>That's a good Lord Kelvin story, Hilmar. I recall one about his making some calculation off the top of his head (in 15 minutes or something), where he worked out an explanation of why the sky is blue.
>
>Mike
"Off the top of the head" reminds me of an old riddle. Two bycicles approach each other from a certain distance, each with a speed of 10 km/h. After half an hour, they are together. A fly goes at 40 km/h from one bycicle to the other, then back... back and forth all the time. What is the total distance travelled by the fly?
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It is said that this story was told to a famous mathematician (I forgot the name), and he came up with the correct answer almost instantly. The questioner said: "Interesting. Most people would do this the hard way, by adding up an infinite series." And the mathematician replied: "But that is what I did!"
Difference in opinions hath cost many millions of lives: for instance, whether flesh be bread, or bread be flesh; whether whistling be a vice or a virtue; whether it be better to kiss a post, or throw it into the fire... (from Gulliver's Travels)
