----- Original Message ---- From: Steve Witham <sw@tiac.net> To: math-fun@mailman.xmission.com Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2007 9:40:56 AM Subject: [math-fun] Letter insertions "Insert letters to form words" is a nice highway passtime with license plates. Similar lateral feeling. Different section of the brain than those used for "what does this acronym stand for" and "what is this vanity plate about." Maybe that would make a cool FMRI study. Trivial Pursuit, too, when you really don't know, but get the right answer out of the blue. Once I did $ grep inel /usr/dict/words and got this scary poem: inelastic inelegant ineligible ineluctable machinelike sentinel trichinella --Steve p.s. what the hec are hectorems?

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.*H.*R.*E.*M.*S.*

Dan A: HREMS -> harems, theorems, and ? Mike S: hectorems.

From: Bill Gosper <rwmgosper@yahoo.com>

scHwaRtzEneggerisMS? higHeR mathEMaticS!

hypergeometrics, hectorems, hordeolums, hypernatremias.

Some reasons to kick yourself: theremins, thermochemist(ry), threadworms, threesomes, chrysanthemums,

1 hectorem = 100 rems. A rem is a unit of ionizing radiation dose, equal to the absorption of 1 Joule of energy per kilogram of tissue, and corrected for the biological effectiveness of the type of radiation. Is it just coincidence that this is associated with inel = Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (now called Idaho National Laboratory), a nuclear reactor R&D facility? Gene ____________________________________________________________________________________ Fussy? Opinionated? Impossible to please? Perfect. Join Yahoo!'s user panel and lay it on us. http://surveylink.yahoo.com/gmrs/yahoo_panel_invite.asp?a=7