RoboBob3000
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Well, I think the main difficulty that comes from folding a piece of paper like that is that on the 7th fold, the outermost layer of paper will have to fold over 126 (2^7-2) other layers of paper. Although I suppose it could be done on a special piece of paper with appropriately spaced perforations.

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Drizzo
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mrimer wrote:
"Strengths" is the longest one syllable word in the English language.

Also "Screeched", and a few others I don't recall

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DiMono
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The only two words in the Webster's Dictionary with no vowel are cwm (a steep-walled semicircular basin in a mountain) and crwth (An ancient instrument of music with six strings; a kind of violin, being the oldest known stringed instrument played with a bow)

Those definitions were taken from dictionary.com

The shortest word that uses all five vowels in order is facetious. If you want to count y as a vowel, just toss "ly" on the end of it.

The word "run" has over 450 different definitions in the Complete Oxford English Dictionary... I think the number is 462

The only legitimate two letter palindrome is aa, being a volcanic ash (mm is not a word, it is a sound)

The only consonant which forms a two letter word with every vowel (for the purposes of Scrabble) is X: Ax, Ex, Xi (Greek letter), Ox, Xu (An old Vietnamese currency, 1/100 of a Dong)

The last word in the OED is Zyzzyva, being a type of weavel.

Edit: almost forgot... bookkeeper (or bookkeeping, or anything else that begins bookkeep) is the only word(s) with three sets of consecutive double-letters

[Edited by DiMono on 06-18-2004 at 05:03 PM GMT]

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eytanz
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As for paper folding -

The problem is that for every fold, you double the thickness of the paper, but half the size of the fold. So by the time you try to fold the eighth fold, you're trying to fold something very small and very thick.

If you started with a really big piece of paper - say, 10x10 feet - you coud probably fold it several additional times (though, depending on the type of paper, it will likely tear rather than fold).

As for Xu - there's no such letter in Hebrew (Modern, Medieval, or Biblical). There's nothing that's even similar.

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Skylancer64
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Stuwy wrote:
No piece of square dry paper can be folded more than 7 times.

I've been able to do 8, but no more than 8. Take a large sheet of newspaper, and crumple it and uncrumple it many times to soften it up. Then, folding it it half 8 times is fairly easy, if I remember correctly. At the very least, doing eight is possible with such a setup. Also, you have to make sure that every fold is precise as possible, otherwise, you will lose some layers and it won't *really* be eight folds.

I've never been able to do nine though...

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DiMono wrote:
The only legitimate two letter palindrome is aa, being a volcanic ash (mm is not a word, it is a sound)
[Edited by DiMono on 06-18-2004 at 07:09 AM GMT]

I actually learned that in Earth Science a few years ago. The word describes the type of lava. It's sharp and pointy when it cools. You actually pronounce the word "Ah! Ah!". I found an easy way to remember the name was because the lava was sharp and pointy, so you would say "Ah! Ah!" if you stepped on it.

Just confirming that's words wordlyness.

eytanz
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Ok, did some checking on Xu - according to the OED, it's a monetary unit in Vietnam, used from 1945 to 1986, worth 1/100 of a dong.

[Edited by eytanz on 06-18-2004 at 03:06 PM GMT]

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DiMono
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Ah, I knew Xu was something. Thought it was a letter. I'll correct it up there to keep my post as accurate as possible, since that is part of the point of this thread.

Also, if I recall correctly the formula for H2SO4 from water is:

2H2O + SO2 = H2 + H2SO4

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agaricus5
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DiMono wrote:
Also, if I recall correctly the formula for H2SO4 from water is:

2H2O + SO2 = H2 + H2SO4

I strongly disagree. Why would dissolving sulphur dioxide in water liberate hydrogen?

If you dissolve SO2 in water, you get Sulphurous acid, H2SO3.

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Species of the mushroom Calvatia gigantea (giant puffballs) that are 5' across and weighed more than 50 lbs. have been recorded.

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JayS
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A misodoctakleidist is someone who hates practicing the piano.
On average, the Statue of Liberty's fingernails weigh 100 lbs. apiece.
Benjamin Disraeli, prime minister of England who lived from 1804 - 1881, was the person who actually said "Lies, damned lies, and statistics."
Given the opportunity, chimpanzees will hunt ducks.
The coldest towns on earth are Verkyoyanks and Oymyakon, Siberia, with temperatures as low as -95 F.

Just found this out on the web ( I don't know if this is true or not):

A group of unicorns is called a blessing.
Twelve or more cows are known as a "flink."
A group of frogs is called an army.
A group of rhinos is called a crash.
A group of kangaroos is called a mob.
A group of whales is called a pod.
A group of geese is called a gaggle.
A group of ravens is called a murder.
A group of officers is called a mess.
A group of larks is called an exaltation.
A group of owls is called a parliament.

[Edited by JayS on 06-20-2004 at 05:40 AM GMT]

agaricus5
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SKWERLL wrote:
Species of the mushroom Calvatia gigantea (giant puffballs) that are 5' across and weighed more than 50 lbs. have been recorded.

Yay! More mycology!

However, much larger, a single mycelium (that's the dormant part of a mushroom in the soli) of Armillaria bulbosa, a variety of the Honey Fungus, has been found to occupy a massive 40 acres of forest woodland soil, and is probably the largest organism in the fungus kingdom recorded to date.

Oh, and the chemical that is responsible for the "mushroom" smell and taste of many edible varieties is apparently 1-octen-3-ol:

   H H H H H H   H   H
   | | | | | |   |  /
 H-C-C-C-C-C-C - C=C
   | | | | | |   |  \\
   H H H H H O-H H   H

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DiMono
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JayS wrote:
A group of officers is called a mess.

To the best of my knowledge, the Officers' Mess is the dining hall, not an actual gathering of officers. You could, however, go with Platoon, Unit, or Bar.

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Classical musicians are more likely to go deaf from their music than rock musicians, because of the extremely high notes played on violins and violas on a regular basis.

You can in fact explode a mouse with rock music.

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eytanz
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DiMono wrote:

JayS wrote:
A group of officers is called a mess.

To the best of my knowledge, the Officers' Mess is the dining hall, not an actual gathering of officers. You could, however, go with Platoon, Unit, or Bar.

I'm not sure about a bar, but it would be very unlikely to find a unit of officers, and downright impossible to find a platoon of officers - units and platoons are structured and have chains of command; they are comprised of both officers and regular soldiers. Though I'm sure there are special units that are officer-only (say, a unit of fighter pilots), the term would hardly extend to any normal gathering of officers.

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The amount of people who get seizures from playing video games (at least according to all my gamecube game manuals) is 1 in 4000.
The PC version of The Sims has 7 expansion packs (Livin' Large, House Party, Hot Date, Vacation, Unleashed, Superstar, Makin' Magic).
South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut has 399 Swear words. I think that the Guinness Book of World Records said it had 200 offensive gestures and 128 acts of violence.

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leroy00
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agaricus5 wrote:

Cool. I didn't know about that. What do you call 2O = H2SO3 then?

I assume you made an error in copying and meant, what is the trivial name of H2SO3. I'm pretty sure it is sulfurous acid in English.

Nitrogen compounds, the infamous NOx family, are also a cause of acid rain.
Fill in the blank:

Click here to view the secret text

×NO2 + H2O = H2NO3

--leroy

Huh? I thought nitrogen has a valency of 3 or 5, not 4, so the NO3 ion has a 1- charge (You can also get NO2 ions with 1- charges as well, due to the difference in oxidation state).

I'm sure nitric acid has a formula of HNO3, not H2NO3

You are, of course, correct. How very embarrasing!
--leroy



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Pinnacle
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1234567891 is a prime number.
So is 2003.

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gamer_extreme_101
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The longest word known in the English language is....(get ready for it):

methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosylglutamylserylleucylphenylalanyla
lanylglutaminylleucyllysylglutamylarginyllysylglutamylglycylalany
lphenylalanylvalylprolylphenylalanylvalylthreonylleucylglycylaspa
rtylprolylglycylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylserylleucyllysylisoleu
cylaspartylthreonylleucylisoleucylglutamylalanylglycylalanylaspar
tylalanylleucylglutamylleucylglycylisoleucylprolylphenylalanylser
ylaspartylprolylleucylalanylaspartylglycylprolylthreonylisoleucyl glutaminylaspfraginylalanylthreonylleucylarginylalanylphenylalany lalanylalanylglycylvalylthreonylprolylalanylglutaminylcysteinylph enylalanylglutamylmethionylleucylalanylleucylisoleucylarginylglut aminyllysylhistidylprolylthreonylisoleucylprolylisoleucylglycylle ucylleucylmethionyltyrosylalanylasparaginylleucylvalylphenylalany lasparaginyllysylglycylisoleucylaspartylglutamylphenylalanyltyros ylalanylglutaminylcysteinylglutamyllysylvalylglycylvalylaspartyls erylvalylleucylvalylalanylaspartylvalylprolylvalylglutaminylgluta mylserylalanylprolylphenylalanylarginylglutaminylalanylalanylleuc ylarginylhistidylasparaginylvalylalanylprolylisoleucylphenylalany lisoleucylcysteinylprolylprolylaspartylalanylaspartylaspartylaspa rtylleucylleucylarginylglutaminylisoleucylalanylseryltyrosylglycy larginylglycyltyrosylthreonyltyrosylleucylleucylserylarginylalany lglycylvalylthreonylglycylalanylglutamylasparaginylarginylalanyla lanylleucylprolylleucylasparaginylhistidylleucylvalylalanyllysyll eucyllysylglutamyltyrosylasparaginylalanylalanylprolylprolylleucy
lglutaminylglycylphenylalanylglycylisoleucylserylalanylprolylaspa rtylglutaminylvalyllysylalanylalanylisoleucylaspartylalanylglycyl alanylalanylglycylalanylisoleucylserylglycylserylalanylisoleucylv alyllysylisoleucylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylhistidylasparaginyli soleucylglutamylprolylglutamyllysylmethionylleucylalanylalanylleu cyllysylvalylphenylalanylvalylglutaminylprolylmethionyllysylalany
lalanylthreonylarginylserine.

(Note - the word is broken up because of formatting reasons)

This word is the full name of the tryptophan synthetase A protein, an enzyme with 267 amino acids AND, believe it or not, is 1,913 letters long!

I found this here if anyone is interested.


[Edited by gamer_extreme_101 on 06-24-2004 at 11:47 PM GMT]

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agaricus5
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gamer_extreme_101 wrote:
The longest word known in the English language is....(get ready for it):

...Lots of amino acids stuck together to make a "word".

(Note - the word is broken up because of formatting reasons)

This word is the full name of the tryptophan synthetase A protein, an enzyme with 267 amino acids AND, believe it or not, is 1,913 letters long!

I found this here if anyone is interested.


[Edited by gamer_extreme_101 on 06-24-2004 at 11:47 PM GMT]

I disagree completely.

As I mentioned before on this thread...

Actually, I'd think that to be completely wrong. What you have written is actually just the names of the amino acid components of some protein stuck together in a semi-chemical format. Since many proteins can be hundreds to thousands of amino acids long, written in this way, they would contain several thousand letters.

However, I have no idea if this is actually an accepted way of writing the full name of a protein or not, so I guess this is not really true.

Plus, each amino acid has a much longer chemical definition, so if each amino acid was translated into its chemical counterpart, it would be much longer. For example, glycine, the shortest amino acid found in nature, has a structure like this:

    H   H   O
     \\  |  //
      N-C-C
     /  |  \\
    H   H   O-H

CH2NH2COOH (I think)

Its proper name is 2-aminoethanoic acid, which is much longer than its special name.

In addition, the size of your protein, 267 amino acids, is actually not really that big. Many proteins are much larger, with some globular proteins reacing several hundred amino acids. Collagen, the material which makes up your skin, is made up of units of molecules containing three chains of amino acids that are about 1000 long. That written in a similar style to the above would be far longer.

I understand that you are only reporting, but I strongly feel that this is very incorrect.

[Edited by agaricus5 on 06-25-2004 at 10:32 AM GMT]

[Edited by agaricus5 on 06-25-2004 at 10:33 AM GMT]

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eytanz
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Yeah, I'd have to disagree too - not just because you can apparently get even longer names for amino acids, but because this just doesn't seem to me to be a word in "the English language". Of course, there's no real agreement of what exactly are the words of the English language, but I think there are several valid possible criteria - say, that it's a word listed as being English in some respectable dictionary such as the OED or Mirriam-Webster (easy to check); or that it's a word that's known to the majority of English speakers (probably more accurate, but harder to check). The word listed above fails (miserably) under both criteria.

The word you listed may or may not be the longest word in a particular English-derived specialist jargon (in this case either Chemistry, Biology, or Medicine, depending on who ever uses it), but I don't think that qualifies it as being part of the actual English language, any more than a personal in-joke slang word known to just me and my high-school friends would qualify.

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gamer_extreme_101
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True. I see where you are getting at...and besides, I don't think anyone could say it out loud...so technically it would be English.

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DiMono
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It takes two hundred and seventeen licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.

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gamer_extreme_101
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DiMono wrote:
It takes two hundred and seventeen licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.

Are these full up to down licks or halfway licks????

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DiMono
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It's actually an average. Invariably, some licks will be longer than others, taking the tootsie pop over more of your tongue, and some will be little half licks. Consider it as the tip of your tongue going from bottom to top once.

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mrimer
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Throughout the life of the DROD forum, the number of posts has always been almost exactly 10x the number of thread topics. Weird.

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Pinnacle
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File: Pi.doc (118 KB)
Downloaded 65 times.
License: Other
From: Unspecified

If anyone's interested, here's about 50000 digits of pi.

<----------

[Edited by Pinnacle on 07-04-2004 at 06:25 PM GMT: forgot to attach the file!]

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Pinnacle
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Define "SESQUIPEDELIAN."

a) unimportant
b) rare
c) overly complex
d) prone to using long words




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Nillo
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Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

= Fear of long words

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RoboBob3000
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I believe that "sesquipedalian" and "hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian" mean the same thing, which leads me to believe that "hippopotomonstro-" is a prefix that doesn't alter the word at all. With that conclusion drawn, I'm announcing the change of my screenname to "HippopotomonstRoboBob3000".

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