8
If we got paid $MMD for each Collected Wisdom column (which, unfortunately, we don't), and the column ran LII times a year, you'd have a hard time figuring out how much cash we raked in per annum. Which, as we shall see, is why we abandoned Roman numerals and went Arabic.
THE QUESTION: "Our numbers are often referred to as Arabic numerals," wrote Robin McNeil of Victoria. However, "on a recent trip to Egypt I was puzzled to find that only the Arabic numbers 1 and 9 look similar to our symbols. For example, our zero is a dot and our 5 a zero in Arabic. So why do we refer to our numbers as Arabic numerals?"
THE ANSWER: "When we say that our number system is Arabic, we are not referring to the symbols we use for the individual integers but to the way the symbols are arranged to form larger numbers," writes Bruce Tiberiis of Vancouver.
"In the Roman system," he says, "there were symbols for only a few numbers, 1 (I), 5 (V), 10 (X), and so on. The symbols were combined in different positions to indicate the other numbers. For example, 4 is V with an I before it, and 6 is V with an I after it."
He explains that the Arabic system had symbols for every number through nine, and the position of the symbol had a particular meaning — "the symbol on the right indicated the number of ones, left of that the number of tens, and so on. And they had a symbol for the zero, an idea so new that some people considered it the work of the devil."
So why did we change? Well, the Roman system works fine for writing numbers, but it makes arithmetic a nightmare.
"If a merchant has 16 boxes each containing 24 rolls of cloth, how many rolls of cloth does he have? Try doing the math in Roman numerals.
"With the Arabic system, a school kid can figure it out (384), but the Roman merchant had to hire the equivalent of a university professor just to count his inventory."
Carla Hagstrom of Toronto adds: "Besides 1 and 9, the Arabic 2, 3, and 7 also look similar to 'our' numbers. Just turn them sideways."
THE QUESTION: Toronto's Shirley Grant asked: What is the origin of the term "fifth column"?
THE ANSWER: Kim Morgan of Nanaimo, B.C., says a footnote to the book Fidel Castro, My Life states: "The expression 'fifth column' dates back to the Spanish Civil War, when Franquista general Queipo de Llano stated that rather than the four columns of his army that were advancing on Madrid, it would be the fifth -- made up of militant Franco supporters inside the city -- that would take the city."
HELP WANTED
"I frequently heat up coffee in my microwave with a rotating platter and I find it curious that sometimes the platter rotates clockwise and other times it rotates counter-clockwise," writes Ozzie Boswell of Burlington, Ont. Why?
Derek Hayter of Brampton, Ont., wonders why red and yellow sweet peppers are more expensive than green ones.
Why don't alcoholic drinks carry lists of ingredients or "nutrition facts"? asks Tony Capon of Kingston.
What is a "punter," often mentioned in English movies and TV shows, and where does the term come from? asks Paul Therrien of Gatineau, Que.
Send answers (and questions) to wisdom@globeandmail.com. Include your name, location and a daytime phone number.
