[math-fun] buying gas last night
The pump stopped > $3 short of the $20 I gave the Desi clerk, so I squeezed it up to $17 and, remembering that a new employee at Empress of India had once accepted one, demanded a $3 bill with Bill Clinton's picture on it. The clerk said $2.71. In disbelief, I walked back to the pump. It said $17.29. The clerk denied that 1729 meant anything to him, but became very enthusiastic when I mentioned Ramanujan. I still don't understand where that 29¢ came from. There now was actually a little gas spilled on the ground. --Bill
Something I've wondered about for a while: How much of the LAST customer's choice of grade am I getting when I buy gasoline at a pump? E.g., is someone who pays for 10 gallons of premium taking a chance on getting 9 gallons of premium plus 1 gallon of regular? Jim Propp On Wednesday, August 3, 2016, Bill Gosper <billgosper@gmail.com> wrote:
The pump stopped > $3 short of the $20 I gave the Desi clerk, so I squeezed it up to $17 and, remembering that a new employee at Empress of India had once accepted one, demanded a $3 bill with Bill Clinton's picture on it. The clerk said $2.71. In disbelief, I walked back to the pump. It said $17.29. The clerk denied that 1729 meant anything to him, but became very enthusiastic when I mentioned Ramanujan. I still don't understand where that 29¢ came from. There now was actually a little gas spilled on the ground. --Bill _______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com <javascript:;> https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
Is there a reasonably short causal path from math-fun to xkcd? http://m.xkcd.com/1721/ (In particular, Randall has cited Robert Munafo's RIES, so it's not inconceivable.) -- APG.
Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2016 at 1:36 PM From: "James Propp" <jamespropp@gmail.com> To: math-fun <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: [math-fun] buying gas last night
Something I've wondered about for a while: How much of the LAST customer's choice of grade am I getting when I buy gasoline at a pump? E.g., is someone who pays for 10 gallons of premium taking a chance on getting 9 gallons of premium plus 1 gallon of regular?
Jim Propp
On Wednesday, August 3, 2016, Bill Gosper <billgosper@gmail.com> wrote:
The pump stopped > $3 short of the $20 I gave the Desi clerk, so I squeezed it up to $17 and, remembering that a new employee at Empress of India had once accepted one, demanded a $3 bill with Bill Clinton's picture on it. The clerk said $2.71. In disbelief, I walked back to the pump. It said $17.29. The clerk denied that 1729 meant anything to him, but became very enthusiastic when I mentioned Ramanujan. I still don't understand where that 29¢ came from. There now was actually a little gas spilled on the ground. --Bill _______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com <javascript:;> https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
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Randall's entrepreneur envisions an unworkable startup; I was imagining something more like an unworkable class-action suit brought by buyers of premium gas against the gas stations that dispense it. Jim Propp On Wednesday, August 17, 2016, Adam P. Goucher <apgoucher@gmx.com> wrote:
Is there a reasonably short causal path from math-fun to xkcd?
(In particular, Randall has cited Robert Munafo's RIES, so it's not inconceivable.)
-- APG.
Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2016 at 1:36 PM From: "James Propp" <jamespropp@gmail.com <javascript:;>> To: math-fun <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com <javascript:;>> Subject: Re: [math-fun] buying gas last night
Something I've wondered about for a while: How much of the LAST customer's choice of grade am I getting when I buy gasoline at a pump? E.g., is someone who pays for 10 gallons of premium taking a chance on getting 9 gallons of premium plus 1 gallon of regular?
Jim Propp
On Wednesday, August 3, 2016, Bill Gosper <billgosper@gmail.com <javascript:;>> wrote:
The pump stopped > $3 short of the $20 I gave the Desi clerk, so I squeezed it up to $17 and, remembering that a new employee at Empress of India had once accepted one, demanded a $3 bill with Bill Clinton's picture on it. The clerk said $2.71. In disbelief, I walked back to the pump. It said $17.29. The clerk denied that 1729 meant anything to him, but became very enthusiastic when I mentioned Ramanujan. I still don't understand where that 29¢ came from. There now was actually a little gas spilled on the ground. --Bill _______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com <javascript:;> <javascript:;> https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com <javascript:;> https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
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We could offer a revised charging system, which accounted for the price of the previous fuel, giving you a discount on premium if you dispensed from a hose which had previously been used for economy. Patent this, make the use mandatory as part of a class action settlement, profit.
On Aug 17, 2016, at 2:07 PM, James Propp <jamespropp@gmail.com> wrote:
Randall's entrepreneur envisions an unworkable startup; I was imagining something more like an unworkable class-action suit brought by buyers of premium gas against the gas stations that dispense it.
Jim Propp
On Wednesday, August 17, 2016, Adam P. Goucher <apgoucher@gmx.com> wrote:
Is there a reasonably short causal path from math-fun to xkcd?
(In particular, Randall has cited Robert Munafo's RIES, so it's not inconceivable.)
-- APG.
Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2016 at 1:36 PM From: "James Propp" <jamespropp@gmail.com <javascript:;>> To: math-fun <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com <javascript:;>> Subject: Re: [math-fun] buying gas last night
Something I've wondered about for a while: How much of the LAST customer's choice of grade am I getting when I buy gasoline at a pump? E.g., is someone who pays for 10 gallons of premium taking a chance on getting 9 gallons of premium plus 1 gallon of regular?
Jim Propp
On Wednesday, August 3, 2016, Bill Gosper <billgosper@gmail.com <javascript:;>> wrote:
The pump stopped > $3 short of the $20 I gave the Desi clerk, so I squeezed it up to $17 and, remembering that a new employee at Empress of India had once accepted one, demanded a $3 bill with Bill Clinton's picture on it. The clerk said $2.71. In disbelief, I walked back to the pump. It said $17.29. The clerk denied that 1729 meant anything to him, but became very enthusiastic when I mentioned Ramanujan. I still don't understand where that 29¢ came from. There now was actually a little gas spilled on the ground. --Bill _______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com <javascript:;> <javascript:;> https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com <javascript:;> https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com <javascript:;> https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
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participants (4)
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Adam P. Goucher -
Bill Gosper -
James Propp -
Tom Knight