Floyd ]
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | "Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme
Floyd | beauty - a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture, without
Floyd | appeal to any part of our weaker nature, without the gorgeous
Floyd | trappings of painting or music, yet sublimely pure, and capable of a
Floyd | stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show."    --
Floyd | Bertrand Russell

Floyd ]
Floyd | Would you like to...
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |    Play through the tutorial               :       T
Floyd |    Start the story - from the beginning    :    (SPACE)
Floyd |                    - from a saved position :       R
Floyd |    Quit                                    :       Q

Floyd ]
Floyd |
Floyd | "Closing time!"  The voice echoes in the space around you.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | You slowly open your eyes to find your face pressed against a book.  A
Floyd | book you've been drooling on.
Floyd |
Floyd | One thing at a time.  Let's focus on the book.
Floyd |
Floyd | Type EXAMINE BOOK, or X BOOK for short.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BOOK
Floyd |
Floyd | This is your textbook for Math 058, Concepts of Mathematics.  (Or is
Floyd | it Math 314?  Or Math 272?  You really ought to remember this.)  The
Floyd | book has some drool on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | So it's your math book.  That helps some.  You might be up to a wider
Floyd | glance around now.  Try LOOK, or just L for short.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  College Library
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Right.  The library.
Floyd |
Floyd | College Library
Floyd | The library is a great place to study - or so you've been told.  You
Floyd | hadn't seen the inside of it until today.
Floyd |
Floyd | (You've also been told it's a good place to sleep.  Well, you can
Floyd | vouch for that now.)
Floyd |
Floyd | On the study table in front of you are your math book and an empty
Floyd | yogurt cup.
Floyd |
Floyd | The librarian spots you and begins walking in your direction.  Oh, no.
Floyd |
Floyd | You might have time to look up one more topic in your math book.
Floyd | Newton, maybe.  He'll probably show up on the final tomorrow.  Or
Floyd | maybe Professor Glasser will expect you to wax philosophical about
Floyd | mathematics in general.  You could LOOK UP NEWTON or LOOK UP MATH.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  College Library
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP MATH
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | There is considerable debate as to the exact definition of
Floyd | mathematics.  Is it the study of numbers?  Shapes?  Is it discovered,
Floyd | or is it invented?  Aristotle called mathematics "the science of
Floyd | quantity," but some modern areas of mathematics like topology don't
Floyd | really fit that definition.   Bertrand Russell said that mathematics
Floyd | can be reduced to logic, but his own efforts in that area were
Floyd | punctured by Gödel's incompleteness theorems.  Most modern
Floyd | mathematicians take a "I know it when I see it" view, when they bother
Floyd | to think about the definition of mathematics at all.
Floyd |
Floyd | Regardless of its definition, since the 1600s mathematics has proven
Floyd | to be particularly useful to science.  For example, Isaac Newton's
Floyd | second law of motion, F = ma, or force equals mass times
Floyd | acceleration, single-handedly reduced a wide variety of problems in
Floyd | physics to a simple equation.  Modern physics, engineering, chemistry,
Floyd | economics, computers, and even large parts of biology and the social
Floyd | sciences would not be possible without mathematics.  Galileo even went
Floyd | so far as to claim that mathematics is the language with which God has
Floyd | written the universe.
Floyd |
Floyd | Is mathematics art or science?  Science owes much to mathematics, and
Floyd | Gauss called mathematics "the queen of the sciences."  But some
Floyd | mathematicians sound more like artists when describing their work.
Floyd | Russell, in the following quote, makes that comparison explicit:
Floyd |
Floyd | "Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme
Floyd | beauty - a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture, without
Floyd | appeal to any part of our weaker nature, without the gorgeous
Floyd | trappings of painting or music, yet sublimely pure, and capable of a
Floyd | stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show. The true
Floyd | spirit of delight, the exaltation, the sense of being more than Man,
Floyd | which is the touchstone of the highest excellence, is to be found in
Floyd | mathematics as surely as poetry."
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Wow.  That's a lot to digest.  You're never going to remember all of
Floyd | this for tomorrow.
Floyd |
Floyd | The librarian is getting closer.  You probably should take the
Floyd | initiative and GREET HER.  Maybe if you're friendly she'll let you
Floyd | stay a little longer.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  College Library
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET LIBRARIAN
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hello!" you say brightly.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hello," the librarian responds.  "I'm afraid it's time for you to
Floyd | leave."
Floyd |
Floyd | It looks like you might need more than friendliness here.  Let's go
Floyd | for pathos.  Try TELL LIBRARIAN ABOUT FINAL.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  College Library
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TELL LIBRIRIAN ABOUT FINAL
Floyd |
Floyd | (to the librarian)
Floyd | "Um, I have my final exam in conceptual mathematics tomorrow," you say
Floyd | in your best respectful-of-authority voice.  "I really need to do some
Floyd | more studying.  May I please, please stay here for just a little
Floyd | longer?"
Floyd |
Floyd | "No," she replies.  "I'm sorry, but I have to close up the library
Floyd | now."
Floyd |
Floyd | Well, that didn't work.  She's probably heard it all before.
Floyd |
Floyd | You might as well just head back to your dorm room.  You'll need to
Floyd | pick up your things first, though.  Try GET BOOK AND CUP.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  College Library
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET BOOK AND CUP
Floyd |
Floyd | your math book: You pick up your math book.
Floyd | empty yogurt cup: You pick up the yogurt cup.
Floyd |
Floyd | (Notice that you can GET more than one object at a time.)
Floyd |
Floyd | "I hope you're not planning to remove any library books," the
Floyd | librarian says.  "The borrowing period for this academic year has
Floyd | ended."
Floyd |
Floyd | You should check your inventory to show her.  Try INVENTORY, or just I
Floyd | for short.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  College Library
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   an empty yogurt cup
Floyd |   your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | "Good," says the librarian.  Then her eyes focus on the yogurt cup.
Floyd | She frowns.  "I'll take that," she says.
Floyd |
Floyd | Try GIVE CUP TO LIBRARIAN.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  College Library
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GIVE CUP TO LIBRARIAN
Floyd |
Floyd | You give the empty yogurt cup to the librarian.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Thank you," the librarian says.  "Next time, please try to follow the
Floyd | rules about food in the library.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Good luck on your final," she adds, pointedly indicating the exit to
Floyd | the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's really nothing left to do but head back to your dorm room.
Floyd | Try SOUTH, or just S.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You walk out, flashing the librarian a weak smile as you go.  She
Floyd | closes and locks the doors behind you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then you trudge back to your dorm room, thinking about how you got
Floyd | here...

Floyd ]
Floyd | This ends the tutorial.
Floyd |
Floyd | You've just seen several of the most useful commands in the game:
Floyd | EXAMINE object (or X object)
Floyd | LOOK (or L)
Floyd | LOOK UP topic (in your math book)
Floyd | GREET character
Floyd | TELL character ABOUT topic
Floyd | GET an object (more than one if you want)
Floyd | GIVE object TO character
Floyd | INVENTORY (or I)
Floyd | SOUTH (or S.  The other seven compass directions - and their
Floyd | abbreviations - are allowed, too, plus UP and DOWN).
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | You can review these commands and many others by typing HELP at any
Floyd | time.  In-game HINTS are available as well.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | [Please press SPACE to continue.]

Floyd ]
Floyd | A Beauty Cold and Austere
Floyd | An Interactive Digression by Mike Spivey
Floyd | Release 2 / Serial number 180112 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib
Floyd | 6/12N)
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Professor Glasser's survey course in conceptual mathematics seemed
Floyd | like a good idea at the start of the term - no graded homework, no
Floyd | midterm exams - just an oral final at the end.  As the semester
Floyd | progressed, cutting a few classes didn't really seem to matter.
Floyd | Neither did skipping a reading assignment - or a homework set - here
Floyd | and there.   But "a few, here and there" slowly turned into "several,"
Floyd | which turned into "most."  Eventually you were too embarrassed to show
Floyd | up to class anymore, and for the better part of the second half of the
Floyd | term you did an impressive job of forgetting about the final exam.
Floyd |
Floyd | Until this morning.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cramming has never worked for you, but what choice did you have?  You
Floyd | already made your choices, you suppose - repeatedly, throughout the
Floyd | semester.
Floyd |
Floyd | Blaming yourself now isn't going to do any good, though.  You can
Floyd | blame yourself all you want after tomorrow.  Focus on the final.
Floyd | Focus on the final.
Floyd |
Floyd | How, though?  It's late.  You need more sleep.  But you're not sure
Floyd | you remember much (anything?) from today's library cram session.
Floyd |
Floyd | You've got to pass that final because you've got to pass the class.
Floyd | What will happen to your scholarship if you don't?
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | With these pleasant thoughts running through your head as you walk
Floyd | across campus, you finally return to...

Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | across campus, you finally return to...
Floyd | Your Dorm Room
Floyd | Apparently your roommate moved out today.  The room looks pretty bare
Floyd | with only your stuff left in it...not that you had much to begin with.
Floyd | The only decorations that remain are a few of your posters hanging on
Floyd | the walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear loud noises coming from the hallway to the south.  It sounds
Floyd | like your hallmates have begun celebrating the end of the academic
Floyd | year.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can see your bed and your desk (on which are a medicine bottle and
Floyd | a note) here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ NOTE
Floyd |
Floyd | It's from your roommate.  "Good luck on your final!  I've left you the
Floyd | last of my study pills.  I promise you they are perfectly safe,
Floyd | all-natural, and organic - although they may not work exactly like you
Floyd | expect."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PILLS
Floyd |
Floyd | Your roommate claims these pills are good for your memory, but you've
Floyd | always been skeptical.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BED
Floyd |
Floyd | Your bedsheets feature characters from one of your favorite childhood
Floyd | shows.  Particularly prominent is a purple puppet vampire, who is
Floyd | endearing rather than scary.  You don't care that your friends
Floyd | occasionally make fun of you for these sheets.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BOTTLE
Floyd |
Floyd | These study pills are ones that your roommate picked up at that
Floyd | sketchy health-food store downtown.  Your roommate swears by them, but
Floyd | you've always been skeptical.  The bottle is closed, and there is
Floyd | something written on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ BOTTLE
Floyd |
Floyd | On the bottle is written "Blorple Pills: Explore a nearby object's
Floyd | mystic energy field via the power of dreams!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Mystic energy field?  Power of dreams?!  You thought these were
Floyd | supposed to be study pills.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > OPEN BOTTLE
Floyd |
Floyd | You push down on the bottle's cap, twist it, and pull... and the
Floyd | bottle opens easily.  Whew!  Sometimes these "childproof" medicine
Floyd | bottles are really hard to open.  There is one pill left in the
Floyd | bottle.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE PILL
Floyd |
Floyd | A bit hesitantly, you swallow the pill.  Hopefully this will help with
Floyd | your studying.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT TEXTBOOK UNDER PILLOW
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET ON BED
Floyd |
Floyd | You get onto your bed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | >
Floyd | > SLEEP
Floyd |
Floyd | You curl up with the math book.  Whether by exhaustion or the effects
Floyd | of the pill (or both), you quickly fall asleep.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your dreams are strange.  Images from today's cramfest run through
Floyd | your mind in rapid succession, combining, reforming, and producing new
Floyd | images, each of which sinks into your unconscious.  Eventually your
Floyd | thoughts slow down, and as they do you can feel your mind empty.  Your
Floyd | dream coalesces into...

Floyd ]  Point                                                2/100
Floyd |
Floyd | Point
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | only thing that breaks up this space is the white disk floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  While the disk doesn't appear to be
Floyd | supported by anything, there is a hole in the middle of it.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Arithmetic has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by two
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Point                                                2/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SCORE
Floyd |
Floyd | You estimate that you would score 2 out of 100 on tomorrow's final
Floyd | exam.  If you remember Professor Glasser's grading scale correctly,
Floyd | this would earn you an F in the course.
Floyd | (For a more complete breakdown of your score, use the FULL command.
Floyd | To toggle reporting of your grade in the status line, use the GRADE
Floyd | command.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Point                                                2/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DISK
Floyd |
Floyd | The disk is pure white and has a diameter of about 8 feet.  There is a
Floyd | hole in the middle of it, large enough for you to enter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Point                                                2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GRADE
Floyd |
Floyd | (Grade reporting is now on.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  One                                                  2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ENTER DISK
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back
Floyd | up.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper, "downward"
Floyd | direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Void                                                 2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Void
Floyd | This space feels formless, as if it consists of as-yet unshaped
Floyd | matter.  You can sense a way out above you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The only solid thing you can discern here is a white wand, floating
Floyd | upright in the void.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Void                                                 2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE WAND
Floyd |
Floyd | You take the white wand from the void.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Void                                                 2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X IT
Floyd |
Floyd | This white wand is in the shape of a snake - a one-eyed adder,
Floyd | actually.  The adder's eye is a dark sapphire.  The wand has the word
Floyd | "Increment" inscribed along it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Void                                                 2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > WAVE WAND
Floyd |
Floyd | You wave the wand, and the word "Increment" on it glows briefly before
Floyd | fading.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Void                                                 2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Void
Floyd | This space feels formless, as if it consists of as-yet unshaped
Floyd | matter.  You can sense a way out above you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  One                                                  2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up through the void.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back
Floyd | up.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper, "downward"
Floyd | direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Two                                                  2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > WAVE WAND
Floyd |
Floyd | You wave the wand, and the word "Increment" on it begins to glow.  It
Floyd | glows brighter and brighter.  Finally, the wand emits a dazzling flash
Floyd | of light - and disappears!  Wandless, you feel yourself
Floyd | increment.
Floyd |
Floyd | Two
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it's
Floyd | marked by a feeling of duality, as if it somehow contains opposites
Floyd | within itself.  The only exit is a hole leading up.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | As you climb through the hole, at first it appears you are entering a
Floyd | dark blue nothingness.  But then you see, off to the "west," the white
Floyd | disk you were standing on earlier.  The white wand is lying on it,
Floyd | pointed in your direction.  As you stare at it, the wand begins to
Floyd | change shape!  It widens and flattens until it is the width of the
Floyd | disk.  Then the tip stretches toward you, the wand soon extending far
Floyd | beyond its original length.  The tip picks up speed, and it passes you
Floyd | almost faster than you can follow.  You get a last glimpse of the tip
Floyd | off in the distance before it is lost from sight.  Looking around, you
Floyd | find that the wand has become a line with numbers marked on it, a line
Floyd | that extends as far as you can see to the "east."  With some
Floyd | trepidation, you step onto this new line.
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 2
Floyd | You are in a dark blue expanse of space, standing on a white line that
Floyd | stretches to the west and as far as you can see to the east.  The
Floyd | number 2 is marked on the line here.  There is a hole next to the 2
Floyd | large enough for you to climb down into.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Arithmetic has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Two                                                  3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | Two
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it's
Floyd | marked by a feeling of duality, as if it somehow contains opposites
Floyd | within itself.  The only exit is a hole leading back up to the
Floyd | positive axis.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 2
Floyd | You are in a dark blue expanse of space, standing on a white line that
Floyd | stretches to the west and as far as you can see to the east.  The
Floyd | number 2 is marked on the line here.  There is a hole next to the 2
Floyd | large enough for you to climb down into.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You walk along the positive axis for a while, tracing the passage of
Floyd | the tip of the white wand.  You see marks for 3, 4, 5, and larger
Floyd | numbers.  There are no holes or anything else featured on this part of
Floyd | the positive axis, though, and you soon decide return to the 2 mark.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 1
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | space is broken up by the straight, flat white line floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  The line begins here and stretches
Floyd | out of sight to the east.  The number 1 is marked on the line.  While
Floyd | the line doesn't appear to be supported by anything, there is a hole
Floyd | in the middle of it here, next to the 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | Since the disk you were standing on earlier has now become the
Floyd | location of 1 on the positive axis, you find yourself wondering if
Floyd | this is the only space that has changed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  One                                                  3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back up
Floyd | to the positive axis.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper,
Floyd | "downward" direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Form                                                 3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | This space seems more formed than it did the last time you were here.
Floyd |
Floyd | Form
Floyd | The space is now partially-formed, but it is still mostly unshaped
Floyd | matter.  Besides the way up to the manifestation of one, you can now
Floyd | sense several more "paths" through the void: north, south, east, and
Floyd | west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way west through the void.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | You are standing in the great hall of a large, cobwebby castle.  A
Floyd | long table stretches from one end of the hall to the other.  The
Floyd | entryway of the castle is to the east.  Exits west and south lead to
Floyd | other parts of the castle.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | A large purple puppet is here, counting several coins laid out on the
Floyd | table.  He is talking to himself.  "... eight, nine, ten!  Ten coins!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PUPPET
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is not a man but a purple puppet.  There is no one animating
Floyd | him, yet he talks and moves about.  You're definitely dreaming.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CUP
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X COINS
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a huge pile of coins.  You wonder if the Count knows exactly
Floyd | how many there are.  He probably does.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ASK COUNT ABOUT COINS
Floyd |
Floyd | It would be more polite to greet the Count first.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET COUNT
Floyd |
Floyd | The puppet looks up at your approach.  "I am the Count of this castle,
Floyd | and I love to count!  But I have a problem.  Maybe you can help.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I have ten different coins here that I have been flipping.  I want to
Floyd | count how many ways I can flip the ten coins and have half of them
Floyd | come up heads and half come up tails.  For example, one way is
Floyd | HHHHHTTTTT.  Another way is HTHTHTHTHT.  A third way is HTHHTTTTHH.
Floyd | That's three.  But there are a lot more than that, and I can't seem to
Floyd | count them because I can't keep track of all the combinations!
Floyd |
Floyd | "Here are some ideas.  I know that if I want 0 heads, then the answer
Floyd | is 1: TTTTTTTTTT.  I know that if I want 1 head, the answer is 10:
Floyd | HTTTTTTTTT, THTTTTTTTT, and so on, with one head for each of the other
Floyd | coins.  It took me a long time to find the answer with two heads, but
Floyd | I'm pretty sure I got it: 45.  But with three or more I can't keep
Floyd | track of what I've counted and what I haven't.
Floyd |
Floyd | "If you know the answer, please tell me!
Floyd |
Floyd | "I will be happy to let you have one of my coins if you can help me."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ASK COUNT ABOUT BIG BIRD
Floyd |
Floyd | "I haven't seen him in a while," the Count says.  "I probably should
Floyd | go visit sometime soon."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ASK COUNT ABOUT COINS
Floyd |
Floyd | "Can you tell me how many ways there are to flip ten coins and get
Floyd | five heads and five tails?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > 99
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't recognize that command.  (There is a list of recognized
Floyd | commands in the HELP menus.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Form                                                 3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Form
Floyd | The space is now partially-formed, but it is still mostly unshaped
Floyd | matter.  Besides the way up to the manifestation of one, you can now
Floyd | sense several more "paths" through the void: north, south, east, and
Floyd | west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north through the void.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd | You stand in the southern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  There is an
Floyd | inscription on the wall, the rest of the temple is to the north, and
Floyd | the exit to the Lyceum is south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ INSCRIPTION
Floyd |
Floyd | "Number is the origin of all things."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Northern End
Floyd | You stand in the northern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  Instead of
Floyd | the half-expected statue of Athena Parthenos, though, stands a large
Floyd | statue of Pythagoras.  Behind the statue is a small passageway heading
Floyd | north.
Floyd |
Floyd | An acolyte is here, silently cleaning up the area around the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a trash urn and a scrap of papyrus here.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte picks up the scrap of papyrus from the floor.  She reads
Floyd | it carefully, nods, and tosses it in the urn.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X URN
Floyd |
Floyd | This large urn is decorated with tasteful depictions of various
Floyd | numbers.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the trash urn is a scrap of papyrus.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE SCRAP
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte pokes at a corner of the temple with her broom.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ IT
Floyd |
Floyd | This appears to be a piece torn from some religious scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Number is the origin of all things.
Floyd |
Floyd | Number has two basic forms: The odd and the even.  Each thing is odd
Floyd | or even or is a ΛΟΓΟΣ, or ratio, made from odd and even.
Floyd |
Floyd | 1.  Odd things include the statue of Him in our temple, which is one.
Floyd |
Floyd | 2.  Even things include the primary sources of light in our sky - the
Floyd | sun and moon, which are two.
Floyd |
Floyd | 3.  ΛΟΓΟΣ things include the seasons, which represent the ratio of
Floyd | one
Floyd | year into four parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | Nothing which is not odd, even, or a ratio from odd and even can
Floyd | exist."
Floyd |
Floyd | [If the Greek letters are not displaying correctly, you may type
Floyd | SYMBOLS OFF to turn off the use of Greek letters and mathematical
Floyd | symbols for the remainder of the game.]
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X STATUE
Floyd |
Floyd | This large statue of Pythagoras dominates the north end of the temple.
Floyd | A small passageway is behind the statue, leading north.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte picks up a speck of dust from the floor of the temple.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET ACOLYTE
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte is focused on her cleaning, and she ignores you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte sweeps the area in front of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte stops you.  She shakes her head silently.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a scrap of papyrus
Floyd |   your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte pokes at a corner of the temple with her broom.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT SCRAP IN URN
Floyd |
Floyd | You put the scrap of papyrus into the trash urn.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte sweeps the area in front of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte stops you.  She shakes her head silently.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte gazes up at the statue with a reverent look on her face.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > CLIMB STATUE
Floyd |
Floyd | That would be rather sacrilegious.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > DROP BOOK
Floyd |
Floyd | Dropped.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte picks up a speck of dust from the floor of the temple.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte walks over to where you dropped the math book and looks
Floyd | around.  Not seeing anything, she returns to her work.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte stops you.  She shakes her head silently.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE BOOK
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte gazes up at the statue with a reverent look on her face.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X STATUE
Floyd |
Floyd | This large statue of Pythagoras dominates the north end of the temple.
Floyd | A small passageway is behind the statue, leading north.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte pokes at a corner of the temple with her broom.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP PYTHAGORAS
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | Pythagoras was an ancient Greek mathematician.  He also founded a
Floyd | quasi-religious order whose key belief was that numbers (by which they
Floyd | meant the positive integers) are the basis of everything in the
Floyd | universe.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Pythagorean Theorem says that the square of the diagonal of a
Floyd | right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the sides, or, in
Floyd | symbols, a² + b² = c².  While this
Floyd | theorem
Floyd | is named for Pythagoras, there is no conclusive evidence that he
Floyd | actually proved the theorem.  It probably led to the downfall of his
Floyd | religious cult, though.  If you take a right triangle with sides of
Floyd | length 1, the Pythagorean Theorem says that the length of the diagonal
Floyd | must be the square root of 2.  The proof that the square root of 2 is
Floyd | irrational - by one of the Pythagoreans - invalidated their key belief
Floyd | in numbers.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte picks up a speck of dust from the floor of the temple.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ACOLYTE
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte is wearing pure white robes and wields a broom.  She
Floyd | doesn't look much like the conversational type.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte pokes at a corner of the temple with her broom.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd | You stand in the southern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  There is an
Floyd | inscription on the wall, the rest of the temple is to the north, and
Floyd | the exit to the Lyceum is south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X COLUMNS
Floyd |
Floyd | These imposing columns are made of white stone and feature Ionic
Floyd | capitals.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CAPITALS
Floyd |
Floyd | You see nothing special about the capitals.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | Some force blocks you from stepping through the doorway of the home.
Floyd | Ignorance may be bliss, but a little knowledge would go a long way
Floyd | here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DOORWAY
Floyd |
Floyd | There is a rather ornate doorway here - but no door.  Written above
Floyd | the doorway is the phrase "Let no one ignorant of geometry enter."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Stadium                                              3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Stadium
Floyd | This is a stadium in ancient Athens.  The stadium itself consists of
Floyd | raised ground on either side of a race track about 200 meters long.
Floyd | The rest of the Lyceum is back east.
Floyd |
Floyd | Achilles sits by the side of the race track with his head in his
Floyd | hands.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Stadium                                              3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET ACHILLES
Floyd |
Floyd | Achilles looks up.  "I'm the fastest man in Greece.  Then this guy
Floyd | Zeno challenged me to a 200-meter race with a tortoise, under two
Floyd | conditions: (1) I had to be willing to give the tortoise a head start
Floyd | of 100 meters, and (2) every time I got to where I last saw the
Floyd | tortoise I had to look up and mark its position.  Of course I can beat
Floyd | a tortoise, even with that much head start, right?  But no.  Watch."
Floyd |
Floyd | Achilles snaps his fingers, and from somewhere in the grass of the
Floyd | raised ground comes a tortoise.  The tortoise ambles to the 100-meter
Floyd | mark, and Achilles heads to the start.  They take off.  When Achilles
Floyd | reaches the halfway mark, he looks up, and the tortoise is ahead of
Floyd | him.  Achilles notes its position, races to that position, and looks
Floyd | up.  The tortoise is still ahead of him.  He does this again.  The
Floyd | tortoise is still ahead.  And again.  The tortoise is, once more,
Floyd | ahead.  Every time Achilles looks up he's closer to the tortoise, but
Floyd | he never quite catches up to it!  Finally he stops running and looks
Floyd | over at you forlornly.  The tortoise crosses the finish line, flashes
Floyd | a chelonian smile at Achilles, and disappears to wherever it was
Floyd | before.
Floyd |
Floyd | Achilles says, "You see?  I can't catch up to the tortoise if every
Floyd | time I run to where it was before, it's still ahead of me!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Stadium                                              3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X TRACK
Floyd |
Floyd | The race track is made of hard-packed clay and is about 200 meters
Floyd | long.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Form                                                 3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Form
Floyd | The space is now partially-formed, but it is still mostly unshaped
Floyd | matter.  Besides the way up to the manifestation of one, you can now
Floyd | sense several more "paths" through the void: north to the Lyceum,
Floyd | south, east, and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north through the void.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > NE
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Royal Road
Floyd | This flat, paved road runs from southwest to northeast.  However, you
Floyd | also spot a steep path leaving the road and winding its way north up
Floyd | the hillside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | It's an arduous trek up the path.  By the time you reach the top you
Floyd | are winded.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hilltop
Floyd | You stand on top of a small hill just north of Athens.  A winding path
Floyd | leads south, back down to the Royal Road.
Floyd |
Floyd | The great geometer Euclid is sitting here.  He appears to be lost in
Floyd | thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET GEOMETER
Floyd |
Floyd | "Oh!  Hello.  Sorry.  Please accept my apologies if you've been
Floyd | standing there a while.  Sometimes I don't notice what's going on
Floyd | around me when I'm doing geometry."
Floyd |
Floyd | You give Euclid a nod, as if to say that there's no need to apologize.
Floyd | He interprets it as interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I was just thinking about the postulates in my Elements.
Floyd | These are what I call the basic truths on which I build all of my
Floyd | geometric arguments.  I'm happy with the first four, but the fifth one
Floyd | is too... I don't know... wordy?
Floyd |
Floyd | "It's basically equivalent to saying this: Given any straight line and
Floyd | a point not on that line, there exists exactly one other straight line
Floyd | that passes through the point and never intersects the first line.
Floyd | This is true no matter how far you extend the two lines.  So there's
Floyd | exactly one other line that's parallel to the first line and
Floyd | that goes through the point.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I'm trying to figure out how to derive this one from the first four
Floyd | so that I don't have to claim it as a postulate.  But I can't seem to
Floyd | do it.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Is it obvious that if you start with a point and a line, there's
Floyd | exactly one other line that goes through the point and never touches
Floyd | the first line?  Or is that not even true?
Floyd |
Floyd | "If you have any ideas about how to prove this, or run across any
Floyd | examples where there are no lines or two or more lines through the
Floyd | point that don't touch the first line, please tell me about them!
Floyd |
Floyd | "And here.  This will help you remember my postulates."  He hands you
Floyd | a scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ SCROLL
Floyd |
Floyd | "First postulate: You can draw a straight line from any point to any
Floyd | other point.
Floyd |
Floyd | Second postulate: You can extend a finite straight line continuously
Floyd | in a straight line.
Floyd |
Floyd | Third postulate: You can draw a circle with any center and any radius.
Floyd |
Floyd | Fourth postulate: All right (90 degree) angles are equal to each
Floyd | other.
Floyd |
Floyd | Fifth postulate (rephrased, also known as the parallel
Floyd | postulate): Given a line and a point not on the line, there is
Floyd | exactly one other line that goes through the point that never touches
Floyd | the first line."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make the somewhat less arduous trek back down the path.
Floyd |
Floyd | Royal Road
Floyd | This flat, paved road runs from southwest to northeast.  However, you
Floyd | also spot a steep path leaving the road and winding its way north up
Floyd | the hillside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Dead End                                             3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > NE
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Dead End
Floyd | Apparently the royal road doesn't lead anywhere; you've come to a dead
Floyd | end.  You may follow it back to the southwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SW
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Royal Road
Floyd | This flat, paved road runs from southwest to northeast.  However, you
Floyd | also spot a steep path leaving the road and winding its way north up
Floyd | the hillside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SW
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Form                                                 3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Form
Floyd | The space is now partially-formed, but it is still mostly unshaped
Floyd | matter.  Besides the way up to the manifestation of one, you can now
Floyd | sense several more "paths" through the void: north to the Lyceum,
Floyd | south, east, and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way west through the void.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | You are standing in the great hall of a large, cobwebby castle.  A
Floyd | long table stretches from one end of the hall to the other.  The
Floyd | entryway of the castle is to the east.  Exits west and south lead to
Floyd | other parts of the castle.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is here, sitting at the table.  He mumbles something that
Floyd | sounds like "three."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Castle Chapel                                        3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Chapel
Floyd | This small chapel does not appear to be dedicated to God or gods;
Floyd | instead, it looks like a place for the worship of numbers.  Icons are
Floyd | placed at regular intervals around the walls.  The exit to the Great
Floyd | Hall is back east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Castle Chapel                                        3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ICONS
Floyd |
Floyd | Most of the icons are highly stylized representations of a single
Floyd | number, such as three, one, or four.  One icon, though, is a little
Floyd | different: It consists of a number triangle.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Castle Chapel                                        3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X TRIANGLE
Floyd |
Floyd | The number triangle on the icon looks like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |  1
Floyd |  1   1
Floyd |  1   2   1
Floyd |  1   3   3   1
Floyd |  1   4   6   4   1
Floyd |  1   5  10  10   5   1
Floyd |  1   6  15  20  15   6   1
Floyd |  1   7  21  35  35  21   7   1
Floyd |  1   8  28  56  70  56  28   8   1
Floyd |
Floyd |  The words "Pascal's Triangle" appear underneath the numbers.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Castle Chapel                                        3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP PASCAL
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, scientist, philosopher, and
Floyd | theologian.  He is known for constructing one of the first mechanical
Floyd | calculators, for his work in projective geometry, and for his work in
Floyd | hydrodynamics.  A unit of pressure is named after him, as is the
Floyd | triangle of numbers known as "Pascal's triangle."
Floyd |
Floyd | Pascal was also one of the founders of the field of probability.
Floyd | While his initial work in probability was to solve gambling problems,
Floyd | he applied his insights to other areas of human knowledge as well.
Floyd | For example, Pascal's wager consists of one of the first uses
Floyd | of expected values.  In it, Pascal argues that, in the absence of
Floyd | conclusive evidence as to the existence of God, the payoffs for
Floyd | believing in God (infinite happiness if God exists, nothing if God
Floyd | does not) versus not believing in God (eternal damnation if God
Floyd | exists, nothing if God does not) are such that it is more reasonable
Floyd | for humans to bet on belief in God.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Castle Chapel                                        3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP PASCAL'S TRIANGLE
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | Pascal's triangle is a triangle of numbers that have several
Floyd | interpretations.  One meaning is that the number in the nth
Floyd | row, kth column (denoted C(n,k)) is the number of
Floyd | committees of size k that can be formed from n
Floyd | people.  An equivalent interpretation is that C(n,k) is the
Floyd | number of sequences of 1's and 0's that have length n and
Floyd | contain exactly k 1's.
Floyd |
Floyd | Another, different kind of meaning of the numbers in Pascal's triangle
Floyd | is that they are the coefficients when expanding
Floyd | (x+1)ⁿ in powers of x.  For example,
Floyd | (x+1)⁵ = x⁵ + 5x⁴ + 10x³ +
Floyd | 10x²+ 5x + 1, and the coefficients 1, 5, 10, 10, 5,
Floyd | 1 are the numbers in row 5 in Pascal's triangle.
Floyd |
Floyd | Pascal's triangle can be generated very easily: The numbers in the
Floyd | leftmost column are all 1's, and the numbers in the right diagonal are
Floyd | all 1's as well.  Otherwise, to get C(n,k), you add
Floyd | C(n-1,k) and C(n-1,k-1).  In other words, to obtain
Floyd | the number you want, you add the number to its "north" and to its
Floyd | "northwest" in the triangle.
Floyd |
Floyd | Pascal's triangle is indexed starting with 0 rather than 1: The
Floyd | initial row is row 0, not row 1, and the leftmost column is column 0,
Floyd | not column 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | (Unfortunately, the page giving the first several rows of Pascal's
Floyd | triangle appears to be torn out of your math book.  You did buy it
Floyd | used, after all.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | You are standing in the great hall of a large, cobwebby castle.  A
Floyd | long table stretches from one end of the hall to the other.  The
Floyd | entryway of the castle is to the east.  Exits west and south lead to
Floyd | other parts of the castle.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is here, sitting at the table.  He mumbles something that
Floyd | sounds like "two."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Solar                                                3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Solar
Floyd | This is a smaller, cozier room than the great hall to the north.  A
Floyd | sumptuous tapestry hangs on one wall, and there is a side table
Floyd | beneath it.
Floyd |
Floyd | A large bronze box lies on the side table.
Floyd |
Floyd | Another large purple puppet is here, fiddling disgruntledly with the
Floyd | bronze box.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Solar                                                3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PUPPET
Floyd |
Floyd | She looks much like the Count, except that she sports a large mop of
Floyd | blonde hair.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Solar                                                3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET PUPPET
Floyd |
Floyd | You approach the purple puppet and introduce yourself.  She steps back
Floyd | from the bronze box and says, "Please forgive my manners!  I was
Floyd | preoccupied with my mechanical calculator.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I am the Countess of this castle.  Like my husband, I love to count!
Floyd | And I love to work large multiplication problems with my mechanical
Floyd | calculator.  Unfortunately, it seems to be broken now, and I'm not
Floyd | sure how to fix it.
Floyd |
Floyd | "If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask.
Floyd | Otherwise, I'd really like to get this fixed."
Floyd |
Floyd | She turns back to the bronze box.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Solar                                                3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BOX
Floyd |
Floyd | This bronze box has several knobs and small wheels on it.  It appears
Floyd | to be a primitive mechanical calculator.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Solar                                                3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ASK PUPPET ABOUT BOX
Floyd |
Floyd | "It seems to be broken.  It would be nice to have it fixed!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Solar                                                3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X TAPESTRY
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a beautiful tapestry, consisting of several mathematical
Floyd | symbols woven together in an intricate pattern.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Solar                                                3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SYMBOLS
Floyd |
Floyd | They're symbolic.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | You are standing in the great hall of a large, cobwebby castle.  A
Floyd | long table stretches from one end of the hall to the other.  The
Floyd | entryway of the castle is to the east.  Exits west and south lead to
Floyd | other parts of the castle.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is here, sitting at the table.  He mumbles something that
Floyd | sounds like "three."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Form                                                 3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Form
Floyd | The space is now partially-formed, but it is still mostly unshaped
Floyd | matter.  Besides the way up to the manifestation of one, you can now
Floyd | sense several more "paths" through the void: north to the Lyceum,
Floyd | south, east, and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way south through the void.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Librarian's Office
Floyd | This appears to be the head librarian's office in the Great Library of
Floyd | Alexandria.  Scrolls litter the floor.  The main part of the library
Floyd | is north of you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The numbers from 1 to 100 are carved on the wall here, in some kind of
Floyd | puzzle.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PUZZLE
Floyd |
Floyd | On the wall are carved numbers from 1 to 100, in ten rows of ten each.
Floyd | It looks like you could push any of the numbers.  Next to the numbers
Floyd | is a switch, with two settings: "Remove Number," and "Remove Larger
Floyd | Multiples of the Number."  The switch is currently set to "Remove
Floyd | Number," although you could easily move it to the other setting by
Floyd | flipping the switch.  The numbers currently look like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10
Floyd | 11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
Floyd | 21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30
Floyd | 31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40
Floyd | 41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49  50
Floyd | 51  52  53  54  55  56  57  58  59  60
Floyd | 61  62  63  64  65  66  67  68  69  70
Floyd | 71  72  73  74  75  76  77  78  79  80
Floyd | 81  82  83  84  85  86  87  88  89  90
Floyd | 91  92  93  94  95  96  97  98  99  100
Floyd |
Floyd | At the bottom is a challenge from the librarian: "To access the map
Floyd | room, leave just the primes between 1 and 100 by pushing only five
Floyd | numbers."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP PRIMES IN BOOK
Floyd |
Floyd | A positive integer is prime if it is divisible by exactly two positive
Floyd | integers: itself and 1.  The numbers 7, 29, and 43 are all examples of
Floyd | primes.  The number 1 is not prime because it is only divisible by one
Floyd | positive integer (itself), rather than two.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP PRIME NUMBERS
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | A positive integer is prime if it is divisible by exactly two positive
Floyd | integers: itself and 1.  The numbers 7, 29, and 43 are all examples of
Floyd | primes.  The number 1 is not prime because it is only divisible by one
Floyd | positive integer (itself), rather than two.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP SIEVE IN BOOK
Floyd |
Floyd | That topic is not listed in the index.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH 1
Floyd |
Floyd | The number 1 fades into the wall until you can barely see it anymore.
Floyd | The numbers now look like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |      2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10
Floyd | 11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
Floyd | 21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30
Floyd | 31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40
Floyd | 41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49  50
Floyd | 51  52  53  54  55  56  57  58  59  60
Floyd | 61  62  63  64  65  66  67  68  69  70
Floyd | 71  72  73  74  75  76  77  78  79  80
Floyd | 81  82  83  84  85  86  87  88  89  90
Floyd | 91  92  93  94  95  96  97  98  99  100
Floyd |
Floyd | You have used 1 push so far.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH SWITCH
Floyd |
Floyd | You flip the switch to "Remove Larger Multiples of the Number."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH 2
Floyd |
Floyd | All visible multiples of 2 larger than 2 fade into the wall until you
Floyd | can barely see them anymore.  The numbers now look like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |      2   3       5       7       9
Floyd | 11      13      15      17      19
Floyd | 21      23      25      27      29
Floyd | 31      33      35      37      39
Floyd | 41      43      45      47      49
Floyd | 51      53      55      57      59
Floyd | 61      63      65      67      69
Floyd | 71      73      75      77      79
Floyd | 81      83      85      87      89
Floyd | 91      93      95      97      99
Floyd |
Floyd | You have used 2 pushes so far.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH 3
Floyd |
Floyd | All visible multiples of 3 larger than 3 fade into the wall until you
Floyd | can barely see them anymore.  The numbers now look like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |      2   3       5       7
Floyd | 11      13              17      19
Floyd |         23      25              29
Floyd | 31              35      37
Floyd | 41      43              47      49
Floyd |         53      55              59
Floyd | 61              65      67
Floyd | 71      73              77      79
Floyd |         83      85              89
Floyd | 91              95      97
Floyd |
Floyd | You have used 3 pushes so far.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH 5
Floyd |
Floyd | All visible multiples of 5 larger than 5 fade into the wall until you
Floyd | can barely see them anymore.  The numbers now look like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |      2   3       5       7
Floyd | 11      13              17      19
Floyd |         23                      29
Floyd | 31                      37
Floyd | 41      43              47      49
Floyd |         53                      59
Floyd | 61                      67
Floyd | 71      73              77      79
Floyd |         83                      89
Floyd | 91                      97
Floyd |
Floyd | You have used 4 pushes so far.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH 7
Floyd |
Floyd | All visible multiples of 7 larger than 7 fade into the wall until you
Floyd | can barely see them anymore.  The numbers now look like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |      2   3       5       7
Floyd | 11      13              17      19
Floyd |         23                      29
Floyd | 31                      37
Floyd | 41      43              47
Floyd |         53                      59
Floyd | 61                      67
Floyd | 71      73                      79
Floyd |         83                      89
Floyd |                         97
Floyd |
Floyd | After the fifth push, the wall flickers, but the numbers remain as
Floyd | they were.  Only the prime numbers between 1 and 100 are now visible!
Floyd |
Floyd | A part of the south wall slides open, revealing a room beyond.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Number Theory has increased.  You
Floyd | estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by three
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Map Room                                             6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Map Room
Floyd | This room is quite large to be a side room just off the librarian's
Floyd | office.  The walls are covered with maps, and an exit leads back north
Floyd | to the librarian's office.
Floyd |
Floyd | A huge globe sits on a pedestal in the center of the room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Map Room                                             6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X GLOBE
Floyd |
Floyd | This appears to be the librarian's model of the earth, and it is much
Floyd | larger than you are.  It's incomplete, as it only shows the parts of
Floyd | the world that were known in Alexandria at this time.  However, it
Floyd | does have lines of latitude and meridians of longitude marked on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | The globe doesn't fit perfectly on its pedestal, though; there is a
Floyd | small gap between the pedestal and the globe.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Map Room                                             6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X GAP
Floyd |
Floyd | Since the globe doesn't fit perfectly on the pedestal, there is a
Floyd | small gap between the edge of the pedestal and the globe.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Map Room                                             6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PEDESTAL
Floyd |
Floyd | This short pedestal supports the globe.  The globe doesn't fit
Floyd | perfectly on the pedestal, though; there is a small gap between the
Floyd | pedestal and the globe.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Map Room                                             6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SPIN GLOBE
Floyd |
Floyd | The globe rocks slightly on its pedestal - thanks to the small gap
Floyd | between the edge of the pedestal and the globe - but you're not strong
Floyd | enough to push it off.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Map Room                                             6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X MAPS
Floyd |
Floyd | The maps are mostly of parts of the eastern Mediterranean world:
Floyd | Egypt, Libya, Greece, Palestine, Anatolia.  None of them look
Floyd | particularly useful.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Librarian's Office
Floyd | This appears to be the head librarian's office in the Great Library of
Floyd | Alexandria.  Scrolls litter the floor.  The main part of the library
Floyd | is north of you, and a side room lies to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | You have solved the number puzzle on the wall here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SCROLLS
Floyd |
Floyd | There are many scrolls here.  None of them particularly catches your
Floyd | eye.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Form                                                 6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move north, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Form
Floyd | The space is now partially-formed, but it is still mostly unshaped
Floyd | matter.  Besides the way up to the manifestation of one, you can now
Floyd | sense several more "paths" through the void: north to the Lyceum,
Floyd | south to the Librarian's Office, east, and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north through the void.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > NE
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Royal Road
Floyd | This flat, paved road runs from southwest to northeast.  However, you
Floyd | also spot a steep path leaving the road and winding its way north up
Floyd | the hillside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | It's an arduous trek up the path.  By the time you reach the top you
Floyd | are winded.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hilltop
Floyd | You stand on top of a small hill just north of Athens.  A winding path
Floyd | leads south, back down to the Royal Road.
Floyd |
Floyd | The great geometer Euclid is sitting here.  He appears to be lost in
Floyd | thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET EUCLID
Floyd |
Floyd | "Do you have any ideas about how to prove my parallel postulate?"
Floyd | Euclid asks.  "Or have you found any examples with no other lines
Floyd | through the point that don't touch the first line?  Or maybe examples
Floyd | with two or more lines through the point that don't touch the first
Floyd | line?  If so, please tell me about them!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TELL EUCLID ABOUT GLOBE
Floyd |
Floyd | "A spherical model of the earth, huh?  Aristotle argued that the world
Floyd | is round, and so I'm not surprised that someone has created one of
Floyd | these.  Anything interesting marked on it?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TELL ABOUT LATITUDES
Floyd |
Floyd | (to Euclid)
Floyd | Euclid says, "I don't think that will help me prove or disprove my
Floyd | parallel postulate."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TELL ABOUT LATITUDES AND LONGITUDES
Floyd |
Floyd | (to Euclid)
Floyd | You describe the meridians of longitude that you saw on the globe in
Floyd | the Library of Alexandria.  Euclid becomes more and more agitated.  As
Floyd | you finish, Euclid almost cuts you off in his excitement.
Floyd |
Floyd | "That's it!" he says.  "If you take a meridian of longitude and a
Floyd | point not on that meridian, a second - parallel - meridian that goes
Floyd | through the point must intersect the first meridian at both the north
Floyd | and south poles!  So my parallel postulate is actually false:  If we
Floyd | think of lines as meridians of longitude, then there is no other line
Floyd | through the point that doesn't intersect the first line!
Floyd |
Floyd | "Wait."  He stops himself and thinks carefully for several minutes.
Floyd | You're afraid to interrupt him.  Suddenly, he starts laughing.  Soon
Floyd | he is laughing so hard he is doubled over, holding his stomach.  It
Floyd | takes him a few minutes to pull himself together.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I've been asking the wrong question!  The meridians of longitude
Floyd | don't prove my parallel postulate false; they just represent a
Floyd | different system of geometry!  The parallel postulate as I first
Floyd | stated it is true on a flat plane. The meridians of longitude
Floyd | help describe a 'parallel postulate' that would be true on a
Floyd | sphere!  You get a different system of geometry if you're on a
Floyd | flat plane versus a sphere!
Floyd |
Floyd | "The meridians of longitude were a brilliant suggestion!  I can't
Floyd | thank you enough, but please take this as a token of my appreciation."
Floyd | He hands you a copy of his Elements.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I've got to go write this down.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hmmm...  No, on second thought I won't bother.  Trying to prove my
Floyd | parallel postulate will give mathematicians something to do for the
Floyd | next two thousand years!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Euclid walks down the winding path, laughing as he goes.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Geometry has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by three
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   Elements
Floyd |   a scribbled scroll
Floyd |   your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X EMBLEMENT
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   Elements
Floyd |   a scribbled scroll
Floyd |   your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ELEMENTS
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a copy of the Elements of Euclid.  It's actually
Floyd | divided into thirteen books.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make the somewhat less arduous trek back down the path.
Floyd |
Floyd | Royal Road
Floyd | This flat, paved road runs from southwest to northeast.  However, you
Floyd | also spot a steep path leaving the road and winding its way north up
Floyd | the hillside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SW
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | A force pushes back on you at the doorway.  You feel it testing your
Floyd | knowledge of geometry.  It seems to relent, grudgingly, allowing you
Floyd | to step into the private home.
Floyd |
Floyd | Courtyard
Floyd | You are standing in the courtyard of a home in ancient Athens.  The
Floyd | owner does not appear to be about.  A passage leads down, and the
Floyd | Lyceum is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the middle of the courtyard stands a group of six elegant
Floyd | pedestals.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PEDESTALS
Floyd |
Floyd | Five of the pedestals are arranged in a circle around the sixth.  The
Floyd | pedestals are distinguished by their tops: The five on the outside
Floyd | have tops in the form of a large triangle, a medium-sized triangle, a
Floyd | small triangle, a square, and a pentagon.  The top of the pedestal in
Floyd | the center is in the shape of a circle.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Cave                                                 9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Cave
Floyd | Shadows dance along the wall of this dark cave, in the dim light
Floyd | filtering down from the courtyard above.  Pieces of broken chains lie
Floyd | scattered about the floor of the cave.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Cave                                                 9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PIECES
Floyd |
Floyd | The chains are all in pieces.  Whoever was imprisoned here must have
Floyd | escaped.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Cave                                                 9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE PIECES
Floyd |
Floyd | The broken chain pieces are all worthless; they are not worth
Floyd | bothering with.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Courtyard
Floyd | You are standing in the courtyard of a home in ancient Athens.  The
Floyd | owner does not appear to be about.  A passage leads down, and the
Floyd | Lyceum is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the middle of the courtyard stands a group of six elegant
Floyd | pedestals.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Form                                                 9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Form
Floyd | The space is now partially-formed, but it is still mostly unshaped
Floyd | matter.  Besides the way up to the manifestation of one, you can now
Floyd | sense several more "paths" through the void: north to the Lyceum,
Floyd | south to the Librarian's Office, east, and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way east through the void.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Scholar's Study
Floyd | You are in the House of Wisdom in early-medieval Baghdad, standing in
Floyd | what appears to be someone's private study.  The walls are covered in
Floyd | intricate geometric designs, and a low table stands in the middle of
Floyd | the room.  A small room lies to the south, and the rest of the House
Floyd | of Wisdom is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the low table are a small coffer, a square root, and a formal note.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X COFFER
Floyd |
Floyd | This coffer appears to be of Indian origin.  It is currently closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > OPEN COFFER
Floyd |
Floyd | You open the small coffer, revealing a white ring.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE RING
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Scholar's Study
Floyd | You are in the House of Wisdom in early-medieval Baghdad, standing in
Floyd | what appears to be someone's private study.  The walls are covered in
Floyd | intricate geometric designs, and a low table stands in the middle of
Floyd | the room.  A small room lies to the south, and the rest of the House
Floyd | of Wisdom is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the low table are a small coffer, a square root, and a formal note.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ NOTE
Floyd |
Floyd | The note reads,
Floyd |
Floyd | "Al-Khwarizmi,
Floyd |
Floyd | Our most recent investigations indicate at least two types of objects
Floyd | of power: Those activated by more-or-less normal use, and those
Floyd | activated by the appropriate word of power.
Floyd |
Floyd | This square object was recently given to the caliph.  It appears to be
Floyd | of the latter type.  Please examine it and let us know what you
Floyd | discover of it."
Floyd |
Floyd | Instead of a name, the note is signed with the first few digits of π:
Floyd | 3.1415.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is also a postscript: "By the way, thank you for the hint on
Floyd | your problem with the balances.  I had not realized that the weight of
Floyd | an object has nothing to do with that object's color."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ROOT
Floyd |
Floyd | This is an unusual object.  It appears to be made of some tough
Floyd | vegetable matter - perhaps the root of a tree.  It's also in the shape
Floyd | of a perfect square. The word "EXTRACT" is written on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE IT
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Alcove
Floyd | This is a small, plain room just south of the study.
Floyd |
Floyd | The room is dominated by three large double-pan balance scales: a
Floyd | bronze one, a silver one, and a gold one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SCALES>
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X GOLDEN
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Alcove
Floyd | This is a small, plain room just south of the study.
Floyd |
Floyd | The room is dominated by three large double-pan balance scales: a
Floyd | bronze one, a silver one, and a gold one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X GOLD
Floyd |
Floyd | (the gold balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of gold.  The left pan
Floyd | contains a yellow x block, a yellow z block, and
Floyd | four sand pebbles; the right pan contains a yellow y block
Floyd | and eight maize pebbles.  Inscribed on the base of the gold scale is
Floyd | the single letter z.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SILVER
Floyd |
Floyd | (the silver balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of silver.  The left pan
Floyd | contains three gray y blocks and six ash pebbles; the right
Floyd | pan contains a gray x block and ten slate pebbles.  Inscribed
Floyd | on the base of the silver scale is the single letter y.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BRONZE
Floyd |
Floyd | (the bronze balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of bronze.  The left pan
Floyd | contains two brown x blocks and two tan pebbles; the right
Floyd | pan contains twelve sepia pebbles.  Inscribed on the base of the
Floyd | bronze scale is the single letter x.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE ONE X
Floyd |
Floyd | (the brown x block)
Floyd | As you lift one of the brown x blocks off the left bronze pan
Floyd | it disappears.  The left pan rises somewhat and the right pan drops
Floyd | somewhat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the bronze scale contains a brown x block
Floyd | and two tan pebbles, while the right pan contains twelve sepia
Floyd | pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | The bronze scale is out of balance and tips over.  As it rights
Floyd | itself, you see that all the blocks and pebbles have returned to the
Floyd | bronze pans just as if you had never taken any of them.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BRONZE
Floyd |
Floyd | (the bronze balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of bronze.  The left pan
Floyd | contains two brown x blocks and two tan pebbles; the right
Floyd | pan contains twelve sepia pebbles.  Inscribed on the base of the
Floyd | bronze scale is the single letter x.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE TWO TAN AND TWO SEPIA
Floyd |
Floyd | two tan pebbles: After you lift the tan pebbles from the left bronze
Floyd | pan, they disappear.  The left pan rises somewhat and the right pan
Floyd | drops somewhat.
Floyd | two sepia pebbles: After you lift the sepia pebbles from the right
Floyd | bronze pan, they disappear.  The right pan rises somewhat and the left
Floyd | pan drops somewhat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the bronze scale contains two brown x
Floyd | blocks, while the right pan contains ten sepia pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE FIVE TAN AND ONE X
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BRONZE
Floyd |
Floyd | (the bronze balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of bronze.  The left pan
Floyd | contains two brown x blocks; the right pan contains ten sepia
Floyd | pebbles.  Inscribed on the base of the bronze scale is the single
Floyd | letter x.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE ONE BROWN AND FIVE SEPIA
Floyd |
Floyd | brown x block: As you lift one of the brown x blocks
Floyd | off the left bronze pan it disappears.  The left pan rises somewhat
Floyd | and the right pan drops somewhat.
Floyd | five sepia pebbles: After you lift the sepia pebbles from the right
Floyd | bronze pan, they disappear.  The right pan rises somewhat and the left
Floyd | pan drops somewhat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the bronze scale contains a brown x
Floyd | block, while the right pan contains five sepia pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | From the bronze balance scale you hear a click.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BRONZE
Floyd |
Floyd | (the bronze balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of bronze.  The left pan
Floyd | contains a brown x block; the right pan contains five sepia
Floyd | pebbles.  Inscribed on the base of the bronze scale is the single
Floyd | letter x.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SILVER
Floyd |
Floyd | (the silver balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of silver.  The left pan
Floyd | contains three gray y blocks and six ash pebbles; the right
Floyd | pan contains a gray x block and ten slate pebbles.  Inscribed
Floyd | on the base of the silver scale is the single letter y.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET ONE GRAY X AND FIVE ASH
Floyd |
Floyd | gray x block: After you lift the gray x block from
Floyd | the right silver pan, it disappears.  The right pan rises somewhat and
Floyd | the left pan drops somewhat.
Floyd | five ash pebbles: After you lift the ash pebbles from the left silver
Floyd | pan, they disappear.  The left pan rises somewhat and the right pan
Floyd | drops somewhat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the silver scale contains three gray y
Floyd | blocks and an ash pebble, while the right pan contains ten slate
Floyd | pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET ASH AND ONE SLATE
Floyd |
Floyd | ash pebble: After you lift the ash pebble from the left silver pan, it
Floyd | disappears.  The left pan rises a little and the right pan drops a
Floyd | little.
Floyd | slate pebble: After you lift the slate pebble from the right silver
Floyd | pan, it disappears.  The right pan rises a little and the left pan
Floyd | drops a little.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the silver scale contains three gray y
Floyd | blocks, while the right pan contains nine slate pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET TWO GRAY Y AND SIX SLATE
Floyd |
Floyd | two gray y blocks: As you lift two of the gray y
Floyd | blocks off the left silver pan they disappear.  The left pan rises
Floyd | somewhat and the right pan drops somewhat.
Floyd | six slate pebbles: After you lift the slate pebbles from the left
Floyd | silver pan, they disappear.  The left pan rises somewhat and the right
Floyd | pan drops somewhat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the silver scale contains a gray y block,
Floyd | while the right pan contains three slate pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | From the silver balance scale you hear a click.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X GOLD
Floyd |
Floyd | (the gold balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of gold.  The left pan
Floyd | contains a yellow x block, a yellow z block, and
Floyd | four sand pebbles; the right pan contains a yellow y block
Floyd | and eight maize pebbles.  Inscribed on the base of the gold scale is
Floyd | the single letter z.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET YELLOW X AND FIVE MAIZE
Floyd |
Floyd | yellow x block: After you lift the yellow x block
Floyd | from the left gold pan, it disappears.  The left pan rises somewhat
Floyd | and the right pan drops somewhat.
Floyd | five maize pebbles: After you lift the maize pebbles from the right
Floyd | gold pan, they disappear.  The right pan rises somewhat and the left
Floyd | pan drops somewhat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the gold scale contains a yellow z block
Floyd | and four sand pebbles, while the right pan contains a yellow
Floyd | y block and three maize pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET YELLOW Y AND THREE SAND
Floyd |
Floyd | yellow y block: After you lift the yellow y block
Floyd | from the right gold pan, it disappears.  The right pan rises somewhat
Floyd | and the left pan drops somewhat.
Floyd | three sand pebbles: After you lift the sand pebbles from the left gold
Floyd | pan, they disappear.  The left pan rises somewhat and the right pan
Floyd | drops somewhat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the gold scale contains a yellow z block
Floyd | and a sand pebble, while the right pan contains three maize pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET ONE SAND AND ONE MAIZE
Floyd |
Floyd | sand pebble: After you lift the sand pebble from the left gold pan, it
Floyd | disappears.  The left pan rises a little and the right pan drops a
Floyd | little.
Floyd | maize pebble: After you lift the maize pebble from the right gold pan,
Floyd | it disappears.  The right pan rises a little and the left pan drops a
Floyd | little.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the gold scale contains a yellow z block,
Floyd | while the right pan contains two maize pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | From the gold balance scale you hear a click.
Floyd |
Floyd | As you isolate the last variable on the scales, a small compartment
Floyd | near the base of the gold scale opens.  Out falls a blue gem.  The
Floyd | compartment then closes, leaving no trace.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Algebra has increased.  You estimate that
Floyd | your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by four
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET GEM
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X IT
Floyd |
Floyd | This small, dark blue sapphire is quite beautiful.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Scholar's Study
Floyd | You are in the House of Wisdom in early-medieval Baghdad, standing in
Floyd | what appears to be someone's private study.  The walls are covered in
Floyd | intricate geometric designs, and a low table stands in the middle of
Floyd | the room.  A small room lies to the south, and the rest of the House
Floyd | of Wisdom is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the low table are a small coffer and a formal note.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DESIGNS
Floyd |
Floyd | These designs consist of intricate combinations of squares, circles,
Floyd | and other geometric figures.  The overall structure of the patterns is
Floyd | clear to you, and you can make out several buttons hidden in the
Floyd | designs.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BUTTONS
Floyd |
Floyd | There are five buttons hidden in the geometric designs: a circular
Floyd | button, a button in the shape of two juxtaposed parentheses, a
Floyd | triangular button, a square button, and a pentagonal button.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | From here, south and west are the only possibilities.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BUTTONS
Floyd |
Floyd | There are five buttons hidden in the geometric designs: a circular
Floyd | button, a button in the shape of two juxtaposed parentheses, a
Floyd | triangular button, a square button, and a pentagonal button.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | The space here feels much more formed than before.
Floyd |
Floyd | Matter
Floyd | The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy.
Floyd | You can now see an inscription on the wall.  Several "paths" through
Floyd | the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the
Floyd | Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study,
Floyd | and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X INSCRIPTION
Floyd |
Floyd | The inscription reads,
Floyd |
Floyd | "Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare.
Floyd |  Let all who prate of Beauty hold their peace,
Floyd |  And lay them prone upon the earth and cease
Floyd |  To ponder on themselves, the while they stare
Floyd |  At nothing, intricately drawn nowhere
Floyd |  In shapes of shifting lineage; let geese
Floyd |  Gabble and hiss, but heroes seek release
Floyd |  From dusty bondage into luminous air.
Floyd |  O blinding hour, O holy, terrible day,
Floyd |  When first the shaft into his vision shone
Floyd |  Of light anatomized! Euclid alone
Floyd |  Has looked on Beauty bare.  Fortunate they
Floyd |  Who, though once only and then but far away,
Floyd |  Have heard her massive sandal set on stone."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a sapphire gem
Floyd |   a square root
Floyd |   a white ring
Floyd |   Elements
Floyd |   a scribbled scroll
Floyd |   your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  One                                                  13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back up
Floyd | to the positive axis.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper,
Floyd | "downward" direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 1
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | space is broken up by the straight, flat white line floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  The line begins here and stretches
Floyd | out of sight to the east.  The number 1 is marked on the line.  While
Floyd | the line doesn't appear to be supported by anything, there is a hole
Floyd | in the middle of it here, next to the 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 2
Floyd | You are in a dark blue expanse of space, standing on a white line that
Floyd | stretches to the west and as far as you can see to the east.  The
Floyd | number 2 is marked on the line here.  There is a hole next to the 2
Floyd | large enough for you to climb down into.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ENTER 2
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ENTER HOLE 2
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't understand that.  The first word or two on their own might
Floyd | suffice, though; perhaps it would work to just enter the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Two                                                  13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ENTER HOLE
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | Two
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it's
Floyd | marked by a feeling of duality, as if it somehow contains opposites
Floyd | within itself.  The only exit is a hole leading back up to the
Floyd | positive axis.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 2
Floyd | You are in a dark blue expanse of space, standing on a white line that
Floyd | stretches to the west and as far as you can see to the east.  The
Floyd | number 2 is marked on the line here.  There is a hole next to the 2
Floyd | large enough for you to climb down into.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You walk along the positive axis for a while, tracing the passage of
Floyd | the tip of the white wand.  You see marks for 3, 4, 5, and larger
Floyd | numbers.  There are no holes or anything else featured on this part of
Floyd | the positive axis, though, and you soon decide return to the 2 mark.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 1
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | space is broken up by the straight, flat white line floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  The line begins here and stretches
Floyd | out of sight to the east.  The number 1 is marked on the line.  While
Floyd | the line doesn't appear to be supported by anything, there is a hole
Floyd | in the middle of it here, next to the 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You can see absolutely nothing in the blue darkness off the positive
Floyd | axis.  Stepping off it doesn't sound like a good idea.  Going down is
Floyd | an option, though.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > THROW RING W
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't understand that.  The first word or two on their own might
Floyd | suffice, though; perhaps it would work to just throw the white ring.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > THROW RING
Floyd |
Floyd | You really shouldn't take out your frustrations on the white ring.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X RING
Floyd |
Floyd | This ring is white and is in the shape of a one-eyed adder biting its
Floyd | tail.  The adder's eye is a dark sapphire.  The ring has the word
Floyd | "Identity" inscribed along the outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT RING ON LINE
Floyd |
Floyd | Putting things on the positive axis would achieve nothing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > WEAR RING
Floyd |
Floyd | You put on the ring.  The word "Identity" on it glows briefly before
Floyd | fading.  The ring enlarges slightly - just enough to slip off your
Floyd | finger.  Then the ring shrinks back to its original size.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 1
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | space is broken up by the straight, flat white line floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  The line begins here and stretches
Floyd | out of sight to the east.  The number 1 is marked on the line.  While
Floyd | the line doesn't appear to be supported by anything, there is a hole
Floyd | in the middle of it here, next to the 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  One                                                  13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back up
Floyd | to the positive axis.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper,
Floyd | "downward" direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Matter
Floyd | The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy.
Floyd | You can now see an inscription on the wall.  Several "paths" through
Floyd | the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the
Floyd | Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study,
Floyd | and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X FLOOR
Floyd |
Floyd | (There is no need to refer to the walls, floor, or ceiling during this
Floyd | game.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd | You stand in the southern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  There is an
Floyd | inscription on the wall, the rest of the temple is to the north, and
Floyd | the exit to the Lyceum is south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Northern End
Floyd | You stand in the northern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  Instead of
Floyd | the half-expected statue of Athena Parthenos, though, stands a large
Floyd | statue of Pythagoras.  Behind the statue is a small passageway heading
Floyd | north.
Floyd |
Floyd | An acolyte is here, silently cleaning up the area around the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a trash urn (in which is a scrap of papyrus) here.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte gazes up at the statue with a reverent look on her face.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte stops you.  She shakes her head silently.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte sweeps the area in front of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd | You stand in the southern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  There is an
Floyd | inscription on the wall, the rest of the temple is to the north, and
Floyd | the exit to the Lyceum is south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > NE
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Royal Road
Floyd | This flat, paved road runs from southwest to northeast.  However, you
Floyd | also spot a steep path leaving the road and winding its way north up
Floyd | the hillside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Dead End                                             13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > NE
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Dead End
Floyd | Apparently the royal road doesn't lead anywhere; you've come to a dead
Floyd | end.  You may follow it back to the southwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SW
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Royal Road
Floyd | This flat, paved road runs from southwest to northeast.  However, you
Floyd | also spot a steep path leaving the road and winding its way north up
Floyd | the hillside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | From here, north, northeast, and southwest are the only possibilities.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SW
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Matter
Floyd | The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy.
Floyd | You can now see an inscription on the wall.  Several "paths" through
Floyd | the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the
Floyd | Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study,
Floyd | and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way east.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Scholar's Study
Floyd | You are in the House of Wisdom in early-medieval Baghdad, standing in
Floyd | what appears to be someone's private study.  The walls are covered in
Floyd | intricate geometric designs, and a low table stands in the middle of
Floyd | the room.  A small room lies to the south, and the rest of the House
Floyd | of Wisdom is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | With your increased knowledge of geometry, the designs on the walls
Floyd | make more sense to you now.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the low table are a small coffer and a formal note.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DESIGNS
Floyd |
Floyd | These designs consist of intricate combinations of squares, circles,
Floyd | and other geometric figures.  The overall structure of the patterns is
Floyd | now clear to you, and you can make out several buttons hidden in the
Floyd | designs.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Alcove                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Alcove
Floyd | This is a small, plain room just south of the study.
Floyd |
Floyd | The room is dominated by three large double-pan balance scales: a
Floyd | bronze one, a silver one, and a gold one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Scholar's Study
Floyd | You are in the House of Wisdom in early-medieval Baghdad, standing in
Floyd | what appears to be someone's private study.  The walls are covered in
Floyd | intricate geometric designs, and a low table stands in the middle of
Floyd | the room.  A small room lies to the south, and the rest of the House
Floyd | of Wisdom is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the low table are a small coffer and a formal note.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X NOTE
Floyd |
Floyd | The note reads,
Floyd |
Floyd | "Al-Khwarizmi,
Floyd |
Floyd | Our most recent investigations indicate at least two types of objects
Floyd | of power: Those activated by more-or-less normal use, and those
Floyd | activated by the appropriate word of power.
Floyd |
Floyd | This square object was recently given to the caliph.  It appears to be
Floyd | of the latter type.  Please examine it and let us know what you
Floyd | discover of it."
Floyd |
Floyd | Instead of a name, the note is signed with the first few digits of π:
Floyd | 3.1415.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is also a postscript: "By the way, thank you for the hint on
Floyd | your problem with the balances.  I had not realized that the weight of
Floyd | an object has nothing to do with that object's color."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT ROOT ON SQUARE
Floyd |
Floyd | (the square root)
Floyd | I'm not sure even a master topologist could pull that off.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ROOT
Floyd |
Floyd | This is an unusual object.  It appears to be made of some tough
Floyd | vegetable matter - perhaps the root of a tree.  It's also in the shape
Floyd | of a perfect square. The word "EXTRACT" is written on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > EAT ROOT
Floyd |
Floyd | You're not particularly hungry.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Matter
Floyd | The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy.
Floyd | You can now see an inscription on the wall.  Several "paths" through
Floyd | the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the
Floyd | Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study,
Floyd | and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd | You stand in the southern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  There is an
Floyd | inscription on the wall, the rest of the temple is to the north, and
Floyd | the exit to the Lyceum is south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Northern End
Floyd | You stand in the northern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  Instead of
Floyd | the half-expected statue of Athena Parthenos, though, stands a large
Floyd | statue of Pythagoras.  Behind the statue is a small passageway heading
Floyd | north.
Floyd |
Floyd | An acolyte is here, silently cleaning up the area around the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a trash urn (in which is a scrap of papyrus) here.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte pokes at a corner of the temple with her broom.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GIVE ROOT TO WOMAN
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte is focused on her cleaning, and she ignores you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte gazes up at the statue with a reverent look on her face.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X STATUE
Floyd |
Floyd | This large statue of Pythagoras dominates the north end of the temple.
Floyd | A small passageway is behind the statue, leading north.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte picks up a speck of dust from the floor of the temple.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT ROOT ON STATUE
Floyd |
Floyd | Putting things on the statue of Pythagoras would achieve nothing.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT ROOT ON GEM
Floyd |
Floyd | Putting things on the sapphire gem would achieve nothing.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte picks up a speck of dust from the floor of the temple.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK THROUGH GEM
Floyd |
Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte gazes up at the statue with a reverent look on her face.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE EYE FROM RING
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd | You stand in the southern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  There is an
Floyd | inscription on the wall, the rest of the temple is to the north, and
Floyd | the exit to the Lyceum is south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Matter
Floyd | The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy.
Floyd | You can now see an inscription on the wall.  Several "paths" through
Floyd | the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the
Floyd | Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study,
Floyd | and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  One                                                  13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back up
Floyd | to the positive axis.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper,
Floyd | "downward" direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 1
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | space is broken up by the straight, flat white line floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  The line begins here and stretches
Floyd | out of sight to the east.  The number 1 is marked on the line.  While
Floyd | the line doesn't appear to be supported by anything, there is a hole
Floyd | in the middle of it here, next to the 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT GEM ON LINE
Floyd |
Floyd | Putting things on the positive axis would achieve nothing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > DROP GEM
Floyd |
Floyd | Dropped.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X LINE
Floyd |
Floyd | This flat white line begins here and runs as far as you can see to the
Floyd | east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >