I think it’s a succinct way of expressing the difficulty to translating to another point of view. Looks like someone’s been practicing their design skills. You’re lookin sharp, pal.
“I’m trying to imagine what that could mean but metaphor’s a litttttle outside the math teacher’s job description.”
Maybe so. But consider the literal meanings of, for example,
“completing the square”
“graphing an equation”
“raising to a power”
“height of a triangle”
“multiplying”
“integrating”
Such an interest in metaphorical origins of math expressions might just be another expression of math people’s stereotypical affinity for bad puns, though…
I know exactly what you mean! But look at it this way– if you ever go to England, you have practice in negotiating the roadways in a car. Just think of a right turn as a left turn (Pause and look before turning across traffic) and a left turn as a right turn (pause and turn around a corner).
8 Comments
Chris Lehmann
April 25, 2007 - 5:40 pm -Dare we take that to the level of metaphor?
dan
April 25, 2007 - 5:57 pm -I’m trying to imagine what that could mean but metaphor’s a litttttle outside the math teacher’s job description.
Steve
April 25, 2007 - 8:09 pm -I think it’s a succinct way of expressing the difficulty to translating to another point of view. Looks like someone’s been practicing their design skills. You’re lookin sharp, pal.
H.
April 25, 2007 - 8:52 pm -“I’m trying to imagine what that could mean but metaphor’s a litttttle outside the math teacher’s job description.”
Maybe so. But consider the literal meanings of, for example,
“completing the square”
“graphing an equation”
“raising to a power”
“height of a triangle”
“multiplying”
“integrating”
Such an interest in metaphorical origins of math expressions might just be another expression of math people’s stereotypical affinity for bad puns, though…
dan
April 25, 2007 - 9:36 pm -Ah, there it is. Thanks, fellas. Steve, you missed your calling. H., we oughtta set up a pun wiki and just get ’em out there.
Smurf
April 30, 2007 - 10:34 pm -I would have pointed the other way … just to confuse them :o)
Ms. Cornelius
May 2, 2007 - 2:27 pm -I know exactly what you mean! But look at it this way– if you ever go to England, you have practice in negotiating the roadways in a car. Just think of a right turn as a left turn (Pause and look before turning across traffic) and a left turn as a right turn (pause and turn around a corner).
Worked like a charm.