The Chu Forums

Ummm, no thanks.
Suddenly I think I know how my parents felt when they changed from Imperial to Metric.
Just when I learned Pi to 14 decimal places, they want to go and change it.

If Canada gets on board with this, the U.S. will definitely NOT be. I mean, look at their resistance in getting away from the Imperial system already. It'll just be another reason Americans would stay away from Canada... we count differently. haha

Ironically, the Imperial system has more in common with Dozenal than the Decimal system. I remember reading in high school that the monarchy in France at the time were math morons and thus it helped to spell the demise of Dozenal. Also I recall that the Decimal system was associated more to the atheist thinkers of the time vs the christians who were more rooted in Dozenal. Nat can correct me if I am misremembering.

i have no idea what you're talking about.

however, it's true that back in olden times any kind of atheist thinking was shunned. but i learned that from davinci code, not from school haha.

I just noticed the new anagram in your sig... oh man, pure gold

I edited my sig the day after eating a whole bunch of salsa. Thought it was fitting.

is this the same guy in the billion video too? man alive that guy likes numbers.

Yep, same guy. He's a mathematician. He contributes to a numbers channel: numberphile

i always wondered about mathematicians. like, what do they get paid to do? math? for what?

cryptography

If you could come up with an easy way to find the factors of any number, you would be well... the most sought after man in the world. You'd be like Einstein discovering nuclear physics.

Governments do a lot of statistics work... that's based a lot on numbers.
There's a guy on TV that solves crimes using math. Statistics and stuff again... oh, and there was that new Kiefer sutherland show that was about math and numbers too. That show only lasted one season and got cancelled though. Must've been because Kiefer Sutherland somehow always was out of breath, even though he wasn't really running.

can't a calculator do what they do though?

What... you want to try factoring a 400+ digit number made up by multiplying two large prime numbers with your calculator? Good luck.

Or... how about determining the fewest number of moves required to solve ANY rubik's cube?

Or... what is the fewest number of clues required to solve a soduku puzzle?

ok. can't a computer do that then?
and why would you need to factor a 400+ digit number besides being able to say that you've done it?

i'm not saying there isn't a need, i'm just saying i don't know what it is.