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I have recently noticed your Letters and reference to "Frogs in Texas" (TIME, Oct. 26). I have every respect for Mr. Joe Fitzgerald's letter referring to "those Texas Frogs" but do want to comment on Frog No. 20. In this letter we have 20 frogs accurately sized beginning with No. t about as large as a walnut up to No. 20. It is assumed that each frog is exactly twice as large as the one preceding it in the "Bell Ringing Act." Let us set down this little problem as follows:
Frog No. 1-size-1 walnut
Frog No. 2-2 times frog No. 1 or 2 walnuts
Frog No. 3-2 times frog No. 2 or 4 walnuts
Frog No. 4-2 times frog No. 3 or 8 walnuts
etc. etc.
Frog No. 18-2 times frog No. 1" or 131,072 walnuts Frog No. 19-2 times frog No. 18 or 202,144 walnuts Frog No. 20-2 times frog No. 19 or 524,288 walnuts
Assuming an average walnut has a volume of 1 cu. in. and a cubic foot has 1,728 cu. in. in it we get 524,288 divided by 1,728 equals 303 cu. ft.
This would be a HAM or FROG approximately 7 ft. long by 7 ft. wide by 6.19 ft. deep.
I can assure you, your readers and Mr. Fitzgerald that Frog No. 20 was certainly capable of swallowing a larger Canadian goose, maybe two of these, or a whole flock.
BILL ANKENMANN
Salina, Kan.
Had to Speak Before
Sirs:
"A New Jersey woman pushed her baby carriage to Manhattan, first passenger from her State" (TIME, Nov. 2). Beg to differ. She was the second passenger. Or was she taking home the washing?
I've had to speak to you before. . . .
A. J. JAMES
Los Angeles, Calif.
Four to One Mex
Sirs:
On two separate occasions have I noted TIME'S erroneous conversion of Chinese "Mex" into gold dollars.
The ratio is two to one, not as TIME puts it, four to one. Therefore, the spending of the Leagues' representative of $120,000 Mex, is, in our sotight-for medium of exchange, $60,000 (TIME, Nov. 16).
FRANK E. GILBERT
Riverhead, N. Y.
As correctly indicated by TIME, decline in the price of silver has carried the Mex-dollar (based on silver) down to an average four-to-one ratio for the past four months.-ED.