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Fanfare, v. 2, issue 2, whole no.8, February 1942

Page 25

Their Own Petard
by H C KOENIG

FROM A SPEECH DELIVERED BY EDWARD E. SMITH PH.D., AT THE CHICAGO CONVENTION - PUBLISHED IN FANFARE SUPPLEMENT NO. ONE" 1941.


"For there are only perhaps a couple of thousand or so of us who have the peculiar attributes that make us real fans. Four thousand, say, and call the rest casual readers, or non-fans, or anything you please. The square root of that number two hundred - will be a representative sample. This convention, then, actually represents the fans of the country as a mathematical fact as well as in our published statements. Is this proof sufficient?

I'm afraid not, Doctor. For a Pee Aitch Dee you show a surprising lack of knowledge in simple arithmetic. Your mathematics are somewhat faulty. May I suggest that you stick to the Skylark stories where the mathematics are relatively unimportant?

For the purposes of the record; the square root of 4,000 is not 200 - it is 63.245.

(Tatatata ta ta! The gallant Sir Robert of Swisher sails into the fray, to aid the beleaguered Sir Edward. Says Robert: "Sir Edward took the square root of 40,000 instead of 4,000 so he only missed by a zero; which is nothing. Herman, the Teuton knave, is .069975 askew, since 63.245 squared is 3,999.930025." Yoicks!-ed)

FROM "SLAN!DER" IN "FANFARE" VOL. 2 NO. 1 AUGUST 1941

"There are now approximately 20 science fiction and fantasy magazines on the stands. Of this number, one is a reprint, leaving only 7 paying the cen-a-word rate."

These damned mathematicians drive me crazy. What do they take us for - Einsteins?

FROM "SLAN!DER" IN "FANFARE" VOL. 2, NO. 1. AUGUST, 1941

"And perhaps - just perhaps - this business of living will become for you and I - 'too much with us', and our dreams will fade like pretty shining bubbles in the heat of a desert sun, and reality will make writing a bare, bitter thing; - and the fans of that tomorrow will rage and sneer and revile us with all the strange, rather sad, ephemeral idealism of youth."

Oh, Joe Dear!! I'll bet you say that to all the girls.

Saving...

Their Own Petard by H C KOENIG FROM A SPEECH DELIVERED BY EDWARD E. SMITH PH.D., AT THE CHICAGO CONVENTION - PUBLISHED IN FANFARE SUPPLEMENT NO. ONE" 1941. "For there are only perhaps a couple of thousand or so of us who have the peculiar attributes that make us real fans. Four thousand, say, and call the rest casual readers, or non-fans, or anything you please. The square root of that number two hundred - will be a representative sample. This convention, then, actually represents the fans of the country as a mathematical fact as well as in our published statements. Is this proof sufficient? I'm afraid not, Doctor. For a Pee Aitch Dee you show a surprising lack of knowledge in simple arithmetic. Your mathematics are somewhat faulty. May I suggest that you stick to the Skylark stories where the mathematics are relatively unimportant? For the purposes of the record; the square root of 4,000 is not 200 - it is 63.245. (Tatatata ta ta! The gallant Sir Robert of Swisher sails into the fray, to aid the beleaguered Sir Edward. Says Robert: "Sir Edward took the square root of 40,000 instead of 4,000 so he only missed by a zero; which is nothing. Herman, the Teuton knave, is .069975 askew, since 63.245 squared is 3,999.930025." Yoicks!-ed) FROM "SLAN!DER" IN "FANFARE" VOL. 2 NO. 1 AUGUST 1941 "There are now approximately 20 science fiction and fantasy magazines on the stands. Of this number, one is a reprint, leaving only 7 paying the cen-a-word rate." These damned mathematicians drive me crazy. What do they take us for - Einsteins? FROM "SLAN!DER" IN "FANFARE" VOL. 2, NO. 1. AUGUST, 1941 "And perhaps - just perhaps - this business of living will become for you and I - 'too much with us', and our dreams will fade like pretty shining bubbles in the heat of a desert sun, and reality will make writing a bare, bitter thing; - and the fans of that tomorrow will rage and sneer and revile us with all the strange, rather sad, ephemeral idealism of youth." Oh, Joe Dear!! I'll bet you say that to all the girls.