This is what's called a "palate cleanser" -- changing the subject to something pleasant and away from the toxicity of social media around the beatification of a certain right-wing activist.
My son was a math major and the late Mr. Shaw Kenawe was a physics major at MIT.
This is dedicated to them and for all you Pythagorean groupies and math nerds:
Enjoy!
On 9/16/25, celebrate a date of mathematical beauty
Once a century, a very special day comes along.
That day is today — 9/16/25.
Pi Day (3/14) often comes with sweet treats;
Square Root Day (4/4/16 or 5/5/25, for example) has a certain numerical rhyme.
But the particular string of numbers in today's date may be especially delightful to the brains of mathematicians and the casual nerds among us.
First, "all three of the entries in that date are perfect squares — and what I mean by that is 9 is equal to 3 squared, 16 is equal to 4 squared, and 25 is equal to 5 squared," says Colin Adams, a mathematician at Williams College who was first tipped off about today's special qualities during a meeting with his former student, Jake Malarkey. Next, those perfect squares come from consecutive numbers — three, four, and five. But perhaps most special of all is that three, four, and five are an example of what's called a Pythagorean triple.
Not just mathematicians... building contractors know the key to squaring a room or a project lies in the beauty of the 3-4-5 angle. I never thought I'd come to love and use that reality on so many projects, back when I was in high school geometry.
ReplyDeleteI daily told Mr O'Neill I'd never need this stuff, I'm going to be a pastor. And daily he would tell me, "Dave, you never know, one day you might need this!"
How right he was.
For another view, especially all you pool sharks, check out Donald in Mathmagic Land.
https://youtu.be/8BqnN72OlqA?si=ph5PtSCyimQN-0MK
If it is good enough for Pythagoras it is good enough for me.
ReplyDeleteDoes one celebrate at the bar with three triple sec and vodkas on the rocks?
In my younger days, I could do that. Now, a half glass of red wine sends me to slumberland! Happy Triple Square Root Day to you!
DeleteYou're full of beans, BB... but I will take a Chiante...
DeletePythagoras had a strong aversion to fava beans, forbidding his followers from eating or touching them for a variety of philosophical, religious, and even potentially medical reasons. Explanations for this taboo include the belief that fava beans contain souls, their resemblance to human genitalia, the notion that their hollow stems are gates to the underworld, and the possibility of a genetic condition called favism. The legend of Pythagoras's death also ties into this aversion, claiming he was killed because he refused to cross a bean field to escape his pursuers.
Reasons for the Fava Bean Aversion
Souls of the dead: The Pythagoreans believed that fava beans could contain the souls of the dead, and eating them was a form of cannibalism.
Association with death: The hollow stems of the fava bean plant were seen as "gates of Hades," and fava beans were sometimes considered symbols of death and the underworld.
Genetic condition (Favism): Some scholars suggest that the prohibition could be linked to favism, a genetic blood disorder where consuming fava beans triggers a severe reaction, as noted by theglobalfool.com.
Similarity to human features: Some theories, like one from Aristotle, proposed that fava beans resembled genitalia, while others thought they looked like human fetuses.
Symbolism and protest: Beans were used as ballots in ancient Greek elections, and some speculate the prohibition was a form of political protest against democracy or a general association with corrupting elections.
Impact on Pythagoras's Death
A famous legend states that when Pythagoras was fleeing enemies, he refused to step into a fava bean field, even though it was the only escape route.
Because of this refusal, he was caught and killed, an event that cemented the strong connection between Pythagoras, fava beans, and his death in legend.
That species has been cultivated for over 10,000 years. Both Joe and I would surely have stopped and picked some. Ol Pythagoras should have taken a
ReplyDeletehypotenuse over by the grapes. But such are legends.