=Henry Baker British parliamentary debate over quadratic equations & why they are important:

http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200203/cmhansrd/vo030... Fascinating, thanks for sharing this! ("Hear hear!"<;-). This rare conjunction of quadratics and politics reminded me of Robert Heinlein's idea in "Expanded Universe": "...a state that required a bare minimum of intelligence and education - e.g. step into the polling booth and find that the computer has generated a new quadratic equation just for you. Solve it, the computer unlocks the voting machine, you vote. But get a wrong answer and the voting machine fails to unlock, a loud bell sounds, a red light goes on over that booth - and you slink out, face red, you having just proved yourself too stupid and/or ignorant to take part in the decisions of the grownups. Better luck next election! No lower age limit in this system - smart 12-yr-old girls vote every election while some of their mothers - and fathers - decline to be humiliated twice." It's unclear though how one could extend this to work with absentee ballots. (For the record let me vigorously disclaim any political advocacy here. I offer this excerpt without promoting a position, merely noting it for your possible amusement and math-fun. Please let's not start a flame fest about the upcoming elections and suchnot!):