============================================================ THE DSA NEWSCAST http://www.dozenal.org ============================================================ The Dozenal Society of America Vol. 2, Iss. 5 Official Newsletter 1 May 11EX ============================================================ ============================================================ = CONTENTS = ============================================================ 1. Donations 2. For Sale 3. Living Dozens: Shapes 4. Dozenal News 5. Society Business 6. Poetical Diversion 7. Backmatter ============================================================ = DONATIONS = ============================================================ Members, please remember that while dues are no longer required for membership, we still rely on the generosity of members to keep the DSA going. Donations of any amount, large or small, are welcome and needed. A donation of $10; ($12.) will procure Subscription membership, and entitles the payer to receive both a digital and a paper copy of the _Bulletin_ if requested. Other members will receive only a digital copy. To invoke this privilege, please notify the Editor of the Bulletin, Mike deVlieger, at mdevlieger@dozenal.org As members know, we are a volunteer organization which pays no salaries. As such, every penny you donate goes toward furthering the DSA's goals. It may be worth considering a monthly donation; say, $3, or $6, or whatever seems reasonable to you. This can be set up quite easily with Paypal or WePay, both of which are available at our web site. Of course, if you prefer to donate by check, you may send them to our worthy Treasurer, Jay Schiffman, payable to the Dozenal Society of America, at: Jay Schiffman 604-36 South Washington Square, #815 Philadelphia, PA 19106-4115 ----------------------Member Benefits----------------------- Chief among the benefits of membership, aside from the knowledge of supporting the DSA's mission, is receipt of _The Duodecimal Bulletin_. In addition, however, members also receive (digitally) a membership card containing their vital member information and a monthly calendar with dozenal numbers, containing suitable and educational dozenal quotations and graphics, laid out for wall display. To receive these, please notify us that you'd like to receive them: Contact@dozenal.org ============================================================ = FOR SALE = ============================================================ The DSA is pleased to offer the following for sale. These are all either at cost, or the proceeds go to the Society. Wall Calendar for 11EX (stapled binding) $11.60 Wall Calendar for 11EX, coiled binding $16.70 Weekly Planner for 11EX $11.29 TGM: A Coherent Dozenal Metrology $8.00 Prices are, unfortunately but by necessity, in decimal. To find these works, simply go to: http://www.lulu.com/shop/shop.ep and enter the appropriate terms. E.g., searching for "11EX" will turn up these calendars and the planner; searching for "TGM dozenal" will turn up the TGM book. We hope to offer other titles, and even some other items (such as dozenal clocks and the like), in the near future. ============================================================ = LIVING DOZENS: SHAPES = ============================================================ Ten is such a divisor-poor number that it obscures the relationship between shapes and numbers. However, with the dozen, the most important simple polygons have a number of sides which are factors of our base, which makes that relationship more clear. For example, we can take a triangle and bend each of its three sides in the middle; this will give us six sides, a hexagon, also a factor of twelve. Do the same thing with the hexagon---bend each side in the middle---and you have a dodecagon (in SDN, an unquagon or unniligon), which is of course our base itself. Take a square and bend each of its four sides in the middle this will give eight sides, an octagon. While this is not precisely a factor of twelve, it goes into twelve one and a half times (that is, three eights are two twelves), so it's still in a very simple relationship with the base. The same sort of thing works in three dimensions, too, though it's not so transparent. Consider instead some simple facts. There are nine regular polyhedra, five convex and four stellated: the tetrahedron (four faces), the cube (six faces); the octahedron (eight faces); the dodecahedron (twelve faces); the icosahedron (18; faces); the small stellated dodecahedron (twelve faces); the great dodecahedron (twelve faces); the great stellated dodecahedron (twelve faces); and the great icosahedron (twenty faces). Notice how frequently our favorite number and its factors appear here! For four of the nine regular polyhedra, the number twelve is the defining characteristic of the shape. Of the remaining five, the factors of twelve are two more, so we have six of the nine (two thirds, 0;8) already. Even considering the octahedron, icosahedron, and great icosahedron, we don't lose much. The number eight, as already noted, fits in quite well with dozenal (three eights are two twelves); and twenty is just a dozen and eight. So when you observe shapes, consider their relationship to number. Look at number of sides, number of vertices, frequeny of various shapes. I think you'll find that shapes based on the dozen and its factors are much more frequent than any others; and there is, no doubt, a reason for that. ============================================================ = DOZENAL NEWS = ============================================================ The DSA is pleased to announce the publication of another historical dozenal work: "A Rational Solution to the Problem of Weights and Measures" by Sidney A. Reeve of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers: http://www.dozenal.org/drupal/content/rational-solution-problem-weights-and-measures Published originally in 1127 (1903.), this paper was originally given as a talk at the New York meeting of that society in September 1126. Explaining the dozenal system and putting forth a semi-completed metric system based on the yard, the paper is an interesting example of a brief but sincere attempt to urge the adoption of dozenal by a major organization. ============================================================ = SOCIETY BUSINESS = ============================================================ Last month we were excited to announce that the DSA's program on alternative bases in education was accepted to the mid-Atlantic regional conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in Richmond, VA this November. We recently received some more good news: the same program was also accepted, independently, for the regional conference in Indianapolis, IN in October! Professor Jay Schiffman (#2X8) has graciously volunteered to give this presentation in Indianapolis. This is a great coup for dozens, and will get the Society some more great publicity. ============================================================ = POETICAL DIVERSION = ============================================================ From Doz'nalism in Glory Let great Arithmos come to me, and join with me each jovial blade; come drink and sing and lend your aid, and help me with the chorus. Instead of ten we'll use great twelve; the depths of number we will delve; the dec'mal base we'll surely shelve, from doz'nalism is glory. Two factors simply isn't enough, and missing thirds is awfully tough; such bases simply aren't up to snuff; a dozen is something better. Instead of ten we'll use great twelve; the depths of number we will delve; the dec'mal base we'll surely shelve, from doz'nalism is glory. For six, for four, for three, and for two, I choose the dozen, and urge it to you; no other number so greatly can do; so help me with the chorus. Instead of ten we'll use great twelve; the depths of number we will delve; the dec'mal base we'll surely shelve, from doz'nalism is glory. To the tune of "Garryowen." ============================================================ = BACKMATTER = ============================================================ _The DSA Newscast_ is a production of the Dozenal Society of America. If you have received this publication in error, or otherwise do not wish to receive it anymore, please unsubscribe by mailing a message containing the string "UNSUBSCRIBE NEWSCAST", exactly as typed, in its body, to the Reply-To address of this message. For questions, comments, submissions, or other communication with the _Newscast_, please write to: newscast@dozenal.org EACH ONE, TEACH ONE