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3/19/2024

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Apr '09 Contents

Apr '09 Cover
____

Articles

Bluebirds, Forgiveness, and Spring
By Gert Slabach

Philip Wyatt Skate Park
A Legacy of Giving
By WB Carver

Welcome Spring
By Tammy Tillotson

The Sport of Collecting
(Sport Cards, Comics & More)

Dana's Garden Spot (Business Profile)

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Spring Skate Competition

Event Coverage

Photo Gallery

 

Columns

South Winds
(Life as an Exponent)
By FCOIT

Southside Gardener
(April "To Do List")
By William H. McCaleb

Ask Bubba - Advice
(Parody)
More Pest Control


Departments

Editor's Page
(New features and ideas)
V & B Comics
(Verrnack & Blupirk)

Press Releases
Venture Outdoors
(VA Tech & Coop Ext Event)

South Boston Receives Milestone Award

Local Ins Agency Achieves Certification
(Brandon Scearce Insurance Agency Achieves On Your Side Certification)

Past Issues

Past Issues are available from June 2008 through the current issue.
Select the desired issue from the drop-down box below.

 


South Winds

(Random thoughts)


Life as an Exponent - April 09

   

   I really shouldn't let myself get into any deep thinking before coffee.

   The other morning about three sips into my second, cup, I started thinking about how many two-letter combinations there were in the English alphabet.

   Hmmm, if there are 26 letters in the first row and 26 more letters in the second row...

   In its simplest form it would be, let me see...

   Find a piece of scrap paper.

   Scribble - scribble...

   26 letters multiplied by 26 letters equals 676 combinations.

   Then I thought for each additional letter you added, the number of combinations multiplies by the number of letters again. Thinking - doing the math

   That would have to be a bunch!

   So for three letters, the number of possibilities jumps to

   Scribble - scribble - scribble...

   26x26x26 = 17,576. �

   And if we had four letters it would be?

   At this point, I quit doing the math, but the coffee was kicking in and I had the concept in my head.

   I thought, "WOW!"
   ["Wow", was probably not the exact expression I used at that moment]

   So every time we add one more factor to the mix, it makes the number of possibilities jump astronomically.

   About this time, I got to thinking about traveling through life and adding possibilities though chance meetings with people, taking a different road, or just changing one thing, each day. Even if that one change is just accepting a different outlook for any given situation. On the other hand

   If I believe I only have limited options in my life, let's say two, get up or go back to sleep. If I only choose to look at each situation in life as black and white, or yes and no, I can only arrange them into a very limited number of possibilities.

   But for each additional option, placed in my life today I get an exponent. For each different way I allow myself to look at, or act on those options I get that multiplying effect again. If we introduce a new person, place or thing into the equation it multiplies once more.

   Just by trying one new thing it exposes us to a myriad of other possibilities. For each new person we welcome into our lives we start another pyramid. Six degrees - connection to the world There is the classic theory of "Six degrees of separation", which proposes that every person in the world is connected to every other, by no more than six connections. Out of the x people we know, each of them knows y people, who know z people and so on. By the end of six levels we should be able to connect with anyone in the world. There is probably some hermit in Tim-buc-off-the-mapistan who we will miss, but the idea is a good one.

   The more experiences we have, or open ourselves up to, the more choices we have available, and the more options we are able to recognize as possible.

   For today, I will try to add [at least] one new possibility to my choices. I will meet a new person, make one change or accept a different outlook and multiply my possibilities many fold.

   Will you add one more choice to your life today?

The Solution Store - Click for our Current Sale Flyer

-= FCOIT =-   

 

   Footnotes:
   (Caveats, explanations, trivia, etc.)

   �The actual math is for illustration only

   For math purists there is the question of are whether considering combinations which would include reusing the same letter verses Permutations which would not allow for those and would only be unique arrangements.

   Although the number of Permutations is significantly less

   Both numbers are off the charts.

   Wikipedia accepts the simple formula for combinations and lists the number of three-letter combinations as 17,576
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-letter_abbreviation#Statistics

   According to Hasbro / Parker Brothers there are 934 three-letter words legal in Scrabble.
   http://www.hasbro.com/games/adult-games/scrabble/home.cfm?page=Tips/3letterwords

   SCRABBLE Word list used with permission from Everything SCRABBLE by Joe Edley and John D. Williams, available through the National SCRABBLE Association or at many local bookstores.

   For mental masochists or anyone cares about the actual math.

   For Combinations

   For 2 letter combinations
   26x26 = 676
   For 3 letter combinations
   26x26 x26 = 17,576
   For 4 letter combinations
   26x26x26x26 456,976
   Etc.

   I tried to actually multiply this all the way out to 2626, but my calculator ran out of digits.

   For Permutations

   The Math Page Pre-calculus section does a good job of explaining Permutations in depth.

   http://www.themathpage.com/aprecalc/permutations-combinations.htm

   Simple version -

   2 letters
   2x1 =2 Permutations
   3 letters
   3x2x1= 6 Permutations
   4 Letters
   4x3x2x1= 24
   5 Letter Permutations
   5x4x3x2x1 = 120
   6 Letter Permutations
   6x5x4x3x2x1 = 720
   Etc

   Theoretical number of Permutations of a 26-letter alphabet

   26x25x24x23....3x2x1 = 403,291,461,126,605,635,584,000,000

   And NO, I have no idea what that number is, A Gazillion maybe?

 

If you have questions or comments about the Southwinds page
E-mail:  fcoit@discoversouthside.com

 

 

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