Friday, March 16, 2007

Is There A Word For That?

I wrote some time ago about a trick I use to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit. The weather forecasts here give the temperature in degrees Celsius, and it takes some getting used to.
Here's the trick:

28 Celsius = 82 Fahrenheit
16 Celsius = 61 Fahrenheit
4 Celsius = 40 Fahrenheit

Now I know whether I need shorts or a winter coat. But I've been wondering if there is a name for a math palindrome.

I've started listening to the podcast version of "A Way With Words," the NPR radio show. People write or call with questions about the meaning of words, the origin of words, and the correct use of words. So I wrote them with my question, and now they want to talk to me and maybe put the conversation on the radio.

We'll see how it goes. If it works out, the broadcast would be on Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25. The podcast would probably go up sometime that weekend.

I can't wait to find out what the word is!

Update: Host Grant Barrett's wife delivered their son a couple of weeks early, so the show will take a break. They plan to do the interview in late April.

Another update: We did the phone interview at the end of April. The show aired Saturday, May 26. It's a very nice show, and you should listen to the whole thing sometime. But if you just want this part, it's about 38 minutes in. Download or listen to the show here.