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The Duodecimal Bulletin Bulletin Duodecimal The Vol. 50; № 1; Year 11B7; a8 96a0 1 90 81 80 72 64 60 2 54 50 ■ 48 Volume Volume 45 50 40 3 ; ( 60. 36 ) ■ Number Number 32 30 4 27 1 ; 25 ■ Whole Number Number Whole 24 23 5 22 21 20 19 6 18 17 16 7 15 14 8 a0 13 12 11 10 9 ; ( 120. 1 00 ) Twelfty page 19; A0;Whole Number ISSN 0046-0826 Volume five dozen (60.) ◆ № 1 ◆ Whole Number ten dozen (120.) The Dozenal Society of America is a voluntary nonprofit educational corporation, organized for the conduct of research and education of the public in the use of base twelve in calculations, mathematics, weights and ebrating Te measures, and other branches of pure and applied science Cel n Doz en Is Basic Membership dues are $18 (USD), Supporting Mem- sues! bership dues are $36 (USD) for one calendar year. ••Contents•• Student membership is $3 (USD) per year. The page numbers appear in the format Volume·Number·Page TheDuodecimal Bulletin is an official publication of President’s Message 50·1·03 The DOZENAL Society of America, Inc. The 11b7; Annual Meeting Minutes 50·1·04 5106 Hampton Avenue, Suite 205 Saint Louis, mo 63109-3115 Move over Primes —the Versatiles Are Here! ∙ Bill Lauritzen 50·1·05 Officers History Professor Speaks to dsa Members ∙ reprint ∙ Zirkel 50·1·08 Board Chair Jay Schiffman A Dozen Decades ∙ reprint ∙ Alice Berridge & Prof. Gene Zirkel 50·1·09 President Michael De Vlieger Menninger on the Great Hundred ∙ book review ∙ De Vlieger 50·1·0b Vice President John Earnest Secretary Alice Berridge Problem Corner ∙ Prof. Gene Zirkel 50·1·10 Treasurer Jay Schiffman Validating a Dozenal Measure of Angle ∙ Michael De Vlieger 50·1·0b Editorial Office Twelfty, or Adventures in Alternating Bases · Feature Michael T. De Vlieger, Editor The Duodecimal Bulletin interviews Wendy Y. Krieger 50·1·17 5106 Hampton Avenue, Suite 205 Prof. Gene Zirkel 50·1·29 Saint Louis, MO 63109-3115 Problem Corner ∙ (314) 351-7456 [email protected] Mathematics and Computer Education (advertisement) 50·1·2a Nominating Committee The Basics of Systematic Dozenal Nomenclature 50·1·2b Alice Berridge, Chair Join the dsa Today! 50·1·33 Patricia Zirkel Gene Zirkel Hey Son, Board of Directors whatcha readin’— Class of 11b7; (2011.) sports page? Nope. Homework. The new Alice Berridge, Woodbury, ny multiplication table. Ellen Tufano, huntington, ny Christina D’Aiello-Scalise, tarrytown, ny Michael De Vlieger, st. louis, mo Class of 11b8; (2012.) John Steigerwald, fanwood, nj Carmine De Santo, merrick, ny Jay Schiffman, philadelphia, pa Official Website: Timothy Travis, el toro, ca Knew there www.Dozenal.org Class of 11b9; (2013.) was a reason Email us at: Dr. John Impagliazzo, doha, qatar they call it [email protected] Gene Zirkel, babylon village, ny the “long John Earnest, baldwin, ny The Dozenal Society Graham Steele, Framingham, ma hundred” of Great Britain: Figure I’ll have it down after I www.Dozenalsociety.org.uk TheDuodecimal Bulletin Volume Five Dozen, Number One copyright ©2011 the Dozenal Society of America retire from the major leagues. 1; one The Duodecimal Bulletin Volume 50; Number 1; Whole Number a0; two 2; president’s • 11B7; · GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING · 2011. • • g 11E7; Minutes of the Annual Meeting 2011. E · · message Nassau Community21; (25.) June 11E7; (2011.) College DSA Board Meetingsee was http://www.ncc.edu/About/directions.htm called to order at about 2:00 PM. Welcome to a new “duodecade” of your Duodecimal Bulletin! In honor of this ten The Board noted that long-time DSA stalwart Alice Berridge died at E;00 this very dozenth issue of the Bulletin, we’ll examine the number dek-do and other highly com- morning.2 pm SheSaturday was active in the DSA from day one. Over the years Alice served as Vice posite numbers of its ilk. Our Germanic forefathers knew ten dozen as the “great” or President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Society. She also worked on many committees: “long hundred”, we’ll read about our Society’s encounter with this concept in a couple 21; June 11B7; Nominating,(Saturday 25. Meeting, June 2011 and.) Awards to name a few. She educated people about dozenal reprints of our accounts of Danish native Jens Ulff-Møller’s visit with us in the eighties. counting and promoted the DSA tirelessly among her family and friends. Her presence Australian Wendy Krieger contributes a few items on the number she affectionately calls willLocation be sorely missedto be by determined one and all. “twelfty”. Bill Lauritzen, a Californian teaching in southern China, introduces us to the ComeThe on Treasurer, out and Jay join Schiman, us! reported positive growth in both DSA membership concept of “versatile numbers”. Finally, we’ll examine the dozenal division of a circle and in DSA investments from 2010–2011. and compare it to the decimal 360-degree system. SomeThe items Outreach we plan and to Education discuss: Committee will consist of Secretary Jen Seron, plus The last mentioned article, on measurement and number base, introduces a depart- volunteers• Dozenal from Doings membership. ment we’ll introduce across some of the next dozen issues looking into various systems • TheThe dsa slate Website of ocers and proposed Archive by the Nominating Committee consisted of the follow- of dozenal measure. We’re planning to examine Tom Pendlebury’s tgm, celebrated in ing:• The Board Duodecimal Chair Jay Schiman,Bulletin: President Michael De Vlieger, Vice-President Graham the uk, the Manual of the Dozen System introduced by this Society in 1960, and Takashi Steele, Treasurer Jay Schiman, Secretary Jen Seron. There being no other nominations, Suga’s Universal Unit System. For this to be successful, we’d like your help. Do you have ▶ Vol. 50; № 1 — Celebrating the Long Hundred a favorite system? Why do you espouse that system? What qualities appeal to you in a the Chair wasWe’ll directed discuss to castthe past one issues vote for since the the slate. 11b6; Michael Meeting De Vlieger was reappointed system of weights and measure? We’re eager to hear what you have to say. Editor of ourand Bulletin. any feedback Gene Zirkelthey’ve was generated. appointed Parliamentarian to the Chair. The Dozenal Society of America is always looking for the participation of its Mem- The▶ BoardVol. 50; Meeting № 2 —was Music adjourned and the unanimouslyDozen at 3:45 PM. bers, because part of being a Society is being social. A few of the Members met in De- Annual MeetingThe latter of 11b7; theDozenal issue or one Society thereafter of America may focus was on called how the to orderdozen aroundand music 3:15 cember 2010 in New York for dinner and conversation. Consider joining us in June at PM relate. Come discuss music with us! At the general membership meeting: Nassau Community College for our Annual Meeting. There are plenty of dozenal doings ▶ The Dozenal System of Measurement Department to partake in across the year. Some of you may be particularly motivated to contribute The DSA’sBeginning incorporation with Vol. documents 50;, the dsa need will discuss to updated and review to align the withcurrently NY published State non- articles to this Bulletin, or your own ideas to our website. All our work is volunteered, so prot 501C law.dozenal President systems Michael of measure De Vlieger in a temporary reported department on the amendment across the next of corporateduodecade we certainly appreciate any contribution you can make. If you think something could be documents toof accommodate issues. We’ll examine changes Pendlebury’s in NY State tgm incorporation, the Manuallaw. of the These Dozen amendments System, done better, please lend a hand. We appreciate your Membership, because your partici- will put us inSuga’s compliance Universsal with Unit that System, law. This and amendmentmore.How would was you approved measure unanimously. in base twelve? pation and your dues help keep this Society moving forward. President▶ Topics De Vliegerfor upcoming reported issues on the trac of the recently revised and updated DSA I hope you enjoy this ten dozenth issue of the Duodecimal Bulletin. We’ve tapped con- website. Old copies of the Bulletin are now available online. — to be determined. tributors far and wide for their thoughts; I do hope these stimulate your own thoughts. • PresentationVice-President Graham Steele has set up a Facebook site, and President De Vlieger The Society looks forward to seeing you in New York City this summer!••• hasJoin set upus afor Twitter dinner account. after the Meeting! The••••• Board ••••• ••••• of Directors••••• ••••• Class ••••• ••••• of 2014. ••••• was••••• elected••••• ••••• as ••••• follows: Michael DeVlieger Jen SeronIf you have dozenal topics, we’d be happy to Brian Ditterdiscuss these during and after the meetings! Donald• Goodman • Symbology & Nomenclature • • A lively discussion of dozenal ideas was led by Brian and Mike. All joined in. Then The Dozen in theThe members DSA does retired NOT to endorse a nearby any restaurant particular for symbols supper for and the more digits discussion. ten and eleven. For uniformity in publications we use Dwiggins dek (A) for ten and his el (B) for eleven. Whatever symbols are used, the numbers commonly called “ten”, “eleven” and “twelve” Daily Life are pronounced “dek”, “el” and “dough” in the duodecimal system. When it is not clear from the context whether a numeral is decimal or dozenal, we use a period as a unit point for base ten and a semicolon, or Humphrey point, as a unit point for base twelve. Thus ½ = 0;6 = 0.5, 2⅔ = 2;8 = 2.66666..., 6⅜ = 6;46 = 6.375 ••• 3; three The Duodecimal Bulletin VolumeVolume 50;50;Number Number 1;Whole Whole NumberNumber a0χ0;; fourfour4; 4; b pieces of candy to share.