Tim-ericks
01 Feb 2017
Math can represent a lot of things. For instance, the image above is the mathematical representation of a limerick. How, you ask? Read on!
My favorite podcast, Hello Internet, recently hosted a limerick competition which I entered without much hope. I was surprised, therefore, to be listening last night and hear one of my limericks being read out on the shortlist!
Here it is in it’s entirety (it’s #17 on the list):
There once was a fellow named Tim
Who downloaded H.I. on a whim.
As he sat on his flight,
He received quite a fright:
Plane crash corner was mentioning him!
I suppose a brief explanation is in order (Hello Internet in-joke spoilers incoming). In an episode long ago, one of the hosts was talking about an interest of his in plane crashes, why they happen, and the stories around them. He joked that he would start a “plane crash corner” on the show to talk about them every week. The other one joked that there was probably someone on a plane who would be horrified to listen to that. The hosts then spoke directly to this hypothetical person, naming them “Tim.”
Two things resulted from this. The first was that eventually, all HI listeners were referred to as Tims. The second is that plane crash corner is alive and well, still cropping up from time to time (Tim to Tim?)
All that to say, if you’re reading this now, go vote for #17! (Update: thanks for voting!)
Limericks are great.
Oh, you’re still wondering about the equation? It was devised by Leigh Mercer, and reads like this:
A dozen, a gross, and a score
Plus three times the square root of four
Divided by seven
Plus five times eleven
Is nine squared and not a bit more.