CharlieD
Chef Extraordinaire
buckytom said:how many times can can you take away 1/2 of the contents of a cup before it is empty?
Infinite number of times
buckytom said:how many times can can you take away 1/2 of the contents of a cup before it is empty?
Oh yeah? Halve the contents of a cup 567 times and tell me how much you got left. See what I mean? It is a reasonable shortcut to your 'infinite number of times' which would take a little longer to carry out. Incidentally, another reasonable shortcut would be 365 times or 763 if a bit more of accuracy is desired.CharlieD said:Infinite number of times
buckytom said:how many times can can you take away 1/2 of the contents of a cup before it is empty?
Have you ever tried to halve (not to mention quarter) a single grain of rice or a particle of powdered sugar? If yes, tell me how you do it. I would like to sharpen my maths too!bethzaring said:I'd say infinity.
24 posts? This thread is just getting started, I love numbers.
bethzaring, my post was meant as a joke! It seems that too many people here got sidetracked with higher mathematics and lost sight of simple practical ways to resolve ordinary little problems. Mathematics is useful to solve problems not to create bigger ones. Yes, mathematics might tell you that removing one half of the contents of a cup each time would take infinite turns at it in order to empty the cup, ie. the cup would never be emptied. You may agree with this. However, mathematics also predict that if you take a hot pan out of your oven and put it out to cool in your kitchen, it will also take infinite time to reach the exact temperature of your kitchen ie. it will never cool to the same temperature as that of your kitchen. Does your practical experience agree with this? Mathematics does have its limitations after all.bethzaring said:boufa, I don't get it. Do you mean mathmatically or physically? But the answer would still be, no
boufa06 said:bethzaring, my post was meant as a joke!
Must defend my (elementary question) the reason asked, when looking at the measuring cup - 1/3 did not look like half, looked a lot less! PeriodKatie E said:I'm a little amazed at the response to Barb's question. Very simply...she's begun with "2" thirds. That means there are two of them. If she wants only half of them, she'll need only "1" third.
However, I must agree with those who've discussed "scale" measuring. I've been cooking using an electronic scale for quite a few years and love it. It not only is an accurate way of portioning ingredients, it also is an efficient way as far as clean-up is concerned. I've made any number of things and have dirtied up very few spoons, cups and bowls because I've zeroed the scale before each ingredient was measured.
P.S. As for the "half" part of Barb's question, I've tutored math and her question just caught my interest from a number person's point of view. Seemed elementary to me.
auntdot, that must be the best recipe for instant slimming!auntdot said:When I gain a few lbs I prefer to discuss my weight in stones, or in kilos, it makes me sound more svelte.
boufa06 said:Righto Andy! I did feel in my bones from the start that there should be a simple answer to this problem. Now my hunch has been proven right. BTW, why don't we break down 2/3 cup into teaspoons right from the start so that we wouldn't have to face the vexing problem of how to estimate 1/3 tablespoons even for a moment?
Right again! I do concede that the convenience of measuring out 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon far outweighs the instinctive fear (at least for the less mathematically oriented of us) of having to estimate 1/3 of a tablespoon outright. By the way, if I had to halve 2 apples rather than 2/3 of anything, is there a suitable smaller unit that would let me carry out the halving calculation with the same ease and precision as halving 2/3 of a cup?Andy M. said:Measuring out 16 teaspoons of a liquid is not preferrable to the "vexing problem of how to estimate 1/3 tablespoons even for a moment."