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#24050 03/22/01 03:01 PM
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The five sided figure goes back further than the middle ages-- I heard in a math class about the pathagarian "society" a group founded by Pathagrarus-- in order to gain admission, you needed to be able to construct a pentagon with just a straight edge-- and some paper..
Pentagons where magical, because the number of degrees in the inside angles, is an irrational number.

PS-- i know how to make a pentagon with only a straight edge-- how about you Jo-- you have a math background--
I also know how to make a 5 pointed star by folding paper and making 1 cut-- just like Betsy Ross did for the US flag.


#24051 03/22/01 03:25 PM
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Le Petomane had an unusual talent. I have heard that it is not restricted to males only.A friend who knows I despise pornography sent me a video of a young female smoking a cigarette at both ends. I wonder how common this ability is. Tasteless, but risible.It reminds me of old cigarette ad "Are you smoking more, but enjoying it less?"


#24052 03/22/01 03:54 PM
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to be able to construct a pentagon with just a straight edge-- and some paper..

PS-- i know how to make a pentagon with only a straight edge--


this is absolutely AMAZING! i spent the greater part of my morning attempting this feat, but was unable to do so without adding a writing utensil to the list of supplies.

[ducking emoticon]

seriously, as for the cutthing thing, the best i could do was an 8-pointed star (it *was* pretty dope, though!). would you share the secret??





#24053 03/22/01 04:03 PM
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Pathagrarus
I've never heard of Pathagrarus, and neither, apparently, has Google, since a search turned up nothing. Do you mean Pythagoras? That would make sense, as he was very much into numerology, cabalistics, etc.


#24054 03/22/01 04:25 PM
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To get back to the original thread (if that's not some kind of faux pas), I was going to nominate hoity-toity. There must be something about compound words with rhymes, like "higgledy-piggledy" that makes for ludicrosity.


#24055 03/22/01 04:28 PM
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mea culpa-- you are right-- an other tool is needed-- but not a scribe or writing tool -- a square-- to do the trick you need to be able to create parallel lines.. (you can scribe the lines, or just use your straight edge to tear along them

I sent Bridget a private message on how to do this-- (it works doesn't it?)


#24056 03/22/01 05:28 PM
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it does work!!! btw, for some reason i was taking 'straight edge' to mean a ruler of some kind, either numbered or unnumbered; i assume (now that i've tried it) that you merely meant something solid with a straight edge (as in the edge of a desk). thanks for the trick; my wee ones are happily pentogramming as we speak





#24057 03/22/01 05:42 PM
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my wee ones are happily pentogramming...

... the newspaper, the maps, the tablecloth...


#24058 03/22/01 06:12 PM
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"used by magicians (or those claiming to be magicians)"

In any age, a magician is someone who successfully claims to be one.

Is there an obnocticon or obnoxicon for posts such as this (not the cited) one?




#24059 03/22/01 06:17 PM
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"Cabalistics?" Cabala? Unlikely, the Zohar is only about one millenium old. [shocked}


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