The Local
Undaunted by stares and stairs, we took Jamie to the pub last night so we could enjoy a pint or two with Rich and Clare. After a few kicks and squawks, she settled down to the sound of murmurs and clinks, fell asleep next to the Gents and was peeked at by many. We had a great time. Oh, and we learned that the British pronounciation of urinal is 'yer-eye-nal'. And can you help us settle a debate? Round 4.5 to the nearest whole number.
posted by Josh and Heather @ 11:08 am
18 comments
18 Comments:
5
and that one always bugged me, but I remember those rules steadfast...
I swear it used to be the convention to round down instead of up for halves. The government seem to have quietly reveresed this convention, re-written all the text books and brainwashed everyone except for me. I'm sure it's part of a plot to make NHS waiting lists look shorter. There can be no other explanation.
If I remember correctly, I was taught to "round up". So, 5. However, I think there are far more important things to concern ourselves about in life, like how toilet rolls should be positioned (coming over the top and down the front) and how baby blankets are best displayed (right-side-up) :)
Wait...
You're serious? I thought you were joking, is there anyone who would make the argument for "4"?
- Jonathan
Well you would round to four if you used the 'round to evens' approach for statistics.
Toilet roll goes over the top.
We were taught in school that there are two conventions - 'round to evens' and round up. Round to evens doesn't seem too popular these days.
Toilet paper over the top - agreed.
Except I remember a family friend telling us that when you have little kids running around getting into trouble, toilet paper dispensing from the bottom is better. Makes it harder for them to empty the roll onto the floor...
Sorry Mom- it's beautiful both ways...maybe we wanted Jamie to see the prettier side?
Oh, I'd never heard of "round to evens".
Well, you learn something new every day.
- Jonathan
So glad to see we have (near) unanimity on the toilet paper issue, with a reasonable exception made for the sake of parental sanity. And about the blanket display - someone once told me that they actually preferred the under-side of my entrelac blankets, so I've come to realize that, however baffling to me, there just is no accounting for the differences in our tastes and preferences. Which is what makes life interesting, right? Now, about leaving the toilet seat up, or leaving it down... :)
As we all know Microsoft always knows best and according to it's .NET defined round function (Math.Round Method (Double)) it will return:
"The whole number nearest a. If a is halfway between two whole numbers, one of which by definition is even and the other odd, then the even number is returned."
ie: Math.Round(4.5) 'Returns 4.0.
The behavior of this method follows IEEE Standard 754, section 4. This kind of rounding is sometimes called rounding to nearest, or banker's rounding.
And Wikipedia sums it all up with this article on rounding.
Another question for you: when is a shower curtain open, and when is it closed?
I distinctly remember that I first learned the "round up" rule, and then a couple of years later, I was taught the "round to evens" rule. So there you have it. According to the Ontario school system when I went through, the (latest) answer is 4. Grr.
-Julee
Or the biggest mystery of them all: whatever happened to white dog poo?
In the Wisconsian, Illinoisan and Floridian systems they always taught me to round up. But then, they also taught me the pledge of allegiance for which most of my life I thought contained the phrase 'for witches stand' (turns out it was 'for which it stands').
But more importantly- what is white dog poo? You can't leave that hanging...so to speak.
When we were kids, you'd often see little dog turds that gone all white after a little time in the grass. Nowadays, it goes from brown to gone. It is a noticed phenomenon and seems to be connected to a change in dog food: fewer ground-up bones in the mix. A lot to think about I know - sorry to dump this on you... a crappy topic, really.
Damn it Josh - now that dog poo thing is going to bug me too! You're right - those white dog poos when we were kids. I haven't seen them in years. Like I really need one more thing keeping me up at night.
Oh, and it's round up, toilet paper rolls over the top (NO EXCEPTIONS), shower curtain open when open, and there is no accounting for socks in the laundry. I mean, come on, give me something challenging.
This is the first I've ever heard of rounding down since Physics 101 when my lab parnter from Namibia said we had to round down because of the 'new rules.' That was also the only time I've rounded down (she was a girl, how could I refuse). However, now I'm tempted to take some liberties with these alternative rules if it helps the statistics...
Toilet paper goes on the counter next to toilet, and once a month it should be accidentally knocked into the toilet. Unless you're entertaining, in which case it just needs to get on the roll.
I always thought the white poo was covered in fungus. It was hairy wasn't it? But where did it go!?!?!
Oh the nostalgia!
Jake
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