Posted on

Eleventh Hour

Scroll down to see more content

#MayWriteABit 2020, day 11

[I forgot this post after giving it  a title, so I’ve backtracked!]

11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer requiring three syllables and the largest prime number with a single-morpheme name.

Thank you Wikipedia, that makes me geekily happy!

It’s also equivalent to 3 in binary, 4 in base 3, 5 in base 4 and so on, so it’s always n+1 for a given base n.  This also makes me happy.

11 raised to the nth power is the nth row of Pascal’s Triangle.

OMG Wikipedia, I just SQUEALED.

I must test this…

WOW!  row zero is the top…11 to the power zero is 1…TICK

row 1:  11 to the power 1 is 11…TICK

row 2:  11 squared is 121…TICK

IT’S AMAZING!

I will have to find a way to teach ALL my students that as soon as we return…who knows, it may not be until the 11th month at this rate?

What else?

I’m trying not to eat elevenses every day, and stick to meals only!  [Not easy, snacks are easy to grab when you’re at home all day]

I almost certainly weight at least 11 stone by now, but haven’t had any scales for years so that’s comforting.  Ahem.

I have a tendency to leave everything to the eleventh hour…and I seem to get away with it most of the time, so have never managed to cure myself of it.  Sigh.

And that’s all I can think of for 11 [apparently it’s some big deal in numerology, but hey, that’s a load of crap!

 

 

 

15 thoughts on “Eleventh Hour”

      1. I think there are more sewers who might take pleasure from it than you give credit for. I take note of any hint of maths geekiness and think we are overrepresented in sewers, from accountants, engineers, maths teachers (you), to philosopher of maths and maths education (me) we are noticeably more in evidence than among the general population.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. tbh it’s something I’ve commented on to my students many times, both my maths geeks and my little sewing geeks. Maybe it’s a spatial awareness thing? I’ve certainly got geekily into optimising layout for the scrubs I’m cutting out! And when I first saw an FBA, after umpty years of sewing, it made me light up. Geometric heaven!

        Like

  2. Sewing is basically the challenge of wrapping a two dimensional shape around a complex three dimensional form. If patterns don’t fit you out of the box a geometric mind certainly helps. I’ve noticed on the one hand, some sewers like repeating variations of a few patterns they’ve fitted, on the other hand, sewers who are drawn to new patterns with unsolved fitting challenges. I can see the efficiency of making patterns you don’t have to fiddle with. But I get bored with these, and find patterns I have trouble getting my mind around much more enticing.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Have you tried any from Okistyle? I’ve made a few, check out via the search engine. Only one was a disaster for me, and that reminds me, I have another cut out to try when my sewing-for-me mojo returns

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I hadn’t seen them before but not really my style. I’ve spent the last 35 years mostly sewing Burda, and just recently branching out into Indie patterns. I prefer sleeker styles with seam lines I can play with to fit my squat curvy shape. I tend to avoid frills and embellishments. I like your posts not because I want to make similar garments but because of the puzzles and challenges you solve making them.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Squat and curvy, that’s me lol My tastes have changed a lot though, and even from week to week- I sometimes wake up wanting fluff, and sometimes sleeker styles, but either way I still look like a cube!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Lol. I’m squat but curvy in and out rather than around so I can look like I have some shape other than a cube if the pattern has the right style lines. Although sitting at home baking instead of out cycling is bringing the cube or barrel closer 🤣

        Liked by 1 person

      1. I’m so glad you are there to spark interest in Physics. I remember being only one of two girls studying A level Physics across three classes at sixth form. Not sure whether that has improved at all.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. A lot of girls do maths and the sciences, way too many pressured into medicine, even if it’s not realty their thing [it’s a very stereotypical thing with Asian students of course]. I teach maths and mechanics, not physics- I haven’t done any since I was 13!

        Liked by 1 person

  4. I look at the maths bit and always think I should, ought, surely must be able to work out why this is interesting, but think ‘So what?’. Not proud of this but there it is.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.