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bugshaw at 06:57pm on 21/03/2006
bugshaw at 06:57pm on 21/03/2006Earlier, on LiveJournal, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
simont asked "In what order would you naturally list the four suits of a pack of cards?"
My first answer, SCHD, was the order taught me by my nice Christian Dad - and turns out (rather spookily) to be the order of the equivalent Tarot suits.
On reflection I felt a more "natural" order might be DHSC, i.e. arranging them in order of number of re-entrant angles (bits which point inwards). ♦ ♥ ♠ ♣ (may not display correctly on all systems)
But I notice a glaring omission:
0 Diamonds
1 Hearts
2 Spades
3
4 Clubs
There is a suit missing! The suit with three re-entrant angles! What should be there?
A bit of research brought me to The Mammals of Texas, and Item 32 on their Key to the Rodents of Texas which identifies animals based on their tooth shapes.
Enamel pattern of third upper molar with three closed triangles or, if with only two closed triangles, then with three inner re-entrant angles: Microtus mexicanus (Mexican vole).
And there we have our answer. Nestling between the spades and clubs, is the Secret Suit of Voles.
simont asked "In what order would you naturally list the four suits of a pack of cards?"My first answer, SCHD, was the order taught me by my nice Christian Dad - and turns out (rather spookily) to be the order of the equivalent Tarot suits.
On reflection I felt a more "natural" order might be DHSC, i.e. arranging them in order of number of re-entrant angles (bits which point inwards). ♦ ♥ ♠ ♣ (may not display correctly on all systems)
But I notice a glaring omission:
0 Diamonds
1 Hearts
2 Spades
3
4 Clubs
There is a suit missing! The suit with three re-entrant angles! What should be there?
A bit of research brought me to The Mammals of Texas, and Item 32 on their Key to the Rodents of Texas which identifies animals based on their tooth shapes.
Enamel pattern of third upper molar with three closed triangles or, if with only two closed triangles, then with three inner re-entrant angles: Microtus mexicanus (Mexican vole).
And there we have our answer. Nestling between the spades and clubs, is the Secret Suit of Voles.
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