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“If you'd be loved, be worthy to be loved.”

The NEW Pythagorean Triple: 3-4-6

June 20th, 2008 at 2:29 pm by David Branco; 2 months, 2 weeks ago

When stumbling the internet, I came across this very humorous story. As soon as the anounser asked the question, I knew the answer was 5, yet I was surprised to see that the maths professor was working it out.

I’m telling you this story not just for your entertainment but to show you that you shouldn’t be afraid to embarass yourself … your teacher has been much more thorough at this than you ever will be.

We get a fair number of calls from the public on mathematical issues. Years ago I passed by the office and the secretary asked if I could answer such a question. I said sure, and we had this conversation:

Caller: Yes, Hi, this is Joe of Radio XYZ. We are on the air and we have this math contest, and there’s a question we can’t answer. Can you help us?

Me: I’ll try.

Joe: There’s this ladder, and it’s 5 feet long, and it’s leaning against the wall and it’s bottom is 3 feet away from the wall. At what height does it touch the wall?

Me: Oh, that’s easy, you just use the Pythagorean Theorem.

Joe: That’s what we thought, but just how does it work?

Me: Well, you square 5, that’s 25, and you square 3, that’s 9, 25+9=34, and you take the square root. I don’t know the square root of 34, but it’s just under 6.

Joe: So the ladder touches the wall at a heigh of about 6 feet?

Me: Yes!

Joe: That’s awfully high!

Me: Yes, but it’s just the Pythagorean Theorem.

Joe: What’s your name?

Me: Peter Alfeld.

Joe: Pete! Pete, can we quote you? Can we say that Pete of the University of Utah Math Department says the ladder touches the wall at a height of 6 feet?

Me: Sure!

So I hang up and realize that I just invented a five foot ladder that can reach a height of six feet. The savings in aluminum alone … But I don’t remember the name of the station, so I can’t call back. Presumably my folly was broadcast over the entire Salt Lake Valley! I avoided the streets of Salt Lake City for a few months, and to this day I make sure to mention in every course I teach that the greatest obstacle to progress in mathematics is the human inability to distinguish reliably between a plus and a minus sign. You may have heard me pronounce that in your class!

sudo apt-get install wife…

June 18th, 2008 at 9:57 am by David Branco; 2 months, 3 weeks ago

apt-get install wife

How queer…

June 17th, 2008 at 4:22 pm by David Branco; 2 months, 3 weeks ago

Beer

The 2-Dollar Bill

June 16th, 2008 at 11:56 am by David Branco; 2 months, 3 weeks ago

Well, first off, I’ve got A-LOT to post about, mostly websites I’ve found using a website called Stumble. Well this post is about something my grandfather loves: 2-dollar bills . Well here is the story from the site:

I am STILL laughing!! I think we need to quit saving our $2 bills and bring them out in public.  The younger generation doesn’t know they exist.

On my way home from work, I stopped at Taco Bell for a quick bite to eat. In my billfold are a $50 bill and a $2 bill.   I figure that with a $2 bill, I can get something to eat and not  have to worry about anyone getting irritated at me for trying to break a $50 bill.

Me: "Hi, I’d like one seven-layer burrito please, to go."

Server: "That’ll be $1.04. Eat in?"

Me: "No, it’s to go." At this point, I open my billfold and hand him the $2 bill. He looks at it kind of funny.

Server: "Uh, hang on a sec, I’ll be right back."

He goes to talk to his manager, who is still within my earshot.   The following conversation occurs between the two of them:

Server: "Hey, you ever see a $2 bill?"

Manager: "No. A what?"

Server: "A $2 bill. This guy just gave it to me."

Manager: "Ask for something else. There’s no such thing as a $2 bill."

Server: "Yeah, thought so."

He comes back to me and says, "We don’t take these Do you have anything else?"

Me: "Just this fifty. You don’t take $2 bills?   Why?"

Server: "I don’t know."

Me: "See here where it says legal tender?"

Server: "Yeah."

Me: "So, why won’t you take it?"

Server: "Well, hang on a sec."

He goes back to his manager, who has been watching me like I’m a shoplifter, and says to him, "He says I have to take it."

Manager: "Doesn’t he have anything else?"

Server: "Yeah, a fifty. I’ll get it and you can open the safe and get change "

Manager: "I’m not opening the safe with him in here."
Server: "What should I do?"

Manager: "Tell him to come back later when he has real money."

Server: "I can’t tell him that! You tell him."

Manager: "Just tell him."

Server: "No way! This is weird. I’m going in back."

The manager approaches me and says, "I’m sorry, but we don’t take big bills this time of night."

Me: "It’s only seven o’clock! Well then, here’s a two dollar bill."

Manager: "We don’t take those, either."

Me: "Why not?"

Manager: "I think you know why."

Me: "No really, tell me why."

Manager: "Please leave before I call mall security."

Me: "Excuse me?"

Manager: "Please leave before I call mall security."

Me: "What on earth for?"

Manager: "Please, sir."

Me: "Uh, go ahead, call them."

Manager: "Would you please just leave?"

Me: "No."

Manager: "Fine — have it your way then."

Me: "Hey, that’s Burger King, isn’t it?"

At this point, he backs away from me and calls mall security on the phone around the corner. I have two people staring at me from the dining area, and I begin laughing out loud, just for effect. A few minutes later this 45-year-oldish guy
Comes in.

Guard: "Yeah, Mike, what’s up?"

Manager (whispering): "This guy is trying to give me some (pause) funny money."

Guard: "No kidding!   What?"

Manager: "Get this .. A two dollar bill."

Guard (incredulous): "Why would a guy fake a two dollar bill?"

Manager: "I don’t know. He’s kinda weird. He says the only other thing he has is a fifty."

Guard: "Oh, so the fifty’s fake!"

Manager: "No, the two dollar bill is."

Guard: "Why would he fake a two dollar bill?"

Manager: "I don’t know! Can you talk to him, and get him out of here?"

Guard: "Yeah."

Security Guard walks over to me and……

Guard: "Mike here tells me you have some fake bills you’re trying to use."

Me: "Uh, no."

Guard: "Lemme see ‘em."

Me: "Why?"

Guard: "Do you want me to get the cops in here?"

At this point I am ready to say, "Sure, please!" but I want to eat, so I say "I’m just trying to buy a burrito and pay for it with this two dollar bill.

I put the bill up near his face, and he flinches like I’m taking a swing at him.    He takes the bill, turns it over a few times in his hands, and says, "Hey, Mike, what’s wrong with this bill?"

Manager: "It’s fake."

Guard: "It doesn’t look fake to me."

Manager: "But it’s a two dollar bill."

Guard: "Yeah?"

Manager: "Well, there’s no such thing, is there?"

The security guard and I both look at him like he’s an idiot, and it dawns on the guy that he has no clue.

So, it turns out that my burrito was free, and he threw in a small drink and some of those cinnamon thingies, too.

Made me want to get a whole stack of two dollar bills just to see what happens when I try to buy stuff. If I got the right group of people, I could probably end up in jail. You get free food there,  too.

Just because I can…

June 2nd, 2008 at 7:44 pm by David Branco; 3 months, 1 week ago

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