XWord Muggles Forum

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:35 pm**

Dplass wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:27 pm
michaelm wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:07 pm I, for one, was not triggered by any of the possible spoilers this past weekend.
sined,
michaelm
At least you didn't go off on any tangents.

I certainly never saw any spoilers; but then I never took anything beyond Algebra II. Never had calculus or trig. I had to look up a glossary of math terms to recognize all of the relevant letters within the theme answers. After that, finding the meta answer was easy.

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:35 pm**

I was sorely tempted to comment (before Sunday night), that the Meta TRIGgered a memory of Shawshank redemption. But I ofTAN worry about spoilers, 'COS I'm neurotic that way, so on SECond thought, I decided to SIgN off without further COmmenT.

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:36 pm**

RichA2 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 1:31 pm The takeaway, I think, is that the best defense against spoilers is our caution in posting, particularly taking care to avoid explicit use of grid answers.

Beautifully stated. However, spoilers will happen & the best way to address them is to use the reporting feature.

It's also okay to PM the post's author with your concerns, should moderators not reply in a timely manner. The originator can edit their own posts & most will, if asked.

As always, keep it friendly & in the spirit of this fun place. Muggles are wonderful.

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:25 pm**

Trig and the functions jumped out at me from math. We had some fascinating personalities for math teachers at Stuyvesant. Mrs. Abramson (Algebra), Mr. Vogel (Algebra 2) and Ms. Schimmel (Geometry and Trig) are the ones I remember. There was also a somewhat grumpy pre-calc and calc teacher.

I really do think that math experience (was going to say math skills but even I would blush at that assertion about myself) helps in life. Like before signing up for a jumbo mortgage or credit card...

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:39 pm**

mntlblok wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:43 am
hoover wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 9:35 pm
mikeB wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 4:55 pm

I studied math at Berkeley. I considered mechanical engineering -- very interesting curriculum, but the math was way too hard, so I studied math instead.
I studied electrical engineering at Rice. I choose EE because of the applied math and equations. Actual math didn't seem to have any numbers.
While I hold EE's in highest esteem, whenever I encounter one, I ask if they know of Oliver Heaviside. You'll be the first if you do.

You need to ask older EEs who have actually studied transmission lines. Smith charts were my favorites!

The name rings a bell, something about Heaviside equations, but that was a few decades ago. Just checked the Wikipedia page and yeah, that would have been second semester sophomore year or first semester junior year, back when students were rocking mullets like their favorite MTV VJs.

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:49 pm**

hoover wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:37 pm
mntlblok wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:43 am
hoover wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 9:35 pm

I studied electrical engineering at Rice. I choose EE because of the applied math and equations. Actual math didn't seem to have any numbers.
While I hold EE's in highest esteem, whenever I encounter one, I ask if they know of Oliver Heaviside. You'll be the first if you do.
The name rings a bell, something about Heaviside equations, but that was a few decades ago. Just checked the Wikipedia page and yeah, that would have been second semester sophomore year or first semester junior year, back when students were rocking mullets like their favorite MTV VJs.

Oddly, although I clicked the "Edit" pencil, this post was duplicated, and I was not able to delete the original (the X icon doesn't appear).

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:56 pm**

hoover wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:49 pm
hoover wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:37 pm
mntlblok wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:43 am
Oddly, although I clicked the "Edit" pencil, this post was duplicated, and I was not able to delete the original (the X icon doesn't appear).
This happens to me too. While I can delete a PM (the X icon appears), I can't delete a post in a thread because the X icon doesn't appear. I just have to delete what I ant to delete by erasing the words.

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:57 pm**

boharr wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:56 pm
hoover wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:49 pm
hoover wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:37 pm

Oddly, although I clicked the "Edit" pencil, this post was duplicated, and I was not able to delete the original (the X icon doesn't appear).
This happens to me too. While I can delete a PM (the X icon appears), I can't delete a post in a thread because the X icon doesn't appear. I just have to delete what I ant to delete by erasing the words.
Edit: Now on this post the X icon did appear.

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:32 pm**

Another blockbuster turnout this week: We had 3,612 entries, about 79% correct (roughly where the percentage typically is). As always, we mortals can only admire in awe what it takes to weave six symmetrical theme entries into a 15x15 grid, each concealing a 3-letter trig abbreviation followed by a specific 4th letter!

We lost quite a lot of you to some other 6-letter trig words: COSINE (274!), RATIOS (193), SECANT (66), and ANGLES (59), among others.

Congrats to this week's winner, Liz Pacini of Lafayette, Colo.!

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:21 pm**

hoover wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:39 pm
mntlblok wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:43 am
hoover wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 9:35 pm

I studied electrical engineering at Rice. I choose EE because of the applied math and equations. Actual math didn't seem to have any numbers.
While I hold EE's in highest esteem, whenever I encounter one, I ask if they know of Oliver Heaviside. You'll be the first if you do.
You need to ask older EEs who have actually studied transmission lines. Smith charts were my favorites!

The name rings a bell, something about Heaviside equations, but that was a few decades ago. Just checked the Wikipedia page and yeah, that would have been second semester sophomore year or first semester junior year, back when students were rocking mullets like their favorite MTV VJs.

When I was at HP (now Keysight) working on microwave spectrum analyzers, Smith chart paper was among the basic supplies available. I saw the trig functions immediately!

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:10 pm**

MikeMillerwsj wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:32 pm Another blockbuster turnout this week: We had 3,612 entries, about 79% correct (roughly where the percentage typically is). As always, we mortals can only admire in awe what it takes to weave six symmetrical theme entries into a 15x15 grid, each concealing a 3-letter trig abbreviation followed by a specific 4th letter!

We lost quite a lot of you to some other 6-letter trig words: COSINE (274!), RATIOS (193), SECANT (66), and ANGLES (59), among others.

Congrats to this week's winner, Liz Pacini of Lafayette, Colo.!

I may have to have my own mug made... hm let‘s see... a grid with S on one side and R on the other? Or SReh26 in bold IN the grid?? There would probably be licensing issues with the WSJ... hm better not.

A crossword stressball shaped like a smaller rubix cube, but with grids on each side??

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:56 pm**

hoover wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:37 pm
mntlblok wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:43 am
hoover wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 9:35 pm

I studied electrical engineering at Rice. I choose EE because of the applied math and equations. Actual math didn't seem to have any numbers.
While I hold EE's in highest esteem, whenever I encounter one, I ask if they know of Oliver Heaviside. You'll be the first if you do.
The name rings a bell, something about Heaviside equations, but that was a few decades ago. Just checked the Wikipedia page and yeah, that would have been second semester sophomore year or first semester junior year, back when students were rocking mullets like their favorite MTV VJs.

All you guys are *way* out of my math league. Embarrassed by my inability to do your level of math, I've instead made the history of science one of my hobbies. Heaviside was apparently a strange bird, but the cool "trivia" thing about him is related to the Maxwell Equations. Apparently, Maxwell had something like 19 or 20 of them. Heaviside is who reduced them to the four that are typically thought of now as "Maxwell's Equations". (Just took another peek. Looks like he utilized vector calculus. At least it wasn't tensor calculus.

)

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:59 pm**

billkatz wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:21 pm
hoover wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:39 pm
mntlblok wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:43 am

While I hold EE's in highest esteem, whenever I encounter one, I ask if they know of Oliver Heaviside. You'll be the first if you do.
You need to ask older EEs who have actually studied transmission lines. Smith charts were my favorites!

The name rings a bell, something about Heaviside equations, but that was a few decades ago. Just checked the Wikipedia page and yeah, that would have been second semester sophomore year or first semester junior year, back when students were rocking mullets like their favorite MTV VJs.
When I was at HP (now Keysight) working on microwave spectrum analyzers, Smith chart paper was among the basic supplies available. I saw the trig functions immediately!

I think most engineers saw the same so the meta came quickly to us. You microwave guys used Smith charts, the rest of us used a variety of linear and log papers - mostly for us K&E. When computers developed plotting routines, all that paper quickly went into the trash.

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:02 pm**

Dplass wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:27 pm
michaelm wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:07 pm I, for one, was not triggered by any of the possible spoilers this past weekend.
sined,
michaelm
At least you didn't go off on any tangents.

A very loud GROAN

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:04 pm**

JAQT wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 10:55 am
mntlblok wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:43 am
hoover wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 9:35 pm

I studied electrical engineering at Rice. I choose EE because of the applied math and equations. Actual math didn't seem to have any numbers.
While I hold EE's in highest esteem, whenever I encounter one, I ask if they know of Oliver Heaviside. You'll be the first if you do.
Oliver Heaviside, inventor of the step function whose derivative is the Dirac delta function.

In fairness, although my graduate degree was EE, my undergrad was math. But why do you think that EEs won't know Oliver Heaviside? The responses to step and impulse functions are critical analytical tools.

I got involved with the Heaviside Layer (now known at the E layer of the ionosphere) when I was doing Over the Horizon Radars.

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:14 pm**

Ah, my calculus cheer. Courtesy of Mr. Runyan of Shawnee Mission East (still one of my favorite teachers of all time):

E to the u, du dx, e to the x, dx
Secant, cosine, tangent, sine, 3.14159
Integral, radical, mu, dv
Calculus forever, S.M.E.!

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:14 pm**

Don’t want to incur anyone‘s wrath
Especially that of people who are good at math
who may have just taken an unexpected unwanted bath
has the market tumbled? yes it hath

I don’t want to seem self satisfied
arrogant, obnoxious or full of pride
and never ever would I want to be snide
or reflect a bad side

Into the darkness we leapt today
so before we hit the hay
and hope for a better day
my high regard for Muggledom I wish to say
for them, and for the WSJ

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:54 pm**

I think that now we have successfully proven that, among Muggles, engineers outnumber gardeners.

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:59 pm**

JordanianTomlinson wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:14 pm Ah, my calculus cheer. Courtesy of Mr. Runyan of Shawnee Mission East (still one of my favorite teachers of all time):

E to the u, du dx, e to the x, dx
Secant, cosine, tangent, sine, 3.14159
Integral, radical, mu, dv
Calculus forever, S.M.E.!

Or, "Slipstick, sliderule, MIT!" as we used to say.

https://web.mit.edu/track/outdoor/beaver.html

Posted: **Mon Sep 20, 2021 11:02 pm**

Dplass wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:59 pm
JordanianTomlinson wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:14 pm Ah, my calculus cheer. Courtesy of Mr. Runyan of Shawnee Mission East (still one of my favorite teachers of all time):

E to the u, du dx, e to the x, dx
Secant, cosine, tangent, sine, 3.14159
Integral, radical, mu, dv
Calculus forever, S.M.E.!
Or, "Slipstick, sliderule, MIT!" as we used to say.

https://web.mit.edu/track/outdoor/beaver.html

We used to finish it like this:

Cube root, square root, BTU
Compass, slide rule, go Rice U!

http://timeline.centennial.rice.edu/entry/47/index.html

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