[CrackMonkey] How to multiply with spaghetti

[Seth David Schoen]

Acting on a suggestion from my friend Beth, I just marked a log scale
onto each of a pair of pieces of spaghetti, and then managed to use
them to verify that 2*2=4, 2*3=6, 2*4=8, 2*5=10, 3*2=6, 3*3=9, 4*2=8,
5*2=10, and many other exciting multiplication facts.

OK, so my pasta slide rule is only accurate to one place right now --
but it will get better when I use a finer-point Sharpie.

If you don't have a slide rule handy to copy your log scales from, use
your favorite log table and mark the value d at a distance log(d)*(standard
spaghetti length) starting from the left end along your spaghetti strand,
for d between 1 and 10.  (That's log base 10, although of course you could
make a spaghetti slide rule for calculations in some other base, if you
prefer.

For instance, if you want to make a slide rule suitable for binary
multiplication and division, just mark the value d at a distance
ld(d)*(standard spaghetti length) for d between 1 and 2.  Very
convenient, although remember that keeping track of place value is your
responsibility, and eating your slide rule is not recommended.

-- 
Seth David Schoen <schoen at loyalty.org>  | And do not say, I will study when I
Temp.  http://www.loyalty.org/~schoen/  | have leisure; for perhaps you will
down:  http://www.loyalty.org/   (CAF)  | not have leisure.  -- Pirke Avot 2:5