non-6-sided dice > number cubes

[ronbutters at AOL.COM]

So the mathematicians have redefined "cube"? I would call the four-sided solid a "pyramid." See AMERICAN HERITAGE:

CUBE
NOUN: 1. Mathematics A regular solid having six congruent square faces. 2a. Something having the general shape of a cube: a cube of sugar. b. A cubicle, used for work or study. 3. Mathematics The third power of a number or quantity. 4. cubes Slang Cubic inches. Used especially of an internal combustion engine.


------Original Message------
From: Joel S. Berson
Sender: American Dialect Society
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
ReplyTo: American Dialect Society
Sent: Oct 25, 2007 9:55 AM
Subject: Re: [ADS-L] non-6-sided dice > number cubes

At 10/25/2007 08:55 AM, ronbutters at AOL.COM wrote:
>Wouldn't a four-sided cube have to be made up of two-sided squares?

Of 4 triangles.  Just as a seven-sided cube would have to be made up
not of square faces.

If course a four-sided cube won't woll wery well.  (IIRC, there was
some long time ago a learned article on this subject.)

Joel

>Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>
>Date:         Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:34:35
>To:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Subject:      Re: [ADS-L] non-6-sided dice > number cubes
>
>
> >I learned today from a fellow editor that in some school texbooks,
> >dice are called "number cubes" even when they have pips rather than
> >digits. Not so surprising, I suppose, given the kind of influences
> >school texts tend to suffer under (referring to a "disabled car" can
> >be a no-no, as can be talking about tranquillizing a bear -- because
> >that refers to drugs). But non-cubic dice are also being called
> >"number cubes," even in math textbooks. After one editor mentioned
> >she was faced with "four-sided number cube" in a teacher's guide for
> >a math course and was not allowed to change it, I found the following
> >at http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2004/5/04.05.10.x.html :
> >
> >"John was tossing a 4-sided number cube numbered 1-4 and a 7-sided
> >number cube numbered 1-7."
> >
> >Note that this is a sample problem for teaching mat

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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