In the usual after lecture scrum, a student came up and showed me her work on one of the more complex problems and suggested there might be another error. Given my track record for the night, I looked carefully at her work. Whew.
"No, no, I'm quite sure I'm right on that one," I tell her, "I know that you get roughly a pound of water for each pound of camel fat you metabolize, so burning a kilogram of fat should yield a bit more than a liter of water for the camel, not 100 ml."
There is a sudden silence. Did their professor really say that she keeps that kind of data on camel fat in her brain?
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Everything I know about camel fat I learned here: F. D. Gunstone & R.P. Paton, Biochem J. 1953 July; 54(4): 617–621.
That fact is probably going to stick with me for a good long time. I might not remember where I left my keys, but stuff like this gets into my brain and NEVER LEAVES.
ReplyDeleteThat's precisely my problem. Keys? My favorite travel mug?? No clue. The atomic mass of iron? No problem.
DeleteThat would be me (and, I'm sure, you!) and a description of the visio beatifica.
ReplyDeleteHeaven on earth, a full measure of trivia flowing over??
DeleteI love the way that the professor's mind works! If only she had been my chemistry teacher!
ReplyDeleteBefore waxing too enthusiastic, Fran, bear in mind that I make them do algebra mixed with crazy word problems!!
DeleteI am so intrigued by the way in which you think! Absolutely amazing!!
ReplyDeleteIntrigued is a nice way of saying it...I'm fairly sure my students are wishing I were a bit less intriguing at the moment!
DeleteI have no idea what words like metabolize and kilogram and liter mean, but I'm SURE that there's an Epiphany sermon in here somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a challenge :)!
DeleteI think it must begin something like: The magi are a cartographer, a chemistry professor, and a Jesuit astronomer. Thus the camels make it to Bethlehem, although they are about two years late. And very skinny, I presume. In need of St. Francis, who tells the chemistry professor that she should not have relied on her student's miscalculations.
DeleteI see some writing ahead for me....
DeleteHey. You want to come over for a camel free pizza?
ReplyDeleteAre you willing to help grade exams??
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