Burning questions (with some answers):

Is it possible to nail Jell-O to a wall?

According to Rebekah: Yes, if you freeze it.

When cooking polenta, is it acceptable to add curry powder?

Of course not: polenta is Italian, and curry powder is Indian. Next you'll be talking about something equally objectionable, like drinking red wine with fish.

If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?

Just because it's the most popular, that doesn't mean it's the best. #1 pencils are far superior.

What's the deal with the crying babies during class? Babies in Smith Hall? Or just my inner child?

Crying babies? I didn't hear a thing.

What can we do to convince you to tell us the answer to a problem before we turn it in?

I don't think I should go anywhere near this one...

Why do banks charge an insufficient funds fee when they know you don't have any money?

They're just trying to be nice -- you wouldn't want them to charge fees when you actually had money, would you?

Is Banana Republic named after the area of the world that it exploits?

Isn't that one of their slogans? "We exploit the third world so you don't have to."

What was that thing we talked about again?

If Barbie is so darn popular, then why do you have to buy all her friends?

What was burning man all about anyway?

If 7-11 is open 24/7/365, why are there locks on the doors?

Leap year?

If the "little black boxes" on airplanes are so indestructible, why not make the whole plane of the same substance?

Will the Huskies find a pass defense?

Apparently not.

Why can't we have a group midterm?

What are you two kids going to be for Halloween?

I was thinking of being either the Euclidean Algorithm or the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic. Rebekah said that she was going to be brown belt in karate. (I don't know if she meant just the belt, or not.)

The question is: "What question?"

That question.

Why, if flammable objects can be set on fire, can inflammable objects also be set on fire?

This is a common misconception. Inflammable items, like gasoline, cannot actually be set on fire. Try it some time.

If a light (or siren) goes off, does it go on at the same time?

Will there be solutions to the exam posted this weekend?

The answer is time-dependent: on November 1, the answer was "no", and today the answer is "yes".

How long will the Sonics go undefeated?

Until shortly after you asked this question, it seems.

Why is "phonetic" not spelled phonetically?

It is spelled phonetically -- it's just not pronounced phonetically.

Why is 6 afraid of 7?

answer by Rick: If 6 were not afraid of 7, then 6 would get larger than its fear, so it would not be 6 anymore. But this is a contradiction, so the fear of 7 is a necessary condition for being 6. (This result can be extended using induction.)

Why was the cartoon series featuring Charlie Brown called "Peanuts"?

(Frank answered this one during class. Ask him if you're interested.)

How long could one listen to the Batman theme music before it became annoying?

Let's play it during the final exam and see how long it takes.

How many licks does it really take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Roll lollipop?

The official word is on this page. But it's probably best not to delve too deeply into such matters: if you look at this page, you can read the results of an experiment which is referred to, ominously, as a "final project", but:

• The links for each "scientist" no longer exist -- did Tootsie Roll Industries do away with them?
• All the links at the bottom of the page are broken, like the one for "Another cool Tootsie Roll Site".
• One of those broken links is labeled "Another soul who braved the challenge". What challenge were they braving, exactly? Going up against the all-powerful Tootsie Roll Industries? And just what happened to that "soul"? I think it's best not to ask...

If up is already north, why do we say "I'm going up north?"

We're probably just covering our bases in case this happens.

Does a beard keep you warm in the winter? What about hairy legs?

Depends on whose beard and whose legs, I guess.

When is it going to snow?

What is the capital of Georgia (the country)?

According to the CIA, it's T'bilisi.

Do monkeys really smoke?

You have to get the grill really hot first, but yes.

Can we turn our homework 4 in early and be able to fix any errors you find?

Yes, but I won't give you any credit for the corrections.

Course material available:

• course syllabus
• list of assignments (corrected version)
• day-by-day schedule
• practice final (PDF file)

Contacting me:

• John Palmieri
• Office: Padelford C538
• Phone: (206) 543-1785
• e-mail: palmieri@math.washington.edu

Go to John Palmieri's home page.

Last modified: Wed Mar 15 13:54:27 PST 2006