Tuesday Trivia

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Everything you need to know about .....
Numbers and Letters, Words, and Sayings
(OK, maybe not everything, but more than you knew before this!)

NUMBERS AND LETTERS

Pi is the most recognized mathematical constant in the world. Scholars often consider Pi the most important and intriguing number in all of mathematics. The symbol for pi (TT) has been used regularly in its mathematical sense only for the past 250 years.

In the Greek alphabet, TT (piwas) is the sixteenth letter. In the English alphabet, p is also the sixteenth letter.

The letter TT is the first letter of the Greek word “periphery” and “perimeter.” The symbol TT in mathematics represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. In other words, TT is the number of times a circle’s diameter will fit around its circumference.

In 1995, Hiroyoki Gotu memorized 42,195 places of pi and is considered the current pi champion. Some scholars speculate that Japanese is better suited than other languages for memorizing sequences of numbers.

One of the earliest known records of pi was written by an Egyptian scribe named Ahmes (c. 1650 B.C.) on what is now known as the Rhind Papyrus. He was off by less than 1% of the modern approximation of pi (3.141592).

Pi has been studied by the human race for almost 4,000 years. By 2000 B.C., Babylonians established the constant circle ratio as 3-1/8 or 3.125. The ancient Egyptians arrived at a slightly different value of 3-1/7 or 3.143.

WORDS

The word 'impeccable' comes from the Latin 'pecar', to sin. So, something that was pure or untouched became impeccable. In Spanish, the word for freckles is 'pecas', or little sins.

The haiku form was established in Japan as a way of protesting the changes an Emperor made to a court poet's work to change its meaning. The edited version had the five-seven-five syllable pattern, which the poet never deviated from in future.

Vatsyayana's Kama Sutra is believed to be the oldest sex manual in existence. The book is thought to have been written around 300 A D. "Kama Sutra" is Sanskrit for "Aphorisms of Love." The Kama Sutra describes the practices, rituals, and lore of the erotic ( kama ) in human relations and believes sexuality is an integral part of human existence.

The name of our galaxy, the Milky Way, comes from the ancient Greeks and their belief that it was made from drops of milk from the breasts of either the goddess Hera or the goddess Rhea. According to one legend, while Heracles was suckling from Hera, she realized that the infant was the illegitimate son of Zeus and another woman, and pushed him away. The spurting milk formed the Milky Way.

Everybody has seen the tall strange chef's hat that balloons at the top. But what is the reason for this unusual shape? Well, its basic purpose is to counteract the intense heat in the kitchen. The hat is shaped like this not just to look cool, but also to allow air to circulate around the chef's scalp and thus to keep his or her head from over-heating.

About one in twenty persons is born under the sign of this mystical constellation, but few of them know it. The constellation is called Ophiuchus, which means "he who holds the serpent". The Sun is in it from November 30 to December 17 and so if you are born between those dates you are not actually a Sagittarius but rather Ophiuchus. However, Ophiuchus is not part of the Western astrological zodiac, because the Sun doesn't spend the same amount of time, as it does in the other 12 constellations.

"We have too many high sounding words and too few actions that correspond with them."
Abigail Adams. (1744-1818), the first Second Lady of the United States and the second First Lady

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WHERE DID THAT SAYING SOME FROM?

The phrase "sleep tight" originated when mattresses were set upon ropes woven through the bed frame. To remedy sagging ropes, one would use a bed key to tighten the rope.

The term "dog days" has nothing to do with dogs. It dates back to Roman times, when it was believed that Sirius, the Dog Star, added its heat to that of the sun from July 3 to August 11, creating exceptionally high temperatures. The Romans called the period dies canicular, or "days of the dog."

The term "honeymoon" is derived from the Babylonians who declared mead, a honey-flavored wine, the official wedding drink, stipulating that the bride's parents be required to keep the groom supplied with the drink for the month following the wedding.

The term, "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye" is from Ancient Rome. The only rule during wrestling matches was, "No eye gouging." Everything else was allowed, but the only way to be disqualified is to poke someone's eye out.

In 1945 a computer at Harvard malfunctioned and Grace Hopper, who was working on the computer, investigated, found a moth in one of the circuits and removed it. Ever since, when something goes wrong with a computer, it is said to have a bug in it.

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

I have nothing more to say today!

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