X is for X

X is for X, the unknown variable

The other day Miss Landers was telling me about something she thought was really interesting. She had heard an explanation about how the unknown variable in algebra became symbolized by the letter X. She told me just enough to confuse me but also pique my interest. (Yes, we may be a little nerdy here.)

After poking around, I found a TED talk by Terry Moore that I think Miss Landers had heard.
In the talk, Moore explained algebra was developed by the Arabs, and in the original algebra text, the variables were called unknown things and that word started with the sh sound. Algebra made it to Spain and when the Moors translated it to Spanish, the sh sound became the ck because they had no sh sound. That was represented by the Greek chi, which was represented by X and later a small x in Latin. Or something like that.

While this is a nice theory, there are other opinions. First, others contend that there is no proof for the phonetic switch idea. They propose that the x symbol comes from DesCartes and his use of letters from the beginning of the alphabet (a,b,c) for known variables and letters at the end of the alphabet (x,y,z)  for unknown variables. And as time went on and more things were printed, typesetters found it easier to use the x instead of y and z. Or something like that.

So if you haven't gone to sleep yet with these explanations on a topic that you aren't interested in, here's the part I found interesting. For some reason, even though I knew that x was used as the unknown as algebra, I never connected it as representing the unknown in other things.

For example:
x-rays-- Roentgen didn't know what he had, so he called them x rays
Malcomb X-- calls himself that for all of his unknown ancestors from Africa
X Files--They worked on strange cases with unknown origins

So I had a light bulb moment with this, and I'm going to put my new awareness to good use. I think dinner tonight will be known as Dinner X. :)

W is for Weeds

W is for Weeds

or A Second Look featuring 
the Weed, Garlic Mustard.

This is the second year of growth for these garlic mustard plants.

By definition, a weed is a plant that is growing where you don't want it to. So what is a weed in one situation, may be a flower in another.  However, there are several plants that most people agree are weeds because of their invasive nature. From time to time, I'm going to showcase one of these invasive weeds in a Second Look as a heads up. Meaning if you see one of these in your yard, pull it. If you don't, it will take over. Unfortunately, I've learned this the hard way more than once.

Today's feature is garlic mustard. It's a biennial that was brought to this country 150 years ago as an herb. Like most invasives, nothing likes to eat it, so it can spread to its heart's content crowding out native plants along the way. In places, it covers entire forest floors. The best way to control it is to pull it getting at least some of the root. Mowing before it can form seeds also helps. Control has to be repeated every few years because seeds can be viable in the ground for five years.

Here are some other things

 I saw this week during a Second Look.

Most of the trees are well on their way to leafing out. Here you can see a Japanese Maple, Sweet Gum, Dogwood (leafing and blooming), another kind of maple, and pine trees.

Yellow swallowtail butter fly on an azalea that is starting to bloom. 

Cherry laurel. The blossoms aren't big, but they have a great smell.

Goldfinch. It has its full summer/mating colors now.

Mating crane flies

Pink Dogwood

White Dogwood

Light pink Dogwood. And here's another example of why I take a Second Look. It wasn't until this year that I realized that these dogwood blossoms were a different color than the others we have.  They are a beautiful, delicate pink.

The bluebirds have laid more eggs for a total of five. 

Squirrel enjoying sunflower seeds. It put on a good show for the cats.

V is for Vote

Today is election day here and I'm faced with some difficult choices. However, I may just vote for Jon Rogers--for all offices. At least we know that Jon has a good sense of humor--not a bad qualification to start with.

This is a sign I saw last time I visited my mother. It was in the middle of several signs for various candidates.  

U is for Under or Over

U is for Under or Over

or How does your toilet paper roll?

I've spoken about this issue before--how do you install a roll of toilet paper?  Do you put it on so it unrolls from the bottom or unrolls from the top? This seems to be an issue that generates much argument.

Google patents

Recently "new" data has surfaced* that some claim has important bearing on this under/over argument. The information comes from the original patent application for a roll of  perforated toilet paper by Seth Wheeler in 1891. The perforations were seen as an inexpensive way to help prevent the waste of paper. Before this, waste prevention was done by expensive holders that were awkward to use.

But it seems that no one these days is much interested in Wheeler's clever use of perforations to tear toilet paper. Everyone seems to be interested in the pictures that went with the patent. In those pictures, the paper is rolled from the top. The proponents of the over method say that this is definitive evidence that over is the correct way for a roll to flow.

However, the under proponents are holding fast to their beliefs. They are making arguments that the way the pictures were oriented was only to demonstrate the points of the invention and aren't necessarily an endorsement by Wheeler.

So the debate continues. Which side are you on ?


*Recently, I have seen this picture on several social media sites. This also happened last year at this time. Of course, it's not new data since it's been around since 1891.

Two posts do not make a trend, but if I keep this up, I may have one going. That is, a trend of posts about unimportant things that people care about. Yesterday was about pedicures and today is about toilet paper.

T is for Toes

Photo source

I was talking with Miss Landers recently about the royal visit of William and Kate to India and Bhutan, and she filled me in on the hoopla about Kate's toes. Apparently, Kate took her shoes off at one point and the photographers zoomed in on her feet. Now the world is abuzz because Kate did not have a pedicure. I'm guessing that her plain toes generated so much talk because, let's face it, just about everything else is perfect with her.

Photo source

And all of this toe talk reminded me of something I was wondering about last summer. Does every other woman but me get a pedicure in the summer? I painted my toenails a few times in my younger days, but haven't for years. It's just not something that makes it to the top of my list of things to do. While I do wear sandals in the summer, I mostly wear running shoes which work best for my feet.

At some point last summer, I noticed that everyone around me had a pedicure. I was surprised about this, so I spent the next several weeks making a note about how many women had pedicures. I looked at people's feet everywhere I went. (Sounds a little strange, now that I write that.) And the result of that was I saw only one person that had unadorned toes. However, there were many that did not have a manicure.

So is this a regional thing? Do most people have a pedicure in the summer where you live? Do you always have a pedicure when your feet emerge from winter wear? And do you think that this should be the year that I join the rest of the world with a pedicure, or do I march to my own drummer and remain with Kate and her plain toes?