have my result already. All that remains is for me to do the work - but I haven't worked out yet exactly what I need to do.'
• 'My results have been available for a long time, but I don't yet know how to get hold of them.' [Maybe he doesn't have an Internet connection and they're released on line, or something...]

Fittingly so, sometimes true genius simply cannot be put into words......"

I also wonder the exact meaning of "fittingly so" which I think is "properly something", but I'm not sure. So is hard to infer its meaning

Fittingly = appropriately. The 'so' is unnecessary there, probably. As it's not clear what the first part means, it's impossible to say what the phrase is supposed to mean.

b

 

[keannu]

I'm sorry, but no answer is clear to me, I need a second opinon.

 

[5jj]

I'm sorry, but no answer is clear to me, I need a second opinon.

My second opinion would be the same as Bob's. Your sentence does not make sense in its present form.

Bob attempted to pull some possible meaning out of the words, guessing that 'results' meant the results of some examination that the speaker had taken recently.

Even if 'results' meant the results of the speakers own research, the words still wouldn't make sense. If you have had your results, then you have arrived at them.

 

[keannu]

I'm really, really sorry, please forgive me for causing the great confusion.
It was related to Gauss, not the briliant friend of mine. I made the mistake as the paragraph was fairly long, and while shortening it, I omitted the middle part.
I just want to know the usage of "to arrive" by choosing if it is schedule or ability, and what Fittingly so means.

".....A brilliant friend of mine once told me, "When you suddenly see a problem, something happens that you have the answer - before you are able to put it into words. It is all done subconsciously.This has happened many times to me.
This feeling of knowing without being able to say how one knows is common. The French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal is famous for saying, "The heart has its reasons that reason cannot know." The great nineteenth-century mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss also admitted that intuition often led him to ideas he could not immediately prove,.
He also said "I have had my results for a long time; but I do not yet know how I am to arrive at them." Fittingly so, sometimes true genius simply cannot be put into words......"

 

[5jj]

The great nineteenth-century mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss also admitted that intuition often led him to ideas he could not immediately prove,.
He also said "I have had my results for a long time; but I do not yet know how I am to arrive at them." Fittingly so, sometimes true genius simply cannot be put into words......"

Now it becomes clear, showing, yet again, the importance of context.

Gauss has known for a long time what the results of his research/thought/efforts will be, but he does not know exactly how to work to reach them.

I am reminded of Fermat's last theorem. Mathematicians were 99.9% certain that the conclusion was correct, but nobody knew how to prove it, until recently.

I think that it is well known that one cannot have five two-dimensional shapes, each of which touches all four others, but nobody (as far as I know) knows how to prove this.

 

[keannu]

My question is like below.

I just want to know the usage of "to arrive" by choosing if it is schedule or ability, and what Fittingly so means.

 

[5jj]

My question is like below.

I just want to know the usage of "to arrive" by choosing if it is schedule or ability, and what Fittingly so means.

Are you not happy with Bob's answerfor 'fittingly so' in post #3 and my 'reach'for 'arrive at' in the last post?

 

[BobK]

...

".....A brilliant friend of mine once told me, "When you suddenly see a problem, something happens :?:that:?: you have the answer - before you are able to put it into words. It is all done subconsciously. This has happened many times to me.
This feeling of knowing without being able to say how one knows is common. The French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal is famous for saying, "The heart has its reasons that reason cannot know."
Those weren't his words, but the import is similar.
The great nineteenth-century mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss also admitted that intuition often led him to ideas he could not immediately prove.
He also said "I have had my results for a long time; but I do not yet know how I am to arrive at them." Fittingly :?:so:?:, sometimes true genius simply cannot be put into words......"

I really don't think this is at all well written. Don't fret about exactly what it means; I'm not sure that even the writer knows. ;-)

b