Saturday, August 3, 2013

And You Were Impressed By Fibonacci????

OK, look, I still can't tell you exactly where I live.  Sorry, Bryan.  (See comment to previous post.)  I've given you photos, including a shot that lets you see outside.  That should be enough -- given the exercise of even modestly diligent research and investigation -- to figure it out.

But I digress.  The real news comes from the buzzer for my apartment building down at the street.  Look who else lives in this building:


Yes, one of Amedeo Avogadro's descendants!

The famed "Avogadro's Number" (or "Avogadro's Constant") is well known to all students of chemistry and physics.  You probably even recall its simple definition: it is the number of particles (atoms or molecules) in one mole of a given substance.  (See, e.g., en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avogadro_constant.)  Its value, of course, is around 6.022 times 10 to the 23rd.  Anyway, for a former engineer and lover of physics and chemistry, it's an honor to reside in the same building as someone from Avogadro's lineage.  I will be sure to pop over to Apartment 6 soon!

This, BTW, is another hint as to my precise location.  How many surviving Avogadros can there be in Roma, especially given that Amedeo Avogadro haled from way up north in Torino?   (See, e.g., en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amedeo_Avogadro.)

One final note: it should be no surprise to anyone that, just like Andrea Bocelli, Avogadro was a lawyer before he moved on to the field for which he has become a household name.  (Id.)

1 comment:

  1. What field do you think you will pursue given that the law thing didn't seem to work out?

    ReplyDelete