I’m having an attack of stupid again. Can somehow tell me how one goes about to determine the size of angle a in the below diagram?
As given, the diagram contains insufficient information to determine the angle a because the orientation of line segment EG can be varied independently of that of line segment FH.
Still, it appears that the line segments EG and FH are reflections of one another through a line that is perpendicular to the parallel pair of line segments AB and CD. If this assumption is correct, then:—
• By symmetry, the angle of intersection between EG and CD is also 70°;
• By parallel translation, the angle of intersection between EG and AB is also 70°; and
• Therefore, a = 180° – 70° = 110°.
'Luthon64
Ah well, then perhaps I wasn’t all that stupid after all. The problem was in a grade 8 math assignment that I was helping a kid with, and it frustrated me that I couldn’t do it either. 
Well, there is a memorandum somewhere. I’ll go check what their supposed solution is and come report back. Perhaps they meant to indicate a symmetry or something. I have noticed that their memoranda sometimes contain information not given in the original problem.
The browser spell checker tells me ‘memoranda’ isn’t a word, and that perhaps I was trying to type Andromeda. I’m glad it doesn’t have an autocorrect function. Particularly since it tells me ‘autocorrect’ isn’t a word either.
Interesting. In that case, bacteria, media, momenta, quanta, fora and many more shouldn’t be words either…
(There, I’ve subverted your thread. Now it’s for our resident word geeks. )
'Luthon64
Let me quickly check whether math and maths are words. Verdict: spell checker is fine with both. But not with mathemagics. 
When speaking or writing English, I prefer to use the English plural form, i.e. memorandums, forums, &c. I haven’t so much as glanced at a Latin textbook since the hell-days at school more than half a century ago, so I’m very unsure as to the correct Latin plural, or whether a word does indeed have a Latin root or the Greeks have stuck their oar in somewhere. Rather than look like an idiot by using something obviously wrong–virii is emphatically NOT the plural of virus–it’s easier just to use English.
If there are Greeks around sticking anything in anywhere, let’s hope it’s Bacchus
Bacchus is proudly Roman … or at least, he is Roman without necessarily giving a toss about being Roman.
He’s probably too drunk to remember where he fits in. What was the ancient Greek version again? Dionysus or something?
The Ancient Greeks invented gods. The Ancient Geeks invented math.
I know who/what Bacchus ‘is’ - but what a priceless painting. With that face, he could be sticking in anything, anywhere, anytime, and he would be having the best time ever!
But, this does bring up an interesting point (cross-referencing another debate about mathematics in SA schools).
- How many of us received more than even a basic mention of the various pantheons in school?
- Can anyone still be described as having received a ‘classical education’? (I am genuinely curious about this - in older books, such a description was often used in characterisation)
I was kinda difficult to go into it what with “them” being false gods and “our” god being the “true” one, after all.