From: Karl Low (gurugreat_at_hotmail.com)
Date: Wed Apr 24 2002 - 19:49:04 PDT
"This certainly isn't getting me any closer to finding Alice," I thought, and set off through the trees. Soon I chanced upon a path, which from there lead to an equally small house. In front of the house stood the oddest pair I had ever seen. They were twins, a fact I deduced not so much from their similar appearance, although the likeness was uncanny, but rather from them being apparantly joined at the waist, side by side. Both of them were quite obese, each being so rotund as to almost form a perfect circle on his own. The exception being where they were linked together. From a distance, the appearance was almost that of a sideways eight. When they saw me, they approached with such vigor that I thought I would surely be run down, but thankfully they maintained enough control to stop shortly before me. "Why hello there!" they cried in unison. "I'm Ity," said the one on the right, and his twin chimed in with "And I'm Infin." Being still somewhat confused about this whole number business I was hoping they could perhaps shed some light on the matter. "Hello! Could you please tell me, what is it that makes 14 noble?" Surely such a direct question might forestall the crazy loops these creatures liked to take. Alas, my hope was spoiled when they replied, "Parentage." "I'm terribly sorry. Perhaps you would explain further?" "Certainly," said the rightmost. "We'd be happy to," said the leftmost. "You see," began the leftmost (and I stopped myself before saying anything), "Nobility is always the product of prime parentage," continued the rightmost. "That is, its parents are primes" the one on the left finished. "But surely any number can claim prime parentage if you go back far enough," I thought aloud. They nodded excitedly, apparantly pleased that I'd made the connection. "This is true, but true nobility come into this world," began the leftmost. "the product of their two prime parents and the usuals. No others," finished the rightmost. "The usuals?" "Why, 1 and themselves, of course." they said together, "No number is not a product of 1 and itself." "Even the Queen," whispered the one on the right. The Queen! I thought, Now we're getting somewhere. "So about the Queen.." I began, but was interrupted by the one on the left who whispered rapidly. "She's so noble, she won't talk with common folk or people who associate with common folk, unless the common folk happen to be the parents of nobility. She won't even talk with us! And we're the most!" "The most what?" I asked. "Why, the largest of course!" they cried in unison, "Of all fifty numbers here, there are none as big as us." "Well," I began, "I suppose you could diet.." Apparantly they did not appreciate the advice however, because they harrumphed and quickly disappeared into their little house, not responding to any of my later pleas, as they had been most helpful. I then vowed that from now on I would have to have nothing to do with any numbers that were not nobility or the parents of nobility - as I desparately needed to talk with the Queen. Setting my resolve once more, I continued my way down the little path. _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx -- Rule Date: 2002-04-25 02:49:31 GMT
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