About 6 months ago, the state of Alabama voted to make the value of pi 3.00 as they figured it was just too difficult for people to have to deal with all of those other numbers after the decimal point. (3.1417 etc.)
Although the article below is meant to be humorous, in view of Alabama's decision, it is just a little too close to the truth and so seems to me to be scary and sad rather than humorous.
Does anyone under the age of 50 even know how to use a slide rule anymore? Inquiring minds want to know.
"At New York's Kennedy airport today, an individual later discovered to be a
public school teacher, was arrested trying to board a flight while in
possession of a ruler, a protractor, a setsquare, a slide rule, and a
calculator.
At a morning press conference, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez said he
believes the man is a member of the notorious al-gebra movement. The FBI is
charging him with carrying weapons of math instruction. Al-gebra is a
fearsome cult," Gonzalez said. "They desire average solutions by means and
extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in a search of absolute value.
They use secret code names like 'x' and 'y' and refer to themselves as
'unknowns', but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of
the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country. As the Greek
philanderer Isosceles used to say, 'there are 3 sides to every triangle'."
When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, "If God had wanted
us to have better weapons of math instruction, He would have given us more
fingers and toes"."
1 comment:
I'm laughing so hard there are tears in my eyes. Oh my. I have got to find my Algebra teacher's e-mail and send this on to her!
I do not know how to use a slide rule. I'm almost 37. My Dad still owns one though, so I at least know what it is.
More fingers and toes! Mwuhahaha!
(Speaking of politicians, how did you like today's news???)
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