Comments on: A Positive Sign http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/ Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:36:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Tristram Brelstaff http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2665 Tristram Brelstaff Thu, 26 Oct 2006 19:21:49 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2665 Some people apparently have great difficulty with the idea of zero as a number. Eric Hehner of the University of Toronto tells the following little story: "In the 1991 Toronto phone book, there is a page that helpfully gives the time difference to various places in the world; to the U.K. it says "+5", and to Costa Rica it says "-1". But to Cuba it says "NA", and the legenda explains "time difference not applicable". By 1996 they tried to correct it; for Cuba it says "=", with the same explanation. In 1997 they discovered the number 0 , but they felt the need then, and still do today, to explain that 0 means "no time difference". Some people apparently have great difficulty with the idea of zero as a number. Eric Hehner of the University of Toronto tells the following little story:

“In the 1991 Toronto phone book, there is a page that helpfully gives the time difference to various places in the world; to the U.K. it says “+5″, and to Costa Rica it says “-1″. But to Cuba it says “NA”, and the legenda explains “time difference not applicable”. By 1996 they tried to correct it; for Cuba it says “=”, with the same explanation. In 1997 they discovered the number 0 , but they felt the need then, and still do today, to explain that 0 means “no time difference”.

]]> By: Clifford http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2661 Clifford Thu, 26 Oct 2006 17:38:21 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2661 So Paul, Bee, Perhaps we should use the quaternions and then call them "hypervators". Or "Kahlervators"? -cvj So Paul, Bee,

Perhaps we should use the quaternions and then call them “hypervators”. Or “Kahlervators”?

-cvj

]]> By: Bee http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2660 Bee Thu, 26 Oct 2006 17:34:49 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2660 Grandpa Joe: It's an elevator. Willy Wonka: It's a Wonkavator. An elevator can only go up and down, but the Wonkavator can go sideways and slantways and longways and backways... Charlie Bucket: And frontways? Willy Wonka: ...and squareways and front ways and any other ways that you can think of. It can take you to any room in the whole factory just by pressing one of these buttons. Any of these buttons. Just press a button and *zing*! You're off. And up until now, I've pressed them all... except one. This one. Go ahead, Charlie. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067992/quotes Grandpa Joe: It’s an elevator.

Willy Wonka: It’s a Wonkavator. An elevator can only go up and down, but the Wonkavator can go sideways and slantways and longways and backways…

Charlie Bucket: And frontways?

Willy Wonka: …and squareways and front ways and any other ways that you can think of. It can take you to any room in the whole factory just by pressing one of these buttons. Any of these buttons. Just press a button and *zing*! You’re off. And up until now, I’ve pressed them all… except one. This one. Go ahead, Charlie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067992/quotes

]]> By: Stephen Uitti http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2653 Stephen Uitti Thu, 26 Oct 2006 15:18:52 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2653 My favorite number is <a href="http://predelusional.blogspot.com/2006/05/counting-on-your-fingers-arithmetic.html" rel="nofollow">zero</a>. It has unique properties. My favorite number is zero.

It has unique properties.

]]> By: Paul http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2650 Paul Thu, 26 Oct 2006 15:05:52 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2650 Good spot Clifford! It is a very nice sign. The only elevator I know that can go sideways is Willy Wonka's great glass elevator, and perhaps there should be some homage paid a la Harry Potter at King's Cross to it. With regard to using the imaginary numbers for a sideways lift, I foresee some difficulties, because sideways moving elevators also should have the technology to move forwards-backwards as well as left-right and up-down, so perhaps we should include time and then use a quaternionic basis? Best wishes, Paul Good spot Clifford! It is a very nice sign. The only elevator I know that can go sideways is Willy Wonka’s great glass elevator, and perhaps there should be some homage paid a la Harry Potter at King’s Cross to it.

With regard to using the imaginary numbers for a sideways lift, I foresee some difficulties, because sideways moving elevators also should have the technology to move forwards-backwards as well as left-right and up-down, so perhaps we should include time and then use a quaternionic basis?

Best wishes,
Paul

]]> By: B http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2642 B Thu, 26 Oct 2006 11:19:44 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2642 Hi Clifford, I am STILL confused that this side of the big water the 1st floor is the basement. I frequently push the wrong buttons in the elevator and then I end up in a laundry room, or in a parking deck. I am waiting for someone to suggest that the 13 is cancelled from the natural numbers, or at least shouldn't be used in schoolbooks or so ;-) B. Hi Clifford,

I am STILL confused that this side of the big water the 1st floor is the basement. I frequently push the wrong buttons in the elevator and then I end up in a laundry room, or in a parking deck. I am waiting for someone to suggest that the 13 is cancelled from the natural numbers, or at least shouldn’t be used in schoolbooks or so ;-)

B.

]]> By: Mary Cole http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2641 Mary Cole Thu, 26 Oct 2006 11:03:59 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2641 The sign at King'sCross is a reference to Harry Potter, not the usual way of numbering rail platforms in the UK! I agree wholeheartedly that the negative number at Heathrow is very reassurring for all the reasons mentioned. For some reason the photo reminded me of a sign in an elevator my father told me about. (I think it may have been at his office). It read 'FOR UP PRESS DOWN'. The sign at King’sCross is a reference to Harry Potter, not the usual way of numbering rail platforms in the UK!
I agree wholeheartedly that the negative number at Heathrow is very reassurring for all the reasons mentioned. For some reason the photo reminded me of a sign in an elevator my father told me about. (I think it may have been at his office). It read ‘FOR UP PRESS DOWN’.

]]> By: pi_boson http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2632 pi_boson Thu, 26 Oct 2006 07:20:58 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/10/25/a-positive-sign/#comment-2632 But who can explain fractional signs? Like the platform number 9+3/4 at London King's Cross. I was always curious who ever named it that way? Here is a picture I googled up: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://dobbin.com/megan/images/london/thumbnails/thumb_100_0037.JPG&imgrefurl=http://dobbin.com/megan/images/london/photos/photo_9.html&h=100&w=75&sz=2&hl=en&start=5&tbnid=U74pul_bmPe-CM:&tbnh=77&tbnw=57&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkings%2Bcross%2Bplatform%2Bnumber%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26hs%3DrnJ%26lr%3D%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official_s%26sa%3DN But who can explain fractional signs? Like the platform number 9+3/4 at London King’s Cross. I was always curious who ever named it that way? Here is a picture I googled up:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://dobbin.com/megan/images/london/thumbnails/thumb_100_0037.JPG&imgrefurl=http://dobbin.com/megan/images/london/photos/photo_9.html&h=100&w=75&sz=2&hl=en&start=5&tbnid=U74pul_bmPe-CM:&tbnh=77&tbnw=57&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkings%2Bcross%2Bplatform%2Bnumber%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26hs%3DrnJ%26lr%3D%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official_s%26sa%3DN

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