Why does an orange fit in your hand?

Atlynox · Post by **Atlynox** » Sun Oct 12, 2014 10:22 pm

Hello Coffee Shop,

I wondered in my sleepy dreams that Ï was on a planet where the people were 3x times the size I am.

(6 feet)

And they had oranges that where 3x times larger than our oranges. I was still 6 feet.

So I wondered: "Why does an orange fit in our hands?

Or is this an out of topic discussion, on which one will I find some clues?

Thank you!

Atlynox

Post by **spot** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 5:11 am

If I had dreams like that I'd stop eating toasted cheese for supper.

I suppose it's selective breeding, since there's no orange I can think of that's wild. The market pays more for oranges that go off the shelves quickly, and people presumably prefer their oranges hand-sized. If there were a market for larger citrus fruits we'd call them Grapefruit, and smaller ones would be called Clementines or Mandarins or Tangerines or Satsumas. Or Lemons. Or, reverting to oranges, those twee strong-flavoured whatsits. Kumquats.

Anyone three times your size would only evolve in low gravity, maybe they were spacefarers. Put them back on Earth and they'd never manage to stand up, their women's attributes would droop and their male parts would dangle. I bet their oranges would pancake too.

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 1:16 pm

I have a suspicion as to why 50 pence pieces were made as they are... to get them out of my Brother's hand with a spanner.

Post by **spot** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 2:10 pm

Oscar Namechange;1466098 wrote: I have a suspicion as to why 50 pence pieces were made as they are... to get them out of my Brother's hand with a spanner.

That's an odd notion. The distance across the centre of a fifty pence piece is exactly the same from edge to edge regardless of the selected angle. What does the spanner grip?

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 4:56 pm

spot;1466101 wrote: That's an odd notion. The distance across the centre of a fifty pence piece is exactly the same from edge to edge regardless of the selected angle. What does the spanner grip?

I remember reading once that the reason for a 50p & a 20p design was for the benefit of slot machines - something to do with the fact that the curve of one of the edges to the opposing point is the diamter of a full circle.

Post by **spot** » Tue Oct 14, 2014 2:17 am

FourPart;1466111 wrote: I remember reading once that the reason for a 50p & a 20p design was for the benefit of slot machines - something to do with the fact that the curve of one of the edges to the opposing point is the diamter of a full circle.

I've racked my brain for the significance of coins or spanners to the size of oranges. Buggered if I know.

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Tue Oct 14, 2014 8:47 am

spot;1466130 wrote: I've racked my brain for the significance of coins or spanners to the size of oranges. Buggered if I know.

State of the Art Vending | Fresh Vending

Post by **spot** » Wed Oct 15, 2014 8:45 am

FourPart;1466136 wrote: State of the Art Vending | Fresh Vending

My word I'd not want to put one of those in my mouth. Eww, as my teenage acquaintances would put it.

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Wed Oct 15, 2014 12:12 pm

FourPart;1466111 wrote: I remember reading once that the reason for a 50p & a 20p design was for the benefit of slot machines - something to do with the fact that the curve of one of the edges to the opposing point is the diamter of a full circle.

I was under the impression that it was for the benefit of the partially sighted?

Post by **spot** » Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:43 pm

Bryn Mawr;1466199 wrote: I was under the impression that it was for the benefit of the partially sighted?

I think the word you're looking for there is Blind. Call a spade a spade.

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:57 pm

Bryn Mawr;1466199 wrote: I was under the impression that it was for the benefit of the partially sighted?
Curve of constant width - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Famous examples of a curve of constant width are the British 20p and 50p coins. Their heptagonal shape with curved sides means that the currency detector in an automated coin machine will always measure the same width, no matter which angle it takes its measurement from. The same same is true of the 11-sided loonie (Canadian dollar coin).

There exists a polynomial f(x,y) of degree 8, whose graph (i.e., set of points in R^2 for which f(x,y)=0) is a non-circular curve of constant width.[4] Specifically,

f(x,y)=(x^2 + y^2)^4 - 45(x^2 + y^2)^3 - 41283(x^2 + y^2)^2 + 7950960(x^2 + y^2) + 16(x^2 - 3y^2)^3

+48(x^2 + y^2)(x^2 - 3y^2)^2 + (x^2 - 3y^2)x[16(x^2 + y^2)^2 - 5544(x^2 + y^2) + 266382] - 720^3.

That's exactly what you thought isn't it.

It was probably true of the old Threepenny Bit as well (ah, yes, I remember them well).

Post by **spot** » Wed Oct 15, 2014 2:14 pm

FourPart;1466214 wrote: It was probably true of the old Threepenny Bit as well
Good lord no - it has to be a prime number of sides for it to work[1], the portcullis thruppence had an even number of sides, they were parallel. You could even twist them with a spanner. The earlier silver thruppence that went in christmas puddings was round.

[1]: or odd, anyway. the prime number bit is intuitive guessing and possibly wrong.

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Wed Oct 15, 2014 2:27 pm

Actually, the silver threepence came much later - introduced by Queen Victoria, before reverting to the original dodecagon.

Post by **spot** » Thu Oct 16, 2014 9:46 am

FourPart;1466223 wrote: Actually, the silver threepence came much later - introduced by Queen Victoria, before reverting to the original dodecagon.

No no no - the twelve-sided coin was invented from scratch in 1937, it never existed before then.

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Thu Oct 16, 2014 12:53 pm

FourPart;1466214 wrote: Curve of constant width - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That's exactly what you thought isn't it.

It was probably true of the old Threepenny Bit as well (ah, yes, I remember them well).

That is certainly the mechanics of their construction and explains why they still work in a vending machine but why go to the trouble of making them that way in the first place?

As I say, my understanding was that the underlying reason was to allow the partially sighted (not just the blind but those with, say, only peripheral vision) to pick out the coins more easily.

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Thu Oct 16, 2014 3:08 pm

The 12 sided version was introduced in '37, but the 3d coin has been about since about the 17th Century.

Post by **LarsMac** » Thu Oct 16, 2014 6:23 pm

What has any of this got to do with really big guys with Oranges?

Post by **spot** » Fri Oct 17, 2014 12:43 am

FourPart;1466283 wrote: The 12 sided version was introduced in '37, but the 3d coin has been about since about the 17th Century.
It was the "reverting to the original dodecagon" I was puzzled about.

LarsMac;1466290 wrote: What has any of this got to do with really big guys with Oranges?
Spanners, apparently. Ask the one from Gloucestershire.

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 2:21 am

Atlynox;1466080 wrote: Hello Coffee Shop,

I wondered in my sleepy dreams that ï¿½ was on a planet where the people were 3x times the size I am.

(6 feet)

And they had oranges that where 3x times larger than our oranges. I was still 6 feet.

So I wondered: "Why does an orange fit in our hands?

Or is this an out of topic discussion, on which one will I find some clues?

Thank you!

Atlynox

This is the very reason why clementines and mandarins were invented.

Fuzzy · Post by **Fuzzy** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 2:53 am

Because I've stuck the cucumber up my bum to keep my hands free.

A dumb question deserves an intelligent answer.

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 3:11 am

There must be more than one Fuzzy on this forum.

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 1:52 pm

High Threshold;1469785 wrote: There must be more than one Fuzzy on this forum.

there are 2, male & female (fuzzywuzzy) & both are australian!

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 2:46 pm

AnneBoleyn;1469816 wrote: there are 2, male & female (fuzzywuzzy) & both are australian!

That explains it: One crude, foul and masculine - the other soft, gentle and feminine. "Where the women glow and men chunder" :guitarist

Snowfire · Post by **Snowfire** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 3:04 pm

I'd never describe fuzzywuzzy as soft and gentle

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 3:05 pm

thanks, never heard of 'chunder' before (barf)

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 5:39 am

Atlynox;1466080 wrote: Hello Coffee Shop,

I wondered in my sleepy dreams that ï¿½ was on a planet where the people were 3x times the size I am.

(6 feet)

And they had oranges that where 3x times larger than our oranges. I was still 6 feet.

So I wondered: "Why does an orange fit in our hands?

Or is this an out of topic discussion, on which one will I find some clues?

Thank you!

Atlynox

The answer to your question is quite simple. God created heaven and earth. Only when he had finished with that did he create man. The simple fact of the matter is that He began in Florida and it is not really a matter of created oranges to fit into the palm of your hand but rather to create man in proportion to what He had already achieved. Orange you glad he didn't create watermelons first?

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 8:12 am

High Threshold;1484389 wrote: The answer to your question is quite simple. God created heaven and earth. Only when he had finished with that did he create man. The simple fact of the matter is that He began in Florida and it is not really a matter of created oranges to fit into the palm of your hand but rather to create man in proportion to what He had already achieved. Orange you glad he didn't create watermelons first?

Forget watermelons, I'm just glad that it wasn't the pumpkin that was created first ! :yh_rotfl

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:48 am

G#Gill;1484399 wrote: Forget watermelons, I'm just glad that it wasn't the pumpkin that was created first ! :yh_rotfl

I BEG TO DIFFER:

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 10:36 am

Smaug · Post by **Smaug** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 12:47 pm

High Threshold;1484410 wrote:

It's a mutant!!:wah:

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 10:28 pm

Smaug;1484426 wrote: It's a mutant!!:wah:
A mutant??? I'll have you know that my parents were married nearly a year before I had that photo taken! I am their legitimate offspring! :p

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Thu Aug 20, 2015 2:54 am

High Threshold;1484410 wrote:

Oh gawd !!!!!! :yh_rotfl :yh_rotfl

That's the best I can do for the moment ! Although I have seen pumpkins even bigger than your pic of that huge watermelon, but can't find one yet !

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Thu Aug 20, 2015 6:16 am

G#Gill;1484478 wrote: Oh gawd !!!!!! :yh_rotfl :yh_rotfl

That's the best I can do for the moment ! Although I have seen pumpkins even bigger than your pic of that huge watermelon, but can't find one yet !
Well done!

Smaug · Post by **Smaug** » Thu Aug 20, 2015 6:33 am

High Threshold;1484476 wrote: A mutant??? I'll have you know that my parents were married nearly a year before I had that photo taken! I am their legitimate offspring! :p

I shudder to think what the labour pain would have been like!!:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Thu Aug 20, 2015 6:50 am

Smaug;1484492 wrote: I shudder to think what the labour pain would have been like!!:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

:wah:

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Thu Aug 20, 2015 1:10 pm

I guess I must have found a pic. of an extremely large pumpkin at last ! :wah:

Smaug · Post by **Smaug** » Thu Aug 20, 2015 3:06 pm

That's a flaming big pumpkin! Wonder how much it weighs? Bet you'd get a double hernia if you tried to lift it on your own!

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Thu Aug 20, 2015 8:45 pm

G#Gill;1484526 wrote: I guess I must have found a pic. of

an extremely large pumpkin at last ! :wah:

Several in fact! I imagine they are something on the order of Margaret Rutherford's breasts. Large and, uh

â€¦. soggy.

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 4:21 am

:yh_rotfl That's rather norty of you HT ! Yes, we know that Ms Rutherford was a rather large person !

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 5:43 am

G#Gill;1484543 wrote: That's rather norty of you HT ! Yes, we know that Ms Rutherford was a rather large person !
What I omitted is that I loved her dearly. She was wonderful!

Here she is - fetching up her pumpkins for the fair no doubt:

And for a fantastic ear-gasm that will put tears to your eyes ......

Oh, how I miss those days!

Atlynox · Post by **Atlynox** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 2:27 pm

Thanks for the answers,

I stand under a tree now, while I write, waiting for a pumpkin to fall on my head.

There must be a relation between my hand and a fruit tree!

One day my dreams will reveal the mystery of proportions.

Ahso! · Post by **Ahso!** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 2:44 pm

Maybe, just maybe, if you're lucky, you'll have one of those really big and heavy pumpkins fall on you and end your inquisitive thoughts.

Fisher Amen · Post by **Fisher Amen** » Sun Jun 11, 2017 10:04 am

Maybe God made them that size so that we could eat them easier.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Tue Jun 13, 2017 2:04 am

Atlynox;1466080 wrote: Hello Coffee Shop,

I wondered in my sleepy dreams that ï¿½ was on a planet where the people were 3x times the size I am.

(6 feet)

And they had oranges that where 3x times larger than our oranges. I was still 6 feet.

So I wondered: "Why does an orange fit in our hands?

Or is this an out of topic discussion, on which one will I find some clues?

Thank you!

Atlynox

Now I'm wondering about grapes. a singular grape to be exact.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Tue Jun 13, 2017 2:07 am

Ahso!;1486133 wrote: Maybe, just maybe, if you're lucky, you'll have one of those really big and heavy pumpkins fall on you and end your inquisitive thoughts.

That'll do it.

I know I'm doomed after asking this but..............why is a Pumpkin falling from a tree?

Post by **spot** » Tue Jun 13, 2017 2:14 am

magentaflame;1510146 wrote: I know I'm doomed after asking this but..............why is a Pumpkin falling from a tree?

Sometimes you're just plain odd - where else would you tether your pumpkin if you'd just rode into town. They're forever wriggling the rein free if you leave them too long, they don't like direct sunlight.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 12:38 pm

spot;1510147 wrote: Sometimes you're just plain odd - where else would you tether your pumpkin if you'd just rode into town. They're forever wriggling the rein free if you leave them too long, they don't like direct sunlight.

I put mine on the front verandah where its cool. They last a few months.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 1:06 am

Bring back turnip lanterns for halloween.

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Wed Jun 21, 2017 5:42 am

gmc;1510311 wrote: Bring back turnip lanterns for halloween.

That's another thing - I used to live just outside Liverpool. For some reason they call Turnips Swedes & vice versa, so a Turnip Lantern is actually a Swede Lantern. This doesn't just apply to lanterns, it relates to the vegetables themselves. Basically, as far as I'm concerned, a turnip is the one about the size of a cricket ball (and just as hard), and the swede is the yellow one nearer to the size of a football.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Sat Jun 24, 2017 3:33 pm

I've just read through this thread again.

Is LSD becoming a party drug again?