This is the blog-specific edition of Ask Roger Anything. People have asked me general questions, sometimes in person, some via email or Facebook. I’ve often gotten them enough that I should address them.
One is: Why do I do the quizzes, notably Sunday Stealing? There are two basic reasons. One is that they are easy; I can do them quickly. I sort of free-associate when I’m writing, and I don’t have to fact-check them because they’re all from my own experience.
The other reason is that I tend to get more responses to them than to many of my other blog posts. And it’s not just from the people participating in the quiz but also from people who email me and say, “We’re following your posts.” I guess because they’re more relatable.
Another question is Why do I write about politics all the time? As I’ve said repeatedly, I hate talking about it. On the other hand, I don’t want people to think that the stuff that’s going down is OK. I don’t want my silence to signify consent to what Public Citizen calls the “unilaterally, unconstitutionally, and unlawfully dismantling the federal government — our government — from Cabinet-level departments… to smaller agencies that go largely unnoticed as they do the routine, unheralded work that makes for a functioning country.”
Math is everywhere
I had a great time drinking with a friend and their friend last month. We had this wonderful, weird conversation about why math is everywhere. I mentioned this question from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which was fun for those who like numbers and terrifying for those who don’t, such as contestants Helen Hunt and Daniel Bucatinsky. The $250,000 question:
“The judicial handshake is a US Supreme Court tradition in which all nine justices shake hands with each other once for a total of how many handshakes.”
The choices were 18, 25, 36, and 57.
The AI says: “You can find the answer by using the formula for triangular numbers, N * (N-1) / 2, where N is the number of people (9 in this case), so 9 * 8 / 2 = 36.” Well, yeah, but that’s too mathy. Since you don’t shake your own hand, one could add 8+7+6+5+4+3+2+1, which also equals 36.
This is why figuring out fractions should be done with pie charts, or preferably, actual pies, instead of talking about multiplying the numerator and the denominator. (More pies, Kelly!)
The ask
If you have other queries, you can Ask Roger Anything. Roger loves to answer almost any question, no matter how absurd. He will respond in a few weeks. It takes time to be true and accurate!
You can leave your questions in the comments section of this blog, in my email, referenced elsewhere on this blog, or on my Facebook page (Roger Owen Green); always look for the duck.
