Column Chronicles: The think tank correlation, part two

The think tank correlation, part two

Frank Cotolo
June 29, 2017

We continue with the transcript of a think tank with five minus one mathematicians and the topic: Is it better to know a lot about a little or a little about a lot? The quartet, which is three plus one, discussed the options, alternatives and variables.

REGINALD STOW (RS): Where were we?

DENNIS WALL (DW): I'm going out for coffee, who wants some?

ROBERT WILLOUGHBY (RW): I'll take a black with two sugars.

CHING LI (CI): Get me a large black coffee with two shots of espresso.

RS: Yes, Columbian brew with shots of espresso sounds fine, I will have one, a large one.

DW: I'll need a few dollars, boys.

RW: How much is mine?

DW: I don't know, just give me three dollars, each of you.

CI: Four coffees will cost twelve dollars?

DW: Li is right, give me four dollars each.

RS: I didn't come to this think tank thinking I needed money for coffee. Why don't the sponsors take our orders, pay for them and bring them here?

CI: They don't want us to be stimulated with anything but conversation and thought.

RW: How do they think we think-tankers do our thinking, with milk and cookies?

RS: I suppose they expect us to call out for pizza and tip the delivery guy as well as split the check between us.

CI: They don't know a thing about anything, no less a little about a lot or a lot about a little.

DW: So am I going to get the coffees or not?

RW: Perhaps we should tell them we came to a conclusion on the topic, you know, lie? Then we go out for coffee, charge it to the sponsors and then come back and tell them the conclusion is incomplete so we have to go back into the think tank and think it through again.

RS, DW, RW and CI: (in unison) Great idea.

Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address: frank@148.ca.