This is a problem that's worried me for quite some time : if and when there are 51 United States, then how should the resulting 51 stars be arranged on the "Stars and Stripes" flag? There are nice arrangements for 48, 49, 50 stars: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * , but although I've considered this problem many times, I never came up with any arrangement I considered even remotely satisfactory before last night. Since I'd like to hear other people's ideas, I won't post last night's discovery until some of you have had a go at the problem, although I can hardly think any of you will come up with a pattern as good as mine! It would also be interesting to know whose job it is do settle such things, whether some 51-star design has already been provisionally decided upon, and of course, whether that's as good as mine. Regards, John Conway