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From: mcewan@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: Vulcan arithmetic
Message-ID: <24900116@uiucdcs>
Date: Mon, 11-Nov-85 17:22:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.24900116
Posted: Mon Nov 11 17:22:00 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 13-Nov-85 07:28:07 EST
References: <1137@rayssd.UUCP>
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Nf-From: uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU!mcewan    Nov 11 16:22:00 1985


>   In "The Trouble with Tribbles",
> Spock computes the number of tribbles in the grain storage compartment
> (it's some large number ending with three, I think) and then tells us
> how he computed it... obviously it is not possible to compute the exact
> number, but he pretends to do so.  I would think a "real" Vulcan would
> have said something like, "Somewhere between 12,340,000 and 12,500,000".

Actually, it was possible to compute it exactly, given the assumptions that
Spock made. He assumed that each tribble had exactly x babies every y hours
(I don't remember what x and y were). I think I even checked the arithmetic
once and found that Spock did give the right number.

			Scott McEwan
			{ihnp4,pur-ee}!uiucdcs!mcewan

"A flash in front of my eyes ... I blink ... open my eyes to ... discover I am
 a dog in a pickup truck full of garbage ... no one but me sees the lid blow
 off the can ... it's 14 miles to the dump ... this is ... at last ... heaven."