Saturday, January 9, 2021

The Mobius Ladder

 Hey, this is good! says Arthur. An opinion without 3.14159 is just an onion.

What's that? asks Victor.

A vegetable, says Arthur. 

I know what an onion is, says Victor. But what's the idea of it?

A Platonic onion, says Kierkegaard.

It's a maths joke, says Arthur. What's 3.14159?

Pi, says Sweezus.

So what's an opinion without pi? asks Arthur.

An onion, says Victor. That's clever. I must write it down.

Did you make that joke up? asks Sweezus.

No. I'm googling maths jokes, says Arthur. 

Cool, says Sweezus. Are there any ladder ones?

Arthur scrolls down. 

His bike wobbles.

Luckily he has the back end of the ladder.

Victor is leading.

Victor spots a purple crowned lorikeet.

Was Gaius looking for purple crowned lorikeets? asks Victor.

Dunno, says Sweezus. Was he?

Anything that flew, says Kierkegaard. 

They laugh. No one makes a note of the location.

The purple crowned lorikeet has flown off, in any case.

Why did the chicken cross the Mobius strip? asks Arthur.

Don't know, says Victor.

To get to the same side, says Arthur.

Ha ha, laughs Kierkegaard.

I don't get it, says Victor.

Imagine the ladder is flexible, says Kierkegaard. Now imagine you give it one twist and then join up the ends. It's a Mobius ladder.

Good explanation, says Sweezus. 

I try to be useful, says Kierkegaard.

Where is the chicken? asks Victor.

Always on the same side of the ladder, says Arthur.

Victor gets it now. He laughs, belatedly.


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