OT: Mathematical Conundrum II

[Tim+]

I think that question should be addressed to Denis.

Tim

[Ranger]

Must explain why science went for the metric system long before anyone except the French did and then didn?t manage to produce any decent science like relativity etc.

Must explain why we didn?t come up with stuff like DNA once socialism became quite common in the modern first world.

And universities are nothing like socialism, eh ?

But science went for the metric system anyway, for a reason.

[Ranger]

Not surprising that kids born since decimalisation don?t have a clue what someone who says that is talking about.

[polygonum]

Thyroid and related issues.

[Albert Zweistein]

Game set and match on that one I think. :)

[The Natural Philosopher]

Indeed. The more socialism there is in a university, the less science it does.

[pamela]

Are you taking l-carnitine?

[polygonum]

No - but others do, often to try to address hyperthyroidism.

[Vir Campestris]

For a long time you could find florins and 2 bob coins in your change. But you may have called them 10p coins.

They've all gone now the coins have been shrunk.

Andy

[Ranger]

Could have sworn that where DNA was discovered was one of the more socialist universities.

And that antibiotics were in fact fully developed in one of the most socialism riddled parts of the system.

Same with nuclear power too.

[John Rumm]

I remember being a bit dubious being sent off to junior school one day with a sixpence with which to buy my break time milk. Never having seen one before I was expecting to have it rejected at the counter. Much to my surprise, the girl serving did not bat an eyelid and took it! (must have been '75 ish at a guess)

[John Rumm]

Glossing over the whole 1024 vs 1000 byte KB/MB/GB... thing ;-)

[John Rumm]

And those that have never heard of ternary ;-)

[News]

In message , NY writes

Yes, thank you Tony :-)

[News]

In message , John Rumm writes

*Buy*? It were free in my day. Either frozen or curdled, but free :-)

[Jim_S]

I think Thatcher stopped free milk after decimalisation?

[NY]

My memory of it (in the very late 60s) was that it had a very odd sweetish flavour. Not curdled/sour. Was it ordinary milk or was it modified (eg sweetened) so as to appeal to children? Whatever, it was vile. I have unpleasant memories of a brother and sister (twins) in my class who invariably puked it back up within a few seconds. Every day they said "No we don't want it. We'll only be sick". Every day the teacher said "You must". Every day they puked. It got to the stage that the teacher brought a bucket into class, gave them their milk and held out the bucket. They probably had a milk intolerance, but no-one was wise to that at the time. They were Indian - I believe that milk intolerance is more common in Asians (especially Japanese/Chinese, but maybe also Indians).

[Adrian]

I remember sixpences stopping being accepted in shops, and going down to spend the last couple in my piggybank. But shillings/two shillings were OK, because they were the same as 5/10p.

Even then, at 5 or so, I thought it was an odd way to work, and why did we have to have this out-of-date rubbish still kicking about.

[Tim+]

Because at 5 you had no poetry in your soul. ;-)

I came from a decimal economy (US) to the UK in 1965 and loved the British currency. So much more interesting than cent, nickels, dimes, quarters & dollars.

Tim

[pamela]

Surely you would have needed to know it then?