From: "Josh Pepper" <jwpepper@uiuc.edu> To: "Chris Neihengen" <neihenge@uiuc.edu> Subject: FW: proof Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 09:34:56 -0500
Problem: To prove that computer science 373 is indeed the work of Satan.
Proof: First, let us assume that everything in Helping Yourself with Numerology, by Helyn Hitchcock, is true.
Second, let us apply divide and conquer to this problem. There are main parts:
We examine these sequentially.
The name of the course. "Combinatorial Algorithms" can actually be expressed as a single integer - 23 - since it has 23 letters. The most important individual, the Recursion Fairy, can also be expressed as a single integer - 14 - since it has 14 letters. In other words:
COMBINATORIAL ALGORITHMS = 23
RECURSION FAIRY = 14
As a side note, a much shorter proof has already been published showing that the Recursion Fairy is Lucifer, and that any class involving the Fairy is from Lucifer, however, that proofs numerological significance is slight.
Now we can move on to an analysis of the number of course, which holds great meaning. The first assumtion we make is that the number of the course, 373, is not actually a base 10 number. We can prove this inductively by making a reasonable guess for the actual base, then finding a new way to express the nature of the course, and if the answer confirms what we assumed, then we're right. That's the way induction works.
What is a reasonable guess for the base of the course? The answer is trivial, since the basest of all beings is the Recursion Fairy, the base is 14. So a true base 10 representation of 373 (base 14) is 689. So we see:
373 (base 14) = 689 (base 10)
Now since the nature of the course has absolutely nothing to do with combinatorial algorithms (instead having much to do with the work of the devil), we can subtract from the above result everything having to do with combinatorial algorithms just by subtracting 23. Here we see that:
689 - 23 = 666
QED.