Some fun before the weekend

This posting by Donald Clark made me laugh.

Have a nice weekend.

Comments

[Pharos]

The find 'x' diagram is the best.

But back to business, how about this...

http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/6057668/pacific-islands-defy-apocalyptic-climate-change-scenarios.thtml

[Don Pablo de la Sierra]

Pharos

You don't suppose they read this blog some weeks ago when our illustrious iconoclast, Jack Hughes suggested that they melt a block of ice in a tub of water and measure how high the water was raised, do you?

While I never did meet Niels Bohr, I did meet Hans Bethe at Cornell. He was also a maverick, not happy with doing things the "accepted" way. For an example, he never did use the calculator his students gave him. He continued to use his slide rule and usually had three significant digits correct. The funny story I have is one of his students used the Cornell computer to do calculations (I worked in the computer center and helped him get the program working) and Hans refused to accept his thesis until he had redone the calculations on a slide rule.

We need more people like Niels and Hans, to say the least.

[Dreadnought]

Another solution is to enter the building, find the caretaker and say to him "I have here a very valuable barometer. It's yours if you tell me how high this building is."

[GrantB]

Three is good but the less than binomial expansion in six is my favourite. Funny Maths

[Pharos]

Don Pablo

Some of us have not got over currency decimalisation yet. But at least in the oil business inches, feet, barrels, acres, pounds per gallon, pounds per sq in etc., etc. are still entrenched, except if you work for BP, and right now if you do keep your head down.

[Don Pablo de la Sierra]

Pharos

Nice to know that there is somebody who could solve the math problem of

"If a ship builder bought 5 rods, 3 yards, 2 feet and 5 inches of rope for £10/19/11d, how much did it cost per inch?"

Me, I am happy with meters and euros. But then I have a decimal calculator. :)

[John Silver]

Niels Bohr was an arrogant half-literate; there was no string, stop-watch or tape measure mentioned in the problem.
There was only a barometer and a skyscraper.

I think quantum mechanics should be viewed in light of this.

[Dreadnought]

Don Pablo

The ship's chandler wouldn't understand the rods. In my sailing days rope came in fathoms and chain cable in shackles.

[James P]

"there was no string, stop-watch or tape measure mentioned in the problem"

Nor do I remember them specifically mentioned in the physics exams I sat, despite their necessity in questions on acceleration, pendulums, friction, etc!

Niels Bohr was one of the first to point out the shortcomings of CO2 as a retainer of heat, too:

Link

[James P]

£10/19/11d

I remember doing long division of old money in my little village primary school, which I left when I was eight. As I recall, pretty well everyone in the class could do it, whereas my well-graded 12-year old would undoubtedly reach for a calculator to divide up the decimal stuff!