Reminds me of the joke (copied and mildly edited from the internet): An engineer, a mathematician, and a physicist are testing the theory that all odd numbers are prime. Mathematician: "By convention, 1 is not prime, but 3 is prime, 5 is prime, and 7 is prime. However, 9 is not prime so the theorem is false."
Physicist: "3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, 9 - must be experimental error, 11 is prime, 13 is prime. The theory is true, within some margin of error." Engineer: "1 is prime, 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, 9 is prime, 11 is prime, 13 is prime, 15 is prime, 17 is prime, 19 is prime." Second Engineer, who slept through some early math classes: "What do you mean, '1 is not prime?'" > Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2015 09:42:02 -0500 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Jchat] negative numbers & elementary school > > Teach negative numbers as if they are natural. Don't the number line > posters run both directions? Leave the negatives on the subtraction > chart. The pattern is quite obvious. > > I recall talking with other kids on the elementary school bus about what > a negative number could possibly mean. I think, though, that I'd have > understood debt, and keeping track of debt. > > Sally lends Bobby a nickel, which he spends. Later Bobby finds a nickel > but has to give it to Sally because he owes it to her. After he gets a > nickel Bobby still has no money. > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
