All hints are in the comments!

Monday, January 6, 2020

Jan. 6, 2020

|| || known, world, abacus, picket, walk in (the) park.
Image from the Internet.

The opening poem contains all the words (or variations of them) from today's Jumble.
Comments are welcomed!
Do not explicitly reveal any of the actual answer words until after closing time, but embedding them surreptitiously in comment sentences is encouraged.

9 comments:

OwenKL said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ol' Man Keith said...

What an impressive range of math systems! I'm in awe--of both the variety of human attempts to apply arithmetic precision to a chaotic world and of your familiarity, Owen, with their types and names. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Despite the general belief that artists and poets are mathematically illiterate, there is much to fascinate the imaginative mind in numbers and number theory.

Despite the increased use of whiteboards in today's classrooms, many schools stick to blackboards, believing the contrast of white chalk on the dark surface is easier on pupils' eyes.
~ OMK

OwenKL said...

Oops big time! The poem Keith just commented on lost its first verse, with half the Jumble words! A corrected version (identical but with an added into verse) appears below!

OwenKL said...

If all you want are ball-park figures
Maybe you can count on your fingers?
Or you can walk in thru an algorithm
And help to pick it an estimation.

Throughout the known world, the abacus
Has taken forms, some strange to us.
Sumerians used a sexagesimal base sixty,
And Aztecs thought ninety-one was nifty!

But the base of ten reigned supreme,
And decimal place values ruled the scene,
With bi-quinary coded* decimal beads
Helping make numbers easier reads.

Then there's the yupana , used by the Incas,
A marvel of the diversity of human thinkers!
It uses its markers on a table in three-D,
Based on the sequence we call Fibonacci!

* bi-quinary: oooo-|-oo standing for 4-3-2-1--|--V-X.

OwenKL said...

The info in the poem is nearly all lifted from the Wikipedia article on the abacus. I sorta knew such information existed, but not specifically what it was. Why the Aztec counting-board had 91 total beads was interesting. The Wiki article on the yupana was more confusing than enlightening, tho. When I googled for pictures of it, they've piqued my interest, so I'm going to try and learn more about that!

Misty said...

Amazing poem, Owen, with all those mathematical references! Stunning how you come up with something as complex as this--many thanks. I sailed through this Jumble with just a tiny hesitation about the third word. And, of course, the solution just filled itself in and was almost too obvious, given the scene of the cartoon. Loved the color version! My dachshund Dusty never liked walking outdoors, but happily runs up and down the hall 20 times each day to chase a kibble at teach end. Good exercise for a 16 and 1/2 year old pup. I don't think he needs a _ _ the _.

Sandyanon said...

Yes, today's jumble was very simple, both clues and solution.

Your poem stimulated a lot of curiosity in me. I went to the Wikipedia article as well, and wow! I never imagined there were so many versions of the abacus and that it was so global. That speaks to communication in many cases, but to independent invention in many others. It's fascinating. Thank you, Owen.

Wilbur Charles said...

I did it in my head only to find that #2 was not DROWL. Lazily I simply found a word in the fascinating poem with a W.

Perhaps Dusty is too old for the doggie play area, too

. WC

Misty said...

Forgot to say I liked your play on the solution, as always, Ol'Man Keith. And, Wilbur, needy Dusty is just a home-body who hates leaving the house and doesn't want to be near other dogs since he lost his sister (Misty). I haven't taken him to the vet in about four years since he's been in great shape and will freak out when we walk into that waiting room with all those other dogs. But the day may come . . .